President of the Party of European Conservatives and Reformists, but also founder of the national-conservative Brothers of Italy party, the former Minister for Youth Giorgia Meloni, 45, is one of the emblematic figures of Italian ultra-conservatism. The far-right leader, tipped to become the country’s new prime minister, sparked outrage among public opinion and the media.
The reason ? Giorgia Meloni relayed on her own Twitter account the video of a 55-year-old Ukrainian woman, raped by a man seeking asylum, in the city of Plaisance. A particularly harrowing video posted by a local media before, and which Giorgia Meloni shared with this message: “We cannot remain silent in the face of this rape of a Ukrainian woman, in broad daylight, in Piacenza, by an applicant for asylum”.
And the politician to take the opportunity to detail her plan: “Restore security in our cities”. A publication that sparked outrage.
A highly criticized sharing
His political opponents and Internet users have denounced on social networks the instrumentalization of a shocking video for purely political purposes. The fact, also, to play on primary emotions: fear, insecurity, disgust in the face of violence. A “questionable electoral campaign” for the Guardianwhich recalls that Giorgia Meloni might very well become the next head of the Italian government, within the framework of national elections which will take place next September.
“It is indecent to use images of a rape. Even more indecent to do so for electoral purposes,” lambasted Enrico Letta, leader of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), while Carlo Calenda, a centrist politician , called it “voyeurism”. As the British newspaper still reports, the attacker was arrested by the Italian police. An investigation is currently underway.
