Roberto Vannacci (born 20 November 1968) is an
Italian Army former officer and politician. Since July 2024, he has been serving as a
Member of the European Parliament for the
League.
Biography
Vannacci was born in
La Spezia
La Spezia (, or , ; in the local Spezzino dialect) is the capital city of the province of La Spezia and is located at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the southern part of the Liguria region of Italy.
La Spezia is the second largest city ...
, Liguria, in 1968. He attended the
Military Academy of Modena and the Application School of
Turin and obtained three master's degrees: in strategic sciences, achieved at the
University of Turin, in international and diplomatic sciences at the
University of Trieste and in military sciences at the
University of Bucharest.
During his military career, Vannacci held the roles of commander of the
9th Paratroopers Assault Regiment "Col Moschin", of the
Paratroopers Brigade "Folgore"
The Paratroopers Brigade "Folgore" is an airborne brigade of the Italian Army. Its core units are three battalions of paratroopers (''paracadutisti''). The name "Folgore" is Italian for lightning. The Folgore is one of three light infantry briga ...
, of the Italian troops in the
Iraqi civil war as well as of "Task Force 45" during the
War in Afghanistan. He also commanded Italian forces deployed in the Balkans, Rwanda, Somalia and Libya, and was awarded the US
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...
in 2018 for his efforts to combat the
Islamic State group.
Vannacci became a well-known and discussed figure following the publication, in August 2023, of his book ''Il mondo al contrario'' (''The world upside down'') which, due to the controversial statements expressed on feminists,
immigrants,
homosexual
Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...
s,
environmentalism, and Jews brought him to the center of considerable media attention. The book rose to first place among the best sellers in Italy in the week from 14 to 20 August. Defense Minister
Guido Crosetto said that the publication had not been cleared by Vannacci's superiors and that Vannacci "expressed opinions that discredit the Army, the Ministry of Defence and the Constitution".
On 18 August 2023, a summary investigation was opened against General Vannacci for the contents of his book by the Chief of Staff of the Italian Army, Army Corps General Pietro Serino.
Given the results of this investigation, on 4 November the general was informed of the opening of a formal investigation against him to ascertain any disciplinary infractions. This investigation ended in February 2024 with suspension from service for 11 months with half the salary. According to the conclusions of the internal proceedings, in fact, the publication of the book would have determined an "injury to the principle of neutrality/third party of the Armed Force
..compromising the prestige and reputation of the Administration to which it belongs and generating possible disruptive and divisive emulative effects in the 'scope of the military team".
Member of the European Parliament
In April 2024, he accepted the candidacy to the
European Parliament for the right-wing party the
League. He was elected to the European Parliament and was the second most voted candidate in Italy. In July 2024, he was elected vice president of the EP group
Patriots for Europe, despite his nominee was opposed by the other parties.
Vannacci impresentabile anche per i Patrioti. Tutto il gruppo boccia la sua vicepresidenza. Lui ironizza: “C’è fluidità”
la Repubblica
Electoral history
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vannacci, Roberto
Italian generals
Living people
Italian people of Croatian descent
Italian people of Hungarian descent
1968 births
Recipients of the National Order of the Cedar