(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 has not been investigated.
According to cellphone video circulating on social media, Moko said in Italian that Ms. 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 allow an international event that attracts so many people (to Italy) to be spoiled by filthy remarks which, in general silence, aim to attack the institutions of the republic”, said the deputy of the Brothers of Italy , Augusta Montaruli, quoted by the LaPresse agency.