Divide et impera. A new wave of Russian propaganda is rising on social media, aiming to strain the recently strengthened relations between Italy and Saudi Arabia ahead of a foreign ministers’ meeting in Rome planned for Tuesday.
- A Russia-based Arabic-language channel on X (formerly Twitter) reposted an old video of Giorgia Meloni in which she criticises Islam, stating that it is incompatible with the rights and values of Western civilisation and Saudi Arabia.
- This post has garnered nearly two million views on X alone. Initially circulating within Arabic-language profiles, the campaign has since spread to Spanish and Indian profiles.
🚨⚡ رئيسة وزراء إيطاليا جيورجيا ميلوني:
“أعتقد أن هناك مشكلة في التوافق بين الثقافة الإسلامية وقيم وحقوق حضارتنا. المراكز الثقافية الإسلامية في إيطاليا تمولها السعودية حيث تطبق الشريعة. في أوروبا هناك عملية أسلمة واسعة بعيدة عن قيم حضارتنا!” pic.twitter.com/3boWGApZ1M
— الموجز الروسي | Russia news 🇷🇺 (@mog_Russ) August 31, 2024
However… the clip is dated 2018, before the general elections in Italy and when Meloni was not the Prime Minister of Italy, and does not reflect the current stance of Meloni’s government.
- For instance, the arms export ban to Saudi Arabia was lifted last year.
- Additionally, there has been speculation, particularly from London, about Saudi Arabia potentially joining the Global Combat Air Programme – a collaboration between Italy, the United Kingdom, and Japan to develop a sixth-generation stealth fighter.
The strategy. Disinformation campaigns like these rely on two key factors: exploiting pre-existing tensions and choosing the right moment to maximise impact.
- This specific case aligns with a meeting that had been planned for tomorrow in Rome between the Foreign Ministers, namely Antonio Tajani and Faisal Bin Farhan Al-Saud, but which has since been cancelled.
- In addition to bilateral relations, the discussions will focus on the international climate shaped by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Gaza war, which erupted on October 7 following Hamas’s attack on southern Israel.
