ITALIAN PROSECUTORS HAVE opened an investigation against the frontman of British group Placebo, who during a concert called Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni “racist” and “fascist”, local media have reported.
Lead singer Brian Molko, 50, was performing last week with the band at the Sonic Park festival in Stupinigi outside Turin when he hurled insults from the stage about Italy’s premier. “Giorgia Meloni, piece of shit, fascist, racist”, Molko yelled in Italian, as seen in fan videos from the concert posted on social media.Meloni, 46, heads Italy’s most right-wing government since World War II.
Italy’s criminal code punishes with a fine ranging from €1,000 to €5,000 anyone who “publicly defames the Republic” including the government, parliament, the courts and the army.