Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is suing Placebo's Brian Molko.
Placebo's Brian Molko sued by Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
The right-wing politician is furious after the lead singer shouted "Giorgia Meloni, piece of s***, fascist, racist," in Italian during the band's performance at the Sonic Park festival in Stupinigi outside Turin.
He made his comments to a crowd of around 5,000 people.
Molko, 50, asked fans not to record his outburst but recordings were made and after the incident, prosecutors in Turin officially opened an investigation into Molko for “contempt of the institutions".
Under Italy’s criminal code, individuals who publicly defame the government, parliament, or the army can be subjected to fines of up to €5,000.
And, now Meloni, 46, has followed up with legal action over the alleged defamatory remarks.
This isn't her first time taking legal action when she felt she had been insulted.
Last year, Meloni took two Italian journalists to court over the use of a specific term in their article.
She also sued Italian writer Roberto Saviano for defamation over his critical remarks about her policy on illegal immigrants.