The clash within the 5 Star Movement between President Giuseppe Conte and the guarantor and co-founder Beppe Grillo is becoming more heated every day. In the last few hours, the two have been the protagonists of yet another exchange of letters with threatening tones. So much so that the standoff could soon move to court.
The latest event in chronological order is a letter sent by Grillo to Conte today, Tuesday 17 September, in response to the letter addressed to him yesterday by the former prime minister, which in turn arrived after a harsh note released by the guarantor on 5 September.
If yesterday Conte had accused Grillo of having “a dominical conception of the Movement” and had gone as far as to hypothesize the suspension of the consultancy contracts in place between him and the M5S, today the co-founder says he is ready to consult the “competent bodies” of the Movement on the point and accuses the former prime minister of having undertaken “an attempt to demolish the democratic strongholds” of the Five Stars.
Meanwhile, the former mayor of Rome Virginia Raggi, indicated by some journalistic reconstructions as a supporter of Grillo within the M5S, distances herself from both contenders.
Beppe Grillo’s letter
“Dear Giuseppe, you write to me accusing me for the umpteenth time, after having done so several times publicly, of having a master’s vision of the movement and contrary to its democratic values. The truth is that, on the contrary, I have always intended to protect the democratic values on which the movement was founded”, we read in today’s letter from Grillo, the content of which was revealed exclusively by the newspaper The Sheet.
“If we really want to talk about attitudes contrary to the democratic values of the movement – continues the guarantor -, these are to be found in the creeping maneuvers with which they are trying to demolish its bulwarks, hypocritically invoking a presumed democratic process, which, as you know well (but pretend not to know) cannot do without it”.
At the center of the conflict between the two, as is known, is the constituent assembly called for October by Conte after the dismal result of the M5S in the European elections last June. The president has decided to start a process of total refoundation, to the point of calling into question even the name and symbol of the Movement and the sacred rule of the limit of two mandates.
A sort of revolution that worries Grillo. “Gianroberto and I,” writes the co-founder of the Five Stars in his letter, “wanted to prevent the risks of other political forces, which tended to harden and alienate themselves from citizens. The limit of the double mandate arises precisely from the desire to prevent these risks. Therefore, to maintain that the unchallengeability of certain rules is incompatible with the democratic values of the movement is not only an obvious contradiction, but is actually a reversal of reality, which reveals, conversely, the real intentions of those who would like to question them.”
“Accusing me of a master vision of the movement – continues Grillo – is nothing more than a mirror of the intentions of others. On the contrary, reiterating the importance of certain rules is equivalent to defending its democratic values”.
“I conclude by responding to your threat to suspend the commitments undertaken by the movement towards me, this one is indeed unworthily instrumental and undue, since they are strictly linked to the functions that I have carried out and continue to carry out for the movement”, we read in the final part of the letter.
“In my capacity as an ‘elevated’ person, I refrain from stooping so low by responding in kind, but I limit myself to observing that the indemnity commitments would be due in any case, regardless of a contractual commitment in this sense, while my “compensations” – which in reality, as you know, also cover the office costs of the function that I carry out for the movement – are not only appropriate for my function and the related costs, but are even more so at a time when an attempt is underway to distort the identity and values of the movement. In light of the above, I reserve the right to evaluate what to do, possibly also submitting your threats to the competent organs of the movement”.
Giuseppe Conte’s letter
Yesterday, in a letter made public by the Evening CourierConte had reproached Grillo for having “a dominical conception of the Movement”.
“The safeguarding of the fundamental values of the political action of the movement and the power of authentic, non-questionable interpretation of the statutory provisions (I do not want to discuss here the legitimacy and the concrete legal relevance of such a high-sounding provision), are resolved in a moral suasion, but certainly do not extend to the exercise of a supposed right of veto or even to the inhibition of the assembly consultation on one or more issues of the life of the Movement”, we read in the letter of the former Prime Minister.
Your statements – Conte stressed, addressing Grillo – are completely incompatible with the obligations you specifically assumed towards the Movement with reference to both the surety and the advertising and communication contracts: this obliges me to evaluate possible initiatives aimed at suspending the execution of the services to be performed by the Movement deriving from the surety, and the withdrawal from the advertising and communication contracts”.
Virginia Raggi’s speech
The hypothesis of a split in the Five Stars is increasingly likely. Some journalistic reconstructions of the last few days have identified the former mayor of Rome Virginia Raggia as a sort of fifth column of Grillo, but the person directly involved denies everything with a post on social media.
“Power struggles don’t interest me,” Raggi writes. “I don’t want to take the lead of any party or participate in palace conspiracies. So everyone can stay calm.”
“But at the same time – she adds – as I have always done in my life, I strongly claim the right to say what I think. And above all to do it freely, without being labeled as a ‘loyal’ follower of one or another”.
“I have always been an autonomous and independent woman,” insists Raggi. “And I will continue to be so, whether people like it or not. I will continue to say what I think and what I think is right without having to ask anyone’s permission. And stop always seeing ulterior motives. They are not part of my nature!”
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