Placebo singer sued by Italian prime minister over onstage remarks

Singer Brian Molko insulted Giorgia Meloni at a festival last month (Picture: LAURENT GILLIERON/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

The lead vocalist of Placebo is being sued by Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister.

Meloni was insulted by singer Brian Molko in July when the British rock band performed in Turin.

Speaking to a thousands-strong crowd at the Sonic Park festival on July 11, 50-year-old Brussels-born Molko called 46-year-old rightwing leader Meloni ‘a piece of s***, fascist, racist’.

Meloni is suing Molko for defamation, the BBC reports, but has yet to publicly address the lawsuit.

Meloni is the leader of Brothers of Italy, a far-right political party.

Shortly after Placebo’s performance in Turin last month, it was confirmed that Italian prosecutors were investigating Molko, who spoke in Italian when insulting the prime minister, as seen in fan videos shared online.

Meloni is suing Molko for defamation (Picture: AP)

In Italy, anyone who ‘publicly defames the republic’ can be punished with a fine ranging from €1,000 to €5,000.

Meloni’s party is rooted in a post-war movement ignited by dictator Benito Mussolini’s fascists and has spent her decades-long time in politics involved in the far-right.

In 1992, the then 15-year-old Roman joined Youth Front, the youth wing of the neo-fascist Italian Social Movement, in 1992.

Speaking to a thousands-strong crowd at the Sonic Park festival on July 11, 50-year-old Molko called 46-year-old rightwing leader Meloni ‘a piece of s***, fascist, racist’ (Picture: Steve Galli/Shutterstock)

At 31, she became the country’s youngest minister as a youth minister in Silvio Berlusconi’s government, a role she held from 2008 to 2011.

The following year, the National Party collapsed in on itself and became reborn as the Brothers of Italy.

In 2020, Meloni became chair of the European Conservatives and Reformists, a Eurosceptic party that includes, among other right-wing parties, the Polish ruling party Law and Justice and Vox.

Meloni’s party is rooted in a post-war movement ignited by dictator Benito Mussolini’s fascists (Picture: REUTERS)

The politician previously said she wants to focus on ‘traditional Christian family values’, prevent abortions, renegotiate EU treaties, lower taxes and ensure same-gender couples do not have surrogacy or adoption rights.

Protecting the country from so-called ‘Islamisation’ and upping defence spending are among her other past pledges.

Metro.co.uk has reached out to a rep for Italy’s government and Molko for comment.

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Giorgia Meloni is suing for defamation.