Post-fascist candidate Giorgia Meloni has sparked controversy in the current Italian election campaign with a video published on her Facebook page. It is an eyewitness film of a rape in the northern Italian city of Piacenza that took place on Sunday morning.
The perpetrator was a 27-year-old asylum seeker from Guinea, the victim a 55-year-old Ukrainian. The asylum seeker was arrested and the shocked victim was taken to hospital. The video posted to Facebook was titled “Shock Rape.”
Criticism of xenophobic propaganda
The Social Democratic party leader, Enrico Letta, accused Meloni of misusing “dramatic news” for xenophobic propaganda during the election campaign. “Respect for people should come first,” Letta said. Other leading center-left politicians have also criticized the leader of the post-fascist Brothers of Italy party for publishing the video.
The right-wing nationalist politician rejected the allegations: “The victim cannot be seen in the video and the recording comes from the website of a major national newspaper,” Meloni said. She was supported by the head of the anti-foreigner Lega, Matteo Salvini. The former interior minister announced that he would soon visit Piacenza to assure the woman of his support and draw attention to the alleged rise in migrant crime.
Meloni calls for ‘naval blockade’ of North Africa
For the right-wing parties FdI and Lega, migration and the alleged increasing crime among immigrants is an important campaign theme. During the election campaign, Meloni also warned of the “Islamization” of Europe and called for a “naval blockade” off the coasts of North Africa to prevent migrants from leaving for Italy.
Meloni’s party is part of a centre-right coalition that is clearly leading the polls ahead of the September 25 general election. The alliance also includes the right-wing conservative Forza Italia led by ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and the right-wing Lega of Matteo Salvini. If the centre-right alliance wins the election, Meloni could become Italy’s first female head of government.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
