Ilaria Salis
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Ilaria Salis (1984) is an Italian politician, activist, writer and teacher. She was elected as a Member of the European Parliament in 2024 for the Green and Left Alliance.
Quotes
[edit]- Sometimes, I am truly amazed at how certain newspapers or politicians manage to manipulate narratives to the point of turning them upside down. I don't understand how they can transform people who care for the homeless into squatters who take homes away from others. Housing rights movements deal with public housing, which is left vacant because the system doesn't work.
- From an interview of Fabio Fazio at the TV program Che tempo che fa, NOVE; quoted in Ilaria Salis da Fazio: «Sull'occupazione della case hanno stravolto la realtà», video.corriere.it, 9 February 2025.
- I know Hungary from its darkest place: prison. There, I was held in pre-trial detention, in harsh conditions, for 15 months. [...] Under the government of Viktor Orbán, Hungary has become an illiberal and oligarchic regime, an authoritarian ethnic state. Some even call it a “modern tyranny.” What is certain is that the rule of law and media freedom are not guaranteed. Dissent is criminalized and civil society is repressed. While oligarchs loyal to the leader have become wealthy, social and regional inequalities have worsened. Minority rights are systematically violated and racism has become mainstream. [...] This new and dangerous form of fascism represents the authoritarian variant of global capitalism in our times.
- From the speech to the plenary session of the European Parliament on the Hungarian Presidency; quoted in a post in the x.com official profile, 9 October 2024.
It is difficult to say what Europe is today without considering its history. When we talk about immigration, for example, we must bear in mind what colonialism and decolonization have been. The history of the 20th century has shown where nationalism and war can lead, and for almost half a century an Iron Curtain separated two opposing political, economic, social, and cultural systems. Today's Europe has its roots in these events: by coming to terms with its past, it would certainly find ideas for dealing with the present and building its future.
- From an interview of Andrea Rossi, Ilaria Salis: "Vittima di ingiustizia, la storia è dalla mia parte", lastampa.it, 19 May 2024
- Genoa 2001 is often remembered with pain. It was many things, and certainly also a great collective trauma. But beyond the suffering, we must also learn to cherish the memory of the extraordinary strength of that movement. That strange plural creature of the new millennium, which called itself the “movement of movements.” A movement that was ahead of its time. That pointed to the need for an internationalist alternative to capitalist globalization. That built alliances between different worlds, that united peoples beyond nationalism, that reconciled differences. With all its limitations, of course. But with enormous potential for change. We are still everywhere. Carlo lives!
- From a post on the x.com official profile, 19 July 2025
- The right wing parties does not want to create the conditions and tools that would enable people to overcome their insecurities. On the contrary, it favors dynamics of human, social, and political regression. Therefore, it is important to commit to improving material living conditions and stimulating paths of growth. [...] Solidarity, a courageous and collective force that is truly capable of changing the world, must be the beacon that helps us stay on course.
- From an interview of Mario Di Vito and Giansandro Merli, L'onorevole Ilaria Salis: «In Europa porto la mia storia e i movimenti sociali», ilmanifesto.it, 13 June 2024
- [...] for the post-fascists in government, targeting social realities is no accident: it is a political program, combining ideological revenge with an authoritarian agenda.
- Se la rabbia per lo sfratto contagia la città, ilmanifesto.it, 23 August 2025
- Today, the Juri Committee decided to defend my immunity and the independence of Parliament, and to reject the request for revocation made by the Hungarian regime. This is an important and positive signal. I am fully confident that Parliament will confirm this decision in the October plenary session, affirming the centrality of the rule of law and democratic guarantees. Defending my immunity does not mean evading justice, but protecting myself from political persecution by the Orbán regime. That is why its protection is essential. The Italian authorities remain free to open proceedings against me, as I myself hope and strongly request.
- Primo sì all'immunità per Ilaria Salis al Parlamento europeo, salva per un voto, ANSA.it, 23 September 2025
This vote is a victory for democracy, the rule of law, and anti-fascism. This decision shows that resistance works. It shows that when elected representatives, activists, and citizens defend democratic values together, authoritarian forces can be confronted and defeated.
- Simone De La Feld, Ilaria Salis saved by one vote as European Parliament rejects lifting immunity, eunews.it, October 7, 2025
