The current Italian coalition government due to the COVID-19 and the strategy adopted to face the crisis is exasperating the social situation in the country and creating the condition for a future clash between people who belong to different working, social, and political classes. Although the government strategic communication is promoting hope and forecasting a quick economic recovery, a big portion of the Italian citizens are losing their trust and faith in the central authority while among the Web and Social Networks are spreading ideas and groups that support revolutionary movements. The current socioeconomic condition is also helping mafia and criminal groups in their activities of substituting the State in several cities and regions of Italy thanks to social assistance and financing small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
The situation in Italy is getting worse because together with the spread of COVID-19 the country is experiencing a socioeconomic crisis that might cause protests and riots as often stated by the Italian secret service and the Ministry of Interior Affairs. The restricted measures imposed by the Government and the inability to quickly activate economic decrees to support SMEs are extremely and negatively impacting private business and irregular workers.
The Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has several times addressed the population using its Facebook account or the media reassuring the Italian citizens that the Government is approving economic measures to help SMEs and those people who have always worked without a regular contract or with a temporary one. If at the beginning of COVID-19 crisis the Italian media and members of the Government focused their communication on the virus threat spreading psychological terrorism to convince the population to stay at home, nowadays the State strategic communication has changed and become positive regarding the future of the country.
Although Giuseppe Conte and several MP are promoting the economic measures negative feeling of distrust are arising in Italy. Italian citizens are getting used of the Prime Minister’s public appearance on TV or Facebook which are used to communicate economic and legislative policies and explaining the reasons that push the Government to adopt a specific strategy. Inside the country, there is a division between those people who support the current coalition government (Democratic Party and Five Stars Movement) led by Giuseppe Conte, those who believe that the government strategy might seriously damage the Italian economy and bring the country to the financial default, and those who would like a new government led by the opposition (League of Matteo Salvini and Italian Brothers of Giorgia Meloni).
Last Friday Giuseppe Conte addressed Italian citizens in a public speech where he did not only describe the plans to overcome the crisis but also publicly attacked Matteo Salvini and Georgia Meloni accusing them of spreading fake news and working against the country. Conte’s speech has increased political debate inside the Parliament and among the Italian citizens as demonstrated by the Web and Social Network creating negative feelings and the basis for a future harsh confrontation.
Furthermore, the country is divided between state workers and people who have a permanent job and entrepreneurs and irregular workers. The first group support Giuseppe Conte and has shown no problems to stay at home without working because these citizens have a monthly salary while entrepreneurs and irregular workers are facing hard times without profits or a salary for at least two or three months.
The Italian secret services have raised the alarm on the possibility that the Government could have faced social protests and revolutionary movements due to the harsh economic crisis which several people are experiencing. Recently on Facebook have appeared some private groups which collect people who support the idea of a social revolution against the government accusing Giuseppe Conte and his entourage of starving the country.
At the same time, security and police forces are denouncing the outstanding activities led by the mafia and criminal groups which are substituting the central authority in social assistance and economic support. There is a tangible risk that mafia and criminals might fill the vacuum and transform the current crisis into an opportunity to restore their activities disbanded by the daily police operations.Although Italy might reduce the lockdown and the restricted measures in May and progressively restart economic production, these months of COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated social tensions and political confrontation and might lead Italy to a deep social confrontation.
