On February 26, bodies began washing up on Italy’s southern shore near Crotone, Calabria—at least 81 dead, including 32 children, in one of the worst migrant shipwrecks the Mediterranean has seen in the past decade. Protesters marched on the streets of Crotone accusing Italy’s conservative government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, of neglecting the lives of migrants seeking asylum.

Liberals in the West accused Meloni of fascism before she was even elected. She has proven them wrong. Her government has supported Ukraine, voiced support for Taiwan, passed an EU-friendly budget, arrested Italy’s most-wanted mafia boss, and sealed an $8 billion gas production deal with Libya to improve Italian energy security, among other achievements. Her effectiveness shows, and recent polling data reveal that she is the most respected leader in Europe. If Meloni truly is a fascist, she is hiding it well.

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Notwithstanding Meloni’s frequent agreement with her EU counterparts, her government stands firmly opposed to left-wing EU orthodoxy on the migration crisis. Italy wishes to defend its borders from the tens of thousands of migrants, mostly departing from Libya, arriving at its shores each year. EU and international law dictate that “asylum seekers” traveling by sea must be accepted at the closest safe port. For migrants sailing the Mediterranean Sea towards Europe, the closest ports are in southern Italy. Four months ago, Meloni was questioned about her government’s refusal to dock the charity-run ship Ocean Viking carrying more than 200 migrants. In her response, Meloni asked Europe an important question: “should Italy be, by choice, the only possible port of disembarkation for migrants arriving from Africa? I think this doesn’t seem right.”

Read more: Newsweek