Roberto Vannacci

Roberto Vannacci (born 20 November 1968) is an Italian Army former officer and politician. Since July 2024, he is serving as a Member of the European Parliament for the League.

Biography
Vannacci was born in La Spezia, 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", 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 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, homosexuals, 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".

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 set to be elected vice president of the EP group Patriots for Europe, however his appointment was opposed by the other parties, which considered him too extremist.