Italian PM Giorgia Meloni suing Placebo singer Brian Molko for calling her a ‘fascist’
Molko railed against the Italian PM during a concert at the Sonic Park festival in Stupinigi last month
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Giorgia Meloni has filed a lawsuit against Placebo singer Brian Molko for defamation after the musician called the Italian Prime Minister a "racist" and a "fascist" during an expletive-laden rant in the middle of a concert last month.
Meloni’s lawsuit, filed by her lawyers, comes nearly a month after Molko’s invective during the band’s performance at the Sonic Park festival in Stupinigi, near Turin.
According to a cellphone video circulating on social media, Moko said in Italian: "Giorgia Meloni: piece of (expletive); fascist, racist (expletive)."
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Molko’s verbal assault on the PM prompted an investigation by prosecutors in Turin for "contempt of institutions." Members of Meloni's far-right Brothers of Italy party, which has its roots in Italy's neo-fascist movement, denounced the insults and demanded an apology.
"We cannot let an international event that attracts so many people (to Italy) be ruined by filthy words which, amidst a general silence, aim to attack the institutions of the republic," LaPresse quoted Brothers of Italy lawmaker Augusta Montaruli as saying.
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Meloni’s lawsuit was first reported by La Stampa, an Italian newspaper. Molko faces a fine, equivalent to around $5,500, if convicted.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.