Alessandro Di Battista: the ‘hardline’ Five Star Movement member who has always remained in opposition

Alessandro Di Battista, aged 48, is currently in hospital in Cuba, where he has admitted in a serious condition. He was on the Caribbean island to produce a report for *Il Fatto Quotidiano*, a newspaper for which he has been writing for some time, producing various reports from abroad. This is the latest stage in a long journey through Italian politics that began some fifteen years ago and has continued in recent years outside the institutions. A journey in which compromise has never had a place.

Born in Rome on 4 August 1978, Di Battista grew up in a family with a long political tradition. His father, Vittorio, was an entrepreneur and a city councillor for the Italian Social Movement. His son, Alessandro, however, took a different path. He obtained his scientific baccalaureate at the Farnesina High School in Rome, a first-class honours degree in 2004 in Arts, Music and Performing Arts (DAMS) at Roma Tre University, and, four years later, a master’s degree in international human rights protection at La Sapienza University. In the years leading up to his time as an MP, Di Battista worked as a development co-operator in the fields of education, microcredit and productive projects, and collaborated with organisations involved in development cooperation and the protection of human rights. He spent time in Guatemala and, in 2010, travelled through several countries in Latin America.

The turning point came in 2011, when he became involved with the movement founded by Beppe Grillo and Gianroberto Casaleggio. During that period, he began contributing to Grillo’s blog, publishing reports. In 2012, in the Five Star Movement’s ‘parliamentary primaries’, he received 313 votes, and the following year he stood as a candidate for the Chamber of Deputies in Lazio and was elected in the 2013 general election. During his time as an MP, he joined the Foreign Affairs Committee and, from May 2013 to July 2015, served as its vice-chairman. But it was above all outside the parliamentary committees that he forged his political role, through speeches in the Chamber, rallies, interviews and videos on social media, which helped establish him as one of the Movement’s leading communicators. With his combative style, he was soon identified with the Movement’s more radical wing, which was most closely linked to the early days of the Five Star Movement.

In 2014, Beppe Grillo proposed to members that a five-member executive committee be formed, comprising Luigi Di Maio, Roberto Fico, Carla Ruocco, Carlo Sibilia and Di Battista himself. The proposal was approved online by a large majority, and Di Battista reached the height of his popularity within the Movement. In 2016, during a fierce campaign against the constitutional reform proposed by the then Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, he travelled the length and breadth of Italia on a scooter as part of the ‘Costituzione coast to coast’ tour, campaigning for a ‘No’ vote in the referendum. In 2018, he did not stand for re-election in the general election and continued his campaign outside parliament, harshly criticising the League and Matteo Salvini during the first Conte government and the Democratic Party during the Conte II government.

In February 2021, a new breaking point arose. The Five Star Movement decided to support the government led by Mario Draghi, and Di Battista, in protest at that decision, announced his departure from the Movement after more than eleven years of membership. Di Battista’s political activity took a new direction through travel, reporting and public speaking. He began collaborating with *Il Fatto Quotidiano* and produced features and documentaries from the United States, Mexico, Iran, Bolivia, Russia and various South American countries. Furthermore, from 2022, he became a commentator on “Dimartedì” on La7 and continues to write and produce content for various publications and platforms.