“The party is over”. Citizen Security Speech:

the case of Matteo Salvini in Italy (2018-2019)

Abstract

As of the economic crisis of 2008, the current international scenario has changed its configuration towards a multipolar world of competition and some distrust among nations, giving account of an international order in dispute. In the case of Italy, being one of the most affected countries in the euro zone, there was the rise to the government of a center-right coalition that, from its discursive matrix, focuses on immigration as the main cause of “the Italian evils " This article aims to contribute to the debate on the articulation between discourse and power that is currently taking place, focusing on a specific case of the European Union. It will focus on analyzing the speech of Matteo Salvini (Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister of the Italian Republic) in which there is an articulation between citizen security and the arrival of refugees and non-regular migrants to the Italian Peninsula. The analysis will be based on the racconto of various speeches and press material, plus the study of two government measures adopted by the Minister: a) the “Security and Immigration Decree” (2018), which hinders the arrival of refugees and facilitates expulsions; and b) the approval of the new “Law of Legitimate Defense” (2019). Finally, our conclusion aims to account for the political use that the Italian neo-government makes regarding the most questioned sectors within the complex Italian society, in order to achieve consensus and governance in the European country.