Stefano Bonaccini, the outgoing European People’s Party MEP from the Democratic Party, set off a fierce political firestorm this week with a claim that the Italian right-wing vote comes “in majority from those who studied little.”
The remark, made in a video interview that quickly went viral, struck a nerve. Critics accused the former regional president of dismissing a large share of the electorate as uneducated. But Bonaccini’s sharpest rebuttal came not from allies of the centre-left, but from the right itself.
Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s prime minister, took to social media and shared Bonaccini’s own video, captioning it with a counter-punch: “Those Italians, regardless of what schools they attended, studied the left on their own skin. They saw less safe cities, uncontrolled borders, forgotten suburbs.”
She added: “We do not ask them how much they studied before listening to them. We ask them one simple question: do they feel better off?”
The exchange has turned a routine campaign-season comment into a broader debate about class, education, and political tone in Italy. Centre-left figures have defended Bonaccini, arguing he was pointing to a genuine sociological observation about political geography rather than insulting voters. Right-wing commentators have pounced, framing the gaffe as proof that the PD’s elite still look down on ordinary Italians.
Both camps agreed on one thing: the remark gave each side a potent clip for the next round of campaign ads.