The spat began on Friday during an EU meeting in Vienna, when Salvini described African migrants as “slaves”, infuriating Asselborn who is a defender of immigration in Europe.
Asselborn, who was seated near Salvini when the comment was made, shouted, “That’s going too far!”, before muttering “Merde alors”, which literally translates to “s**t, then”.
Salvini shared a video of the argument on his Facebook page along with comments targeted at the Luxembourgish minister.
Asselborn shot back at Salvini, saying he was using the “tone of the fascists from the '30s,” in an interview with German media.
Salvini was quick to respond to the remark:
“The Socialist minister of the fiscal paradise of Luxembourg calls me a ‘fascist’ today after comparing our Italian emigrant grandparents to today’s illegal migrants and after interrupting my speech,” the League leader tweeted.
“If he likes immigrants so much, he can have them all, we’ve already received too many in Italy.”
Since his party formed a coalition government with the Five Star Movement (M5S) in June, Salvini has spearheaded numerous anti-immigration policies, including closing off Italian ports to migrant rescue vessels.
The new government’s hardline stance has prompted urgent meetings within the EU in an attempt to address the ongoing migration crisis.
EU leaders will meet for an informal summit on migration on Wednesday and Thursday in Austria.
