Meloni is definitely far-right, and comes from a historically fascist party. So he is just stating the facts here.

how to tell if youre in a facist state:
the person accusing the facist goes to jail

As Porco Rosso said: “I’d rather be a pig than a fascist”. Be like Porco Rosso…

I'm sure Placebo, a British band, doesn't give a single dry fuck what this stupid Italian fascist wants to investigate.

Someone is about to learn what "Streisand Effect" means.

Ah, yes, nothing like forbidding people from calling out fascism to prove your government isn't fascist.

Didn't the world fight a world war to stop this kind of government from taking full control over a people?

TIL about Italy's shunning of their past in contrast to the "collective guilt" felt by Germans after WWII

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italiani_brava_gente

Now, what I would do if I were Brian Molko is I would absolutely go to trial. Turn it in a show. Either I get convicted, in which case, Meloni looks even more like a fascist, or I get exonerated, in which case, it's the courts that are accepting that she's a fascist.

5000E is not an issue, he can fundraise that in an afternoon.

GO BRIAN

Literal actual fascists behaving like fascists, surprise surprise.

I've never really been a Placebo fan or a supporter until right now

Proving them right, I see

She's literally the head of a self proclaimed fascist party, isn't she?

Meloni, 46, heads Italy’s most rightwing government since the second world war. Italy’s criminal code punishes with a fine ranging from €1,000 to €5,000 (£858 to £4,290) anyone who “publicly defames the republic”, which includes the government, parliament, the courts and the army.

Wow. Ok then...I guess technically he did violate that law and so it shouldn't matter how fucked up that law is with respect to an investigation being done about it, but can we still talk about how fucked up that law is in an EU country? Yeah I know Italy's a little bit different and such, but goddamn.

W would have loved to have had something like this when the Dixie Chicks got out of line over Iraq (though his response quoted there seems oddly...reasonable? ehh, fuck W): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dixie_Chicks_controversy

Fascist gonna crybully

So no freedom of speech?

I've been surprised that some western countries have laws like this. A French woman has also been fined for insulting Macron.

Somebody once remarked that it's funny how everyone acts like Italians all walk around being Mario Brothers but the Italians just roll with it.

It's because some Italians were the people who invented Fascism as a formal political movement, and you know damn well how that ended up, so if going "It's-a me, Giancarlo!" every once in a while gets the world to forget, they'll take it.

But then this happens, and you have to start talking about spaghetti as much as possible.

Anytime Meloni gets upset about anything I just remind her to be like her grandpa and turn that frown upside down.

That move just makes Brian seem more reasonable.

So.... they proved him right?

It's not defamation if it's true. Getting punished for stating the obvious is the hallmark of a fascist state. It's fishy that the original video from Repubblica has been removed.

but he's right, so what?

Brian Molko continues to be based

So they're not even pretending to have free speech anymore.

Gotta love the dipshits in the replies pushing the whole "the left calls anyone who disagrees with them a fascist!!1!" while conveniently leaving out any and all context as to what they're disagreeing about. ~Cherri

More countries really need an irony clause in their constitutions. When the irony gets to this level clearly there are insufficient checks and balances in place.

If I had the money of a lead singer of international band I would consider a €5k fine a "campaign donation" to the other side and go call them fascist and get it in the papers.