Italian prosecutors have opened an investigation into British band Placebo’s Brian Molko, after the singer insulted the Italian prime minister at a concert near Turin.
Molko performed on July 11 at the Sonic Park music festival, where he thanked the concertgoers and started arguing with right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Weeping in Italian from the stage in front of an audience of 5,000, Molko called Meloni a “racist,” a “piece of shit,” and a “fascist,” an outburst that ended with officials referring him to the opposition, according to an Italian newspaper. Corriere della Sera.
Earlier that night, Molko asked the audience to stop using their phones to enjoy the concert. However, videos of the incident went viral on social media.
On Tuesday, Italian media reported that prosecutors in Turin had officially opened an investigation into the incident “contempt of the Institutes,” or “disrespecting institutions.”