Silvio Berlusconi passed away on Monday. The media mogul, who ruled Italy for nine years, died aged 86 from leukemia. Prime minister three times between 1994 and 2011, he was a senator and president of his right-wing party, Forza Italia, a minor partner in the coalition government of far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Italy, from its allies to its political opponents, salutes a “fighter” who has marked the history of the country. In France, Silvio Berlusconi is mostly welcomed by the right and the far right. The Italian journalist and writer Alberto Toscano, stationed in Paris for 37 years, returns in particular for Le Point on the relationship that the former head of the Italian government had with France.
Le Point: Why is the death of Silvio Berlusconi an earthquake for Italy?
Alberto Toscano: The death of Silvio Berlusconi is a shock for Italians because he is the character who has made Italian history for at least thirty years, and even more if you take into account the period when he was an entrepreneur in real estate and television. When a character, who has been on screens every day for decades, dies, a part of you is gone. Berlusconi was part of the furniture, of the daily life of the Italians.
What made him such a colorful character?
Berlusconi decided in 1994 to put aside his activity as a television entrepreneur to create a new political party, Forza Italia. He performed the miracle of leading this newly created political party to win the Italian elections in the spring of the same year. He became President of the Council in Italy, then was put in difficulty by the Northern League, a party which left its coalition and which put it in crisis.
However, he continues to be a character of cleavages, hated, sometimes accused of having received money of a rather dubious origin, close to money laundering. He is also accused of having opened the door to the extreme right. Was that a bad thing, since he demonized the Italian far right? Or not, because he pushed the far right to be more pragmatic, to put their feet on the ground? It’s a historical judgment that we can make over the years.
What relationship did Silvio Berlusconi have with France?
Berlusconi loved France. He also spoke French. He sometimes made mistakes but his foreign language was French, not English. Before becoming an entrepreneur, he went on cruise ships to sing. He played the piano and he loved to sing in French. One day, I asked him what he thought of François Mitterrand, and he replied with joy: “A great lord.” He was very fond of François Mitterrand.
The French have a bad image of Berlusconi because he was linked to two things that the French did not like. The first is television, with a backdrop of rhinestones and sequins. The second is the demonization of the far right. This is why French intellectuals hate Berlusconi. I’m not sure French public opinion doesn’t like it. She is much more understanding and generous than the French intellectuals.
