(Rome) Prosecutors in Turin have reportedly opened an investigation into the lead singer of British band Placebo who insulted Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at a concert on July 11, calling her a fascist and racist.
News agencies LaPresse and ANSA said the investigation into alleged ‘defamation’ stemmed from a report by Carabinieri Police on Brian Molko’s comments during a performance at the Sonic Park Festival in Stupinigi, near Turin. LaPresse reported that as of Monday, Molko had not been investigated.
According to a cell phone video circulating on social media, Moko said in Italian that Mme Meloni was a “fascist” and a “racist”.
Emails and calls to Turin prosecutors asking for confirmation went unanswered. The Associated Press was unable to reach the Placebo group on Facebook and Instagram.
Members of Giorgia 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 which attracts so many people (to Italy) be spoiled by filthy remarks which, in a general silence, aim to attack the institutions of the republic”, declared the deputy of the Brothers of Italy, Augusta Montaruli, quoted by the LaPresse agency.