Italy's Meloni calls book fair's anti-fascist pledge 'censorship'; organisers promise review amid political clash

The dispute

Rome's national fair for small and medium publishers, Più Libri Più Liberi, will run from 4 to 8 December 2026 at the Nuvola dell'Eur. This year, exhibitors must sign an additional annex that explicitly commits them to 'recognise and share the anti-fascist values at the foundation of the democratic order of the Italian Constitution.' The requirement follows a 2025 controversy when 89 intellectuals tried, unsuccessfully, to have a far-right publisher excluded. Prime Minister Meloni, writing on X, called the annex a 'patentino antifascista' and an act of censorship.

The erasure of non-leftist ideas, disguised as anti-fascist struggle, is an old vice of the left. It is called, quite simply, censorship. And censorship is incompatible with any democratic society.

Fair's response

Fair organisers defended the move, explaining that the document is based on institutional and universal references and contains no partisan hints. In a statement, they said the decision to ask participants to sign was not censorship but 'an need for clarity and unity among the different actors present at the fair.' However, they acknowledged the weight of the prime minister's intervention.

We are sorry about what is happening: the intervention of the President of the Council and the general debate that has arisen obviously induce us to a further, careful examination out of institutional respect.

Fair president Annamaria Malato added that it would be a 'beautiful thing if Meloni came, and I say this not with polemical intent, but to show that it is a big misunderstanding.'

Opposition and allies

Elly Schlein, secretary of the Democratic Party, criticised Meloni for attacking anti-fascism while remaining silent over a rally where a neo-fascist leader spoke of being ready to storm Parliament. Schlein pointed out that Meloni herself swore an oath on the anti-fascist Constitution.

Even Giorgia Meloni swore on the Constitution, and the Constitution is anti-fascist. While guaranteeing freedom of expression, it does not consider fascism an opinion but bans it.

Deputy prime minister Antonio Tajani argued that freedom of expression and thought must always be guaranteed and that one should not be labelled a fascist simply for holding a different view. Former culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano called the fair's requirement 'a pearl of intolerance' and suggested that an anti-communist declaration should also be demanded if anti-fascist credentials are required.

Broader reaction

Several cultural voices joined the criticism, while the fair's organisers insisted the document does not limit thought. The culture minister, Giuli, reportedly welcomed the promise of a further review 'in light of the well-founded observations.' The dispute highlights persistent tensions within Italian public life over the legacy of fascism and the boundaries of free expression, just six months before the fair opens.

She is perfectly right. In a country where freedom of expression is in the Constitution, this freedom must not be subject to any licence, whether anti-fascist or anti-whatever.