A rock group performer has been accused of defamation after allegedly calling Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni a “fascist” and a” Nazi” at a concert in Turin.
The 52-year-old Placebo frontman Brian Molko made the remarks at the Sonic Park event in 2023, where he officially also called Meloni a “piece of s***, totalitarian, racist”. His remarks were met with pushback from Meloni’s far-right Brothers of Italy group, which has its roots in Italy’s neo-fascist activity.
Following a problem from officers present at the event, Turin prosecutor’s investigators launched an investigation into Molko for libel and hatred. On Monday, Italy’s justice government approved the prosecution ‘ demand to actually cost him.
In Italy, slander is a serious crime that can result in a jail sentence of up to three years. However, a justice minister’s official Carlo Nordio said a jail term is unlikely in this instance. If found guilty, Molko is expected to face a fine of approximately €5, 000 ( £4, 200 ).
Italy’s legal script penalises people who “publicly defames the republic”, which includes the authorities, parliament, courts, and the army.
Molko is not the first people to go to court for criticizing Meloni. In response to her radical stance on immigration, blogger Roberto Saviano was found guilty of libel and fined only over$ 1, 000 in 2023.
Similarly, in July 2024, an Italian judge ordered journalist Giulia Cortese to pay Meloni €5, 000 ( £4, 210 ) in damages for mocking her height on social media, ruling that it amounted to “body shaming”. Cortese, who was also given a suspended excellent of €1, 200, condemned the ruling, accusing the Roman state of restricting free conversation.
” This country seems to get closer to Orbán’s Hungary”, she wrote on X. ” These are bad times for independent reporters and opinion leaders. This hope for better days away. We won’t give up”!
In another scenario, Meloni recently sued a writer who reportedly called her a “neo-Nazi in her mind” in 2022. Nevertheless, she later dropped the complaint.
In Italy, there have been rekindled debates over free conversation following the Molko circumstance, with some critics claiming that the government is defaming itself through defamation laws. Although there are defamation laws in many nations, Italy’s approach to prosecuting public characters for making political comments has drawn criticism.
