Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Thursday that French President Emmanuel Macron misunderstood her statements regarding the killing of a far-right activist, and considered them interference in the affairs of Paris. Macron said during an official visit to India, “Let everyone mind their own business so that things go well,” adding, “I am always surprised when I see nationalists, who do not want anyone to interfere in the affairs of their country, the first to comment on what is happening to others.”
Published on: 02/20/2026 - 14:17 Last updated: 02/20/2026 - 19:25
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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Thursday that French President Emmanuel Macron misunderstood her statements regarding the killing of a far-right activist.
Meloni said in a television interview with Sky TG24, “I am sorry that Macron considered this an interference.”
Macron, who was on an official visit to India, called on the Italian Prime Minister to stop “commenting on what is happening to others,” following her statement about the killing of a right-wing activist following an attack by political opponents. He said, “Let everyone take care of their own affairs so that things go well,” adding, “I am always surprised when I see nationalists, who do not want anyone to interfere in the affairs of their country, the first to comment on what is happening to others.”
Right-wing activist Kantan Duranc was killed in the French city of Lyon last week, after he was attacked on the sidelines of a conference held by European Representative Rima Hassan, who belongs to the radical left.
Read also: France: The Public Prosecution seeks a charge of “premeditated murder” against seven suspects in the killing of a right-wing extremist activist
Meloni's office is "amazed"
Commenting on what Macron made, Meloni’s office expressed “astonishment” on Thursday, stressing that her positions came as “a sign of solidarity with the French people affected by this horrific event.”
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Taiani also said on “X” that Duranke’s killing “is a serious matter that concerns all of us and we condemn it without hesitation.”
This comes on a day when the Public Prosecution in the city of Lyon requested that seven men be charged with “premeditated murder” in connection with Duranque’s murder.
Most of the suspects are linked to extremist leftist movements, including three close to the radical leftist MP Rafael Arnault, founder of the far-right anti-fascist youth group “Young Guard,” which was dissolved by decree in June 2025, particularly due to “acts of violence.”
France 24/AFP
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