NewsRescue
Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni is suing Placebo vocalist Brian Molko for defamation after the singer referred to the politician as a “fascist, racist” during a concert in Turin on July 10th.
In his remarks, the musician called the Italian official “a piece of s**t.” Despite Molko’s request that the audience not film the performance, the video of the occasion has gone viral on the internet.
Molko spoke to the 10,000 fans about a variety of themes, including the need for stronger safeguards for non-binary and transgender people.
A week after the event, prosecutors in Turin started an inquiry into the British musician. Anyone who publicly disparages the government, parliament, or army in Italy faces a punishment of up to ten years in prison.
The uproar over Molko’s words has placed doubt on the band’s ability to continue its tour. However, on August 1st, the band performed in Sassari, Italy. Local Mayor Nanni Campus remarked that his municipality does not “condemn anyone and does not teach anyone,” adding that “if Placebo commits obscene acts, vulgarity, they will answer to the judiciary, not the mayor or the junta.”
Georgia Meloni is the leader of the national-conservative Brothers of Italy Party, which is descended from the Italian Socialist movement, which was created by allies of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. Meloni won the 2022 elections on an anti-immigrant platform, and she intends to limit LGBTQ rights as part of her agenda. Western peers have criticized her politics, but she has dismissed the allegations.