The Five Star Movement

The Five Star Movement (FSM) was born in 2009 after a wave of protests (so called “V days”) against the political establishment initiated by a famous Italian comedian, Beppe Grillo. Because of its hybrid nature, with one foot in the party system and the other one in the social movement arena, the FSM has been considered a “movement party,” displaying specific organizational and ideological linkages with social movements. However, since entering national institutions in 2013 the party has gradually detached from social movements. Nonetheless, during the first years of its life it maintained some kind of programmatic, biographic, and geographic proximity with local conflicts despite avoiding any type of coalition and cooperation with movements. The distance toward the latter has increased over time, and the role of movement claims, unconventional forms of action, and the presence of movement activists within its ranks has been marginalized since 2018 when the FSM became a relevant member of the ruling coalitions. Following a process of institutionalization, the party has become part of the same establishment it fiercely opposed at its birth, losing all linkages with the grassroots.