Italy premier Meloni distances herself from controversial Vannacci video

Meloni says AI video depicting her at a mock execution of rivals "does not belong to my way of being", while demanding the same standard from her opponents. Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni has publicly distanced herself from a controversial AI-generated video shared by Roberto Vannacci, the former general turned leader of the far-right Futuro Nazionale party, which showed him as a Roman emperor ordering the execution of political rivals. The clip, first shared on Instagram before being reposted by Vannacci, depicts him presiding over a Colosseum-style arena, seated alongside AI-generated avatars of Meloni and senate president Ignazio La Russa. Bound at the centre of the arena are four opposition figures - Movimento 5 Stelle leader Giuseppe Conte, Partito Democratico (PD) secretary Elly Schlein, former prime minister Romano Prodi and PD MP Laura Boldrini - whom Vannacci condemns to death "with a hammer and sickle", before giving a thumbs-down. The video triggered an immediate backlash from opposition parties, with Conte calling it "a message that incites violence and risks inflaming the most fanatical", and Boldrini describing it as "the barbarisation of politics". Several opposition figures pointedly asked Meloni to condemn the clip, given her own image had been used in it. Meloni responds Responding in a lengthy social media post on Tuesday, Meloni said she was happy to distance herself from the video without reservation. "I read that some opposition figures are asking me to distance myself from a video made with artificial intelligence, shared by another opposition party, in which I was included without my knowledge. I do so without any hesitation," she wrote. "That video does not belong to my way of being, nor to my way of understanding political debate. I have always believed that politics must be measured by ideas, consensus and the votes of citizens, never tby intimidation, hatred or the violent depiction of an opponent." Counter-demand Meloni did not stop there, however, using the same statement to turn the row back on the left. She said she expected "the same clarity" from those calling on her to speak out, demanding that left-wing figures show equal courage when "a Partito Democratico councillor goes as far as invoking rifles against political opponents", and the same firmness when senior left-wing institutional figures, in matters still before the judiciary, stoke a climate of confrontation that delegitimises the police and gives cover to those who turn demonstrations into violence. "Condemning hate speech, incitement to violence and political intimidation cannot apply only when it is useful to the argument of the moment," she wrote. "It must always apply. No exceptions. No double standards." She added that she had "always considered violence, in whatever form it takes, a demonstration of weakness and insecurity", insisting: "Whoever is truly strong has no need to show it off. It is a conviction I will never change." She said she would continue to reject "every form of hatred and violence", to defend civil debate, and to respect the work of those serving the state, "even when that means taking on the responsibility of putting themselves on the line". "I hope everyone shows the same courage," she concluded. The row comes amid reports that Vannacci is open to forming an electoral pact with Meloni ahead of the 2027 elections.

WIRE — Meloni says AI video depicting her at a mock execution of rivals "does not belong to my way of being", while demanding the same standard from her opponents. Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni has publicly distanced herself from a controversial AI-generated video shared by Roberto Vannacci, the former general turned leader of the far-right Futuro Nazionale party, which showed him as a Roman emperor ordering the execution of political rivals. The clip, first shared on Instagram before being reposted by Vannacci, depicts him presiding over a Colosseum-style arena, seated alongside AI-generated avatars of Meloni and senate president Ignazio La Russa. Bound at the centre of the arena are four opposition figures - Movimento 5 Stelle leader Giuseppe Conte, Partito Democratico (PD) secretary Elly Schlein, former prime minister Romano Prodi and PD MP Laura Boldrini - whom Vannacci condemns to death "with a hammer and sickle", before giving a thumbs-down. The video triggered an immediate backlash from opposition parties, with Conte calling it "a message that incites violence and risks inflaming the most fanatical", and Boldrini describing it as "the barbarisation of politics". Several opposition figures pointedly asked Meloni to condemn the clip, given her own image had been used in it. Meloni responds Responding in a lengthy social media post on Tuesday, Meloni said she was happy to distance herself from the video without reservation. "I read that some opposition figures are asking me to distance myself from a video made with artificial intelligence, shared by another opposition party, in which I was included without my knowledge. I do so without any hesitation," she wrote. "That video does not belong to my way of being, nor to my way of understanding political debate. I have always believed that politics must be measured by ideas, consensus and the votes of citizens, never tby intimidation, hatred or the violent depiction of an opponent." Counter-demand Meloni did not stop there, however, using the same statement to turn the row back on the left. She said she expected "the same clarity" from those calling on her to speak out, demanding that left-wing figures show equal courage when "a Partito Democratico councillor goes as far as invoking rifles against political opponents", and the same firmness when senior left-wing institutional figures, in matters still before the judiciary, stoke a climate of confrontation that delegitimises the police and gives cover to those who turn demonstrations into violence. "Condemning hate speech, incitement to violence and political intimidation cannot apply only when it is useful to the argument of the moment," she wrote. "It must always apply. No exceptions. No double standards." She added that she had "always considered violence, in whatever form it takes, a demonstration of weakness and insecurity", insisting: "Whoever is truly strong has no need to show it off. It is a conviction I will never change." She said she would continue to reject "every form of hatred and violence", to defend civil debate, and to respect the work of those serving the state, "even when that means taking on the responsibility of putting themselves on the line". "I hope everyone shows the same courage," she concluded. The row comes amid reports that Vannacci is open to forming an electoral pact with Meloni ahead of the 2027 elections.

"We aggregate wires to encourage regional discovery, sending readers directly back to the original source to explore full coverage."

This is a normalized overview of the breaking feed event. The complete, official release detailing all points, background context, and statements remains hosted by the original publisher.