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Brian Molko on stage (in Budapest, 2016)
Photo: Balazs Mohai / AP
Brian Molko is not necessarily known as a wallflower. In interviews in the past, he spoke openly about drug use and his bisexuality. His band Placebo has a large fan base in the LGBTQ+ scene. What he thinks of Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, he also made more than clear. At a concert in Italy, he insulted the right-wing politician from the stage.
His tirade now has legal consequences: Meloni filed a lawsuit against the musician. The move was expected after the prosecutor's office launched an initial investigation into the incident at the Sonic Park Festival in Stupinigi.
Fan videos on the Internet showed how the 50-year-old frontman of the British alternative rock band vented his anger at the concert near Turin. "Giorgia Meloni, play sh..., racist, fascist," Molko shouted in Italian from the stage. The public prosecutor's office in Turin did not initially comment on the media reports.
I had positioned Meloni in the election campaign against migrants, abortion, the EU and the LGBTQ+ community. This hard-right course caught on with voters, and on October 22, 2022, she became Italy's first female prime minister.
Law against insult is broadly worded
According to Italian criminal law, anyone who "publicly insults the Republic" must expect a fine of between 1000,5000 and 46,<> euros. In addition to the courts, the army and parliament, the term republic also includes the government of the country. Meloni, <>, currently leads the most right-wing government in Italy since World War II.
An imminent fine of the indicated amount is unlikely to worry Molko. His band, which Molko co-founded in 1994, has sold more than 14 million albums worldwide and achieved chart success with songs such as "Pure Morning" and "Every You Every Me".
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