Placebo’s Brian Molko under investigation after insulting Italian Prime Minister

Placebo’s Brian Molko has been placed under investigation in Italy after criticising their prime minister.

During a recent performance at the Sonic Park festival in Stupinigi near Turin, Italy, the Placebo singer slammed the country’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni by calling her a “fascist”, “racist”, and a “piece of s**t”, reports Variety.

Following the show, prosecutors in Turin opened an investigation against Molko. Italy’s criminal code allows for fines of up to $5,600 (£4,300) for anyone who “publicly defames the Republic”, including the government, parliament, or army.

As a result of the comment, Placebo are facing political pushback over their upcoming gig in Sassari on the island of Sardinia on 1 August.

Sassari city council member Mariolino Andria has reportedly asked the city’s mayor Nanni Campus in an appeal: “What action the administration intends to take to avoid an unpleasant replica of what happened in Stupingi and how you intend to censor (the possibility) of such an event”.

Meloni heads the Brothers of Italy party and leads Italy’s most right-wing coalition government since World War II. She was elected in September 2022 after running on anti-immigration and anti-LGBTQ+ policies.