Associations protested Monday against the arrival in Nice of an Italian conductor described as "neofascist" and close to the head of the Italian government Giorgia Meloni. The city of Nice has invited the Italian conductor Beatrice Venezi to conduct its Philharmonic Orchestra, for the traditional Christmas ballets and the New Year's Concert.
Gathered in a collective "Touscitoyens06", the associations indicated in a statement their "opposition" to the arrival of "a neofascist conductor" and asked the mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi (Horizons) and the director general of the Opera "to cancel this event". A rare female conductor, Beatrice Venezi, daughter of Gabriele Venezi, former leader of the openly neo-fascist Forza Nuova party in the first decade of the 2000s, is an adviser to Italian Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano.
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His appearance at the Limoges Opera in April had already sparked a protest movement. In a reaction sent to AFP, the director general of the Nice Opera, Bertrand Rossi, said that "music has the power to transcend divisions and bring people together around a common experience, it is essential to separate art from politics. As a cultural institution, our role is to foster free artistic expression and create an environment where everyone can feel comfortable and respected, regardless of their political affiliations," he added, recalling that Ms. Venezi, "a talented conductor of international renown", had already been welcomed in Nice for a concert in 2022.