Beppe Grillo raises the tone of the clash with Giuseppe Conte regarding the leadership of the 5 Star Movement, claiming that he has “the right to the extinction” of the party that he himself founded, but which he now claims he no longer recognizes. This statement, typical of his style that oscillates between an evocative atmosphere and apocalyptic tones, has provoked reactions among the current members of the Movement, who reiterate their commitment to the original project. Giuseppe Conte also does not accept these statements, underlining the importance of the constituent phase that he has initiated to make M5s a force that looks to the future.

In the past, Grillo had spoken of the Movement’s “biodegradability” in positive terms, suggesting that, once citizens had the tools to organize referendums directly from home, the Movement could dissolve. “When citizens have the tools to hold a referendum from home, the movement can also dissolve, we are a biodegradable movement,” he said in March 2018. However, today’s message on his blog is very different, although he continues to speak of a “biodegradable” and “compostable” M5S.

Grillo declares: “As the founder of the movement, I claim my right to extinction. When I see the 5 Star flag and the Wizard of Oz (referring to Conte) who speaks of direct democracy, I get a knot in my stomach. All right, we can be civil. He can create his party, his manifesto with his nice face, but with the result that Oz and his 22 mandates can reach 8%”.

Subsequently, Grillo criticizes the constituent phase wanted by Conte, complaining of having been excluded from the decisions: “I claim this right to extinction because, we all know, the movement is no more, it has evaporated”. This is very different from his M5s that looked to the future: “I am old, I may have gone out of fashion, but there are still wonderful ideas inside me, ideas to rethink the world as it will be in twenty years; there is so much to reflect on, while we persist in reiterating a policy that is now extinct”.

Grillo’s post has generated reactions among parliamentarians, who, while expressing “gratitude” and “affection” towards him, claim their commitment. Politicians such as Barbara Floridia, Agostino Santillo, Leonardo Donno and Pietro Lorefice have underlined their dedication, while Vittoria Baldino has called for a more realistic approach in institutional positions, expressing her frustration: “Grillo cannot treat us all as if we were incapable, claiming to be the only enlightened one”.

Conte, currently campaigning in Emilia, avoided responding directly to the controversy, but reiterated that the Movement has not “evaporated” at all. The constituent phase, which is now entering its second deliberative phase, involves a large number of members, young people, minors and even non-members.