Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy
There will be no more “yes” at the end of the chorus “we are ready for death, Italy called”. The cry was established in March, in a presidential decree, at the proposal of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and published in the Official Gazette in May. The Ministry of Defense was not happy.
The Italian Defense General Staff issued an order determining that the cry of “Sì” (“Yes”) at the end of the national anthem must no longer occur in “military events and ceremonies of an institutional nature”.
Traditionally, “Sì” is shouted after the chorus “SWe are ready for death, Italy called“, which means “We are ready for deathItaly called”, especially in sporting competitions, such as football matches for the Italian national team — despite the cry being unrelated to Cristiano Ronaldo’s iconic celebration.
According to , the scream was established by a presidential decree of March 14, 2025, adopted at the proposal of the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and published in the Official Gazette of May 7, 2025.
The General Staff document demanding the elimination of the cry is in accordance with a decree by the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, dated March 14 and which details how the national anthem should be performed.
When the anthem was played at a Christmas event at government headquarters on Tuesday, Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, and her team, gritaram “Yes“, but the soldiers from the Alpine regiment present at the ceremony did not do soapparently already in compliance with the new rules.
This “yes”, which can be interpreted as a energetic response to the verse “SWe are ready for death, Italy called“, had already been the subject of a joke during the fourth government of the former conservative prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.
At a party event, the anthem echoed in the hall, but, after the section “We are ready for death”, the then Italian Prime Minister, who responded with a gesture of “more or less” — bringing smiles from the audience.
