Roberto Vannacci, dressed as a Roman general, orders the "killing" of his enemies, including Giuseppe Conte and Elly Schlein. An AI-generated video posted on social media was enough to ignite the opposition's anger and spark a heated exchange with the former Five Star Movement prime minister. The controversial post shows the leader of the National Future party, dressed as an Imperial Roman general, sitting next to Giorgia Meloni and Ignazio La Russa.
At the center of the arena , Elly Schlein, Giuseppe Conte, Romano Prodi, and Laura Boldrini are joined together. A lion and Giuseppe Barboni, the Futurist activist who attacked an Iraqi immigrant in San Benedetto del Tronto last week, are approaching them. The scene ends with Vannacci giving a thumbs-up, a sign of the "death sentence" so loudly called for by the crowd in the stands in the video.
The first to respond is one of the four "executed," Giuseppe Conte: "Is this the election campaign we're expecting?" the Five Star Movement leader attacks. "Is it with these people that Meloni, La Russa (also mentioned in the video), Tajani, and Salvini will make a deal?" "He's screaming like a crow," the FnV leader quickly replies. Another Campo Largo leader, Angelo Bonelli, also condemns the incident: "The Trump method," explains the Avs MP, "based on delegitimizing and sensationalizing violence, has arrived in Italy and is supporting Vannacci."
Many opposition MPs are speaking out against Vannacci. Democrat Laura Boldrini, who also played an unwitting part in the affair, calls it a "very dangerous trend." Five Star Movement group leader in the Senate, Luca Pirondini, is more forthright in his criticism: "More than artificial intelligence, this is human imbecility," he writes in a statement.
Many, like Conte, are also blaming the Prime Minister for her failure to distance herself: an "embarrassing silence," writes Democratic Party group leader Chiara Braga. "She's probably already ready to bring him on board for the next elections just to scrape together a handful of votes," Pirondini once again attacks.
