Placebo’s Brian Molko has been charged after branding a politician a “racist” and “fascist.”
He faces the claims following an alleged verbal attack against Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during a concert. In July 2023, footage surfaced of Molko purportedly labelling Meloni a “piece of s**t,” fascist, racist,” and a “Nazi,” while on stage at the Sonic Park festival near Turin.
Despite asking the audience not to record his comments, videos were captured, leading prosecutors to initiate an investigation. Italian news outlet La Stampa has revealed that the justice ministry has now given the green light for prosecutors to pursue charges of “contempt of the institutions” against Molko, a move that may result in a direct summons to trial.
If convicted, the singer could face a fine ranging from €1,000 to €5,000. Meloni is the leader of the Brothers of Italy party, as well as the right-wing coalition which was voted into power in 2022. Her administration has been described as the most right-wing in Italy since Mussolini in World War II. This controversy comes after the band sparked a commotion last summer when they responded to criticism of their performance at the OpenAir St Gallen festival in Switzerland, citing “unrepairable technical issues” and advising detractors to “get a life”.
Brian took to Instagram to clear the air about the recent fan uproar, writing: “We have been noticing a great deal of discussion, arguments, accusations and skirmishes between our fans in relation to our truncated concert at St Gallen festival. We have also been on the receiving send of many (unimaginative and entitled) insults. So we would like to offer some clarity on what happened during our concert at St Gallen festival.”
He continued, explaining the technical mishap: “Shortly into the set, Stefan [Olsdal] began to have technical issues until finally his guitar system ceased to function completely. So he could no long play any songs where he plays guitar. Every effort to remedy the problem by our world-class crew was taken but to no avail.”
Brian elaborated on how they handled the situation: “We had the option to walk off and not come back, but we decided to take back to the stage and finish playing what we physically could: the songs where Stefan plays bass.” He also mentioned their efforts to communicate with the audience: “We made several announcements from the stage (in German) to explain that we were experiencing temporarily unrepairable technical issues. We made this very clear from the stage several times.”
Finally, he addressed the authenticity of their performances: “Placebo use no recordings onstage. Everything is 100 per cent live. It appears obvious that this is still insufficient for certain entitled and demanding individuals. Technical issues and truncated sets are a part and parcel aspect of live performance. And it is something no band has control over.”
In a firm retort to the disgruntled gig-goers, Brian pointed out, “If the idea of this unavoidable situation continues to enrage you regardless, we suggest that you go watch bands where most of the music coming from the stage is recorded. We also suggest you get a sense of perspective and try to take a look at this situation from a point of view that isn’t yours – if you are at all capable. This is a polite way of saying – get a life. (sic)” He reminded fans that seeing Placebo live is an “individual choice” and said: “Most aspects of our lives, in general, are actually out of our own control and though we are strong, unfortunately electricity is much more powerful than us. We are not forcing you to come to any of our shows – it’s your individual choice. Please feel free to exercise this choice in the future and please stop insulting our loyal fan base in the virtual world.”
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