Praising Hamas is possible. Druetti: “Ready for a broad coalition”

“Maurizio Acerbo did nothing wrong. Praising Hamas is not a criminal offence. And besides, why is it that nobody finds it problematic to praise a genocidal state like Israel?” Defending the leader of Rifondazione Comunista in Il Foglio is Francesca Druetti, secretary of Possibile, a party founded in 2015 by Pippo Civati after he left the PD in open disagreement with the line pursued by the then PD secretary Matteo Renzi. Elly Schlein also sought refuge there until 2019. Today, Possibile champions left-wing causes, protests against the anti-Semitism bill and engages in dialogue with Rifondazione on the wealth tax. “Together, we supported a bill to tax the richest 0.1 per cent of the population,” says Druetti, who intends to stand for election as part of the centre-left coalition. “The majority of the party is convinced that the ‘broad coalition’ is the right place to put forward our electoral proposal,” she explains. “We are assessing the right structure; we are engaged in lengthy discussions with AVS. In 2022, we stood on their lists, but without our own logo. They are our link to Parliament.”

For 2027, as we wrote on Saturday, discussions are underway regarding a ‘combined’ electoral agreement: a ballot symbol featuring two logos, those of Rifondazione and Possibile. “I won’t comment on this for the time being. One option would be to include some of our candidates on the AVS lists, but it also depends on them.” There are many points of common ground with Bonelli and Fratoianni. The same goes for Rifondazione. Acerbo provocatively asked on X whether it is forbidden to praise Hamas. “It’s not a criminal offence,” replies Druetti, “and it wouldn’t be even if the anti-Semitism bill were to pass. Acerbo was simply exaggerating.” He will at least agree that praising Hamas, a terrorist group, is rather serious. “It is just as serious to advocate for, support and praise a genocidal state, and nobody finds that problematic. If we continue to recognise that the government committing genocide is worthy of international representation, of participating in forums around the world, in intergovernmental meetings and so on, and we have nothing to say about this, then I do not believe that judging Hamas is a sign of political intelligence.”

Democratic Party Senator Filippo Sensi said that Acerbo had stepped in “a pile of rubbish”, recalling with bitterness that the PD had even lent him a senator (Andrea Crisanti) to facilitate the submission of the ‘red list’ for the upcoming elections. “It’s the sort of language you’d hear at a cattle market,” says Druetti. ‘Lending a parliamentarian doesn’t mean we have to toe their line and decide what Rifondazione should do.’ For the leader of Possibile, 7 October ‘was an act of violence which, however – she is keen to point out – is part of an even more extreme context of violence: genocide. In this debate, the left must speak out for the most marginalised, namely the Palestinians’. What about the Ukrainians? “We condemned the Russian invasion right from the start,” she adds, “but afterwards we expressed very serious reservations about whether the arms race is the right path. Pacifism means trying to resolve problems rather than exacerbating them.” On the ‘no weapons, more dialogue’ line, she agrees with Giuseppe Conte. She is somewhat less aligned with the former prime minister on other issues, such as the wealth tax, which Conte has rejected. “It is an issue that the broad coalition must not shy away from. If Conte wants to explain his reasoning, we will explain ours.” In the primaries, who will you choose: Schlein or Conte? “We have a history with Elly; as for Conte, we don’t even know if he’s in the running.”