Italian politicians attack museum directors and cultural inclusion

Italian politicians, including Giorgia Meloni and Luigi Brugnaro, have attacked museum directors for inclusive policies. Meloni criticized Christian Greco, director of the Museo Egizio di Torino, for offering free tickets to Arabic speakers and immigrants, accusing him of favoring non-Italians. She threatened to remove him if elected, despite the museum's independence from government. Brugnaro, mayor of Venice, blocked a Gianni Berengo Gardin exhibition on cruise ships and banned the word 'inclusion' from municipal policies. The article argues that cultural institutions are under attack from populist, nationalist politicians who view culture as entertainment rather than a civic good.