Placebo’s Brian Molko sued by Italian Prime Minister for alleging her regime is “racist”
Placebo’s frontman Brian Molko is being sued for defamation by the current Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. This follows on-stage comments made by Molko insinuating that Meloni was racist.
In Turin last month during Sonic Park Festival, Molko took to the stage and yelled in Italian that Meloni was “a piece of shit, fascist, racist”. He then signed his message with a string of profanity. Videos surfaced shortly after, bringing his claims to a wider audience.
After the performance, authorities began an investigation into Molko. Under Italian criminal law, an individual may be fined up to €5,000 ($5,600) for making remarks that “publicly defames the Republic” such as members of the government.
It now appears that Meloni is pursuing the case further. Presently, Molko’s team have declined our request for further comment. Nevertheless, the on-stage comments have sparked important political debate online and brought greater attention to the situation in Italy.
Meloni’s recent election-winning Brothers party have neo-fascist roots with many political commentators calling the current regime the most far-right since Benito Mussolini’s government during the Second World War.
Meloni’s policies ostensibly centre around a return to “Christian family values”, but the Brothers party has also been working to ban abortions, limit LGBTQ+ rights, and retract the right to surrogacy or adoption for same-sex couples, while rallying an anti-immigration rhetoric.
You can watch footage of Molko’s bold on-stage stance below.
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