A video of an exchange between the President of France, Emmanuel Macron and Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s Prime Minister has gone viral with many people pointing out that she deliberately snubbed him after the two leaders disagreed about mentioning abortion rights in the last statement of the G7 summit.
Gareth Dore a user by X commented on this video saying, “The eyes say what we all think.”
Another X user said, “Man…that face has no filter”.
The Italian front pages were dominated by disagreement between Meloni and Macron. Which could overshadow any efforts to support Ukraine at the summit. In another development, her office denied claims that a reference to LGBTQ rights had bee struck out from it thereby terming such allegations as being false.
The final draft of the statement expressed deep anxiety over women’s rights regressions, girls’ and LGBTQIA+ individuals globally while also condemning categorically all violations or abuses committed against them.
According to Italian local media sources, Meloni took issue with the words ‘safe and legal’ referring to abortions in the final statement branding it as being “deeply wrong.” This matter caused a rift between her and Macron who is a liberal French President whose already strained relationship due to their different political beliefs.
While speaking at a press conference during G7 summit attended by an Italian journalist, he reiterated his point saying that recently the French parliament approved legislation enshrining abortion into its constitution. He underscored differences in sensitive points of view stating,” These are not sensitivities that exist today in your country… I regret but respect that because it was your people’s sovereign choice”
Macron then used his speech at G7 for campaigning given that upcoming legislative elections awaited him as noted by Meloni later on next evening.
Meloni’s party made significant gains in Italy when far-right politicians surged during recent European elections while Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RM) party won a majority in France thereby leaving Macron with no majority.