In 2023, the glammy British band Placebo played Italy's Sonic Park Stupinigi festival, outside Turin. During their set, frontman Brian Molko addressed the crowd in Italian, mentioning the country's far-right prime minister Giorgia Meloni and continuing "piece of shit, racist, fascist, fuck you." Meloni responded by suing Molko for defamation. Now, Italian prosecutors have charged Molko with "contempt of the institutions," as The Guardian reports.
During the Stupinigi Sonic Park, the Placebo lead singer Brian Molko calls PM Giorgia Meloni 'racist, fascist', concluding 'fuck you'.
July 11, 2023 pic.twitter.com/eqmJLcH4Qp
— Crazy Ass Moments in Italian Politics 🇮🇹 (@CrazyItalianPol) July 12, 2023
Apparently, these lawsuits and criminal charges are a common tactic for Giorgia Meloni and her government. Meloni leads the far-right Brothers Of Italy party, and her right-wing coalition took power in 2022. Meloni and her allies reportedly have a habit of suing critics. I would imagine that it would be hard to disprove charges as generic as the ones that Molko used, especially as a head of state who takes hardline stances against things like immigration, gay rights, and surrogacy. Molko is one of many people using those terms to describe Meloni. According to The Guardian, for instance, Benito Mussolini's granddaughter recently left the Brothers Of Italy party because she thought it was too far-right. But I don't know how Italian courts work, so maybe those charges aren't so difficult to prove.
On Monday, Italy's justice ministry allowed prosecutors to proceed with their case against Molko. According to The Guardian, those charged with defaming Italy's government, parliament, courts, or army can be fined up to €5,000, and they'll also be summoned to trial. Molko could face up to three years in prison, though a justice ministry spokesperson says that Molko is "unlikely" to get any prison time.
