The M5S is organising a conference with ufologists. The president: “We’ll also have the Vannacciani and Musumeci there”

Rome. While Giuseppe Conte is thinking about primaries, political programmes and Mother Russia, his men are doing better. Or rather, no: they’re outdoing themselves. In the sense that Giuseppe Conte’s men are even surpassing Franco Battiato’s gravitational currents. So while the former prime minister is thinking about Moscow, Conte’s supporters are thinking instead… about aliens. Yes, indeed. Last Monday, at Palazzo Valentini, a conference on UFOs was held. A day devoted to alleged Martians and flying saucers, presided over by Rome City Councillor Daniele Diaco, leader of the Five Galaxies Movement. 

“The Five Star Movement’s Roman councillor acted as our master of ceremonies,” Vladimiro Bibolotti, essayist, blogger for *Il Fatto Quotidiano* and, above all, president emeritus of the National UFO Centre, tells *Il Foglio*. “Diaco opened our meeting to a large audience.” Although, as Vladimiro goes on to explain, “you shouldn’t attribute the interest solely to the Movement, which has certainly shown itself to be keen”. We ask for further details… “The Five Star Movement,” says the ufologist, “are very interested in us, but the CUN is non-partisan.” So? “So I wouldn’t pin the blame solely on them, the poor things!” No? And who else would you blame? “Well, Vannacci’s deputy has also been coming to our conferences lately.” Perhaps Massimiliano Simoni? (Gasperini is too close to the Lefebvrians to be keen on aliens). “Mario Borghezio came.” He’s a friend of Lefebvre’s too, but perhaps more compatible with Mars. “Marco Rizzo came.” The cosmonaut Rizzo. “And then…”. It’s all building up… “Then even Musumeci is on our side.” Nello? “The minister, yes, who in the past tabled a parliamentary question on flying objects.” Really? “Yes. Musumeci. He’s open to UFOs.” And indeed, the minister is in charge of the Sea and Civil Protection. He is the man tasked, amongst other things, with flushing out Martians in Rome. The conference, however, organised by the Five Star Movement’s council group, retraced the history of ufology from the post-war period to the present day. Particular attention was paid to the Twining Memorandum and the Pentagon documents. The only things missing were Welles’ “The War of the Worlds” and the UFO that Venditti spotted at Villa Paganini when he was a child. In any case, Bibolotti says: “We don’t want to reduce the issue to a spectacle. We want democracies to be able to tackle intelligence dossiers without taboos.” Because, after all, the subject is serious. In fact, extremely serious. So serious that it deserves an audience worthy of the subject. “Andreotti used to pay attention to us,” the president reminds us; he is now, however, the focus of the Five Star Movement’s attention. “Leave them in peace, though. It’s not just them, and they don’t deserve it.” No, of course not. But the fact is that whilst Conte talks about foreign policy, they are pushing themselves even beyond the sky… Or perhaps they’re simply reverting to their old ways. The one involving Paola Taverna and chemtrails. The one involving the honourable Sibilia, sceptical of the moon landing. Or perhaps the honourable Basilio, who believed in mermaids. Bibolotti repeats: “We don’t want to convince anyone of the existence of extraterrestrials.” And thank goodness for that. Not least because when you were a ufologist, Mr President, they were already on Mars.