Placebo’s Brian Molko has been charged after allegedly branding Italy’s Prime Minister “racist” and a “fascist” on stage.
The ‘Teenage Angst’ singer landed in hot water in July 2023 after footage appeared online of him allegedly shouting “Giorgia Meloni, piece of s***, fascist, racist,” in Italian during the band’s performance at the Sonic Park festival in Stupinigi outside Turin.
He asked fans not to record his outburst but recordings were made and after the incident surfaced online, prosecutors in Turin officially opened an investigation .
And now, according to Italian newspaper La Stampa, Italy’s justice ministry has given prosecutors the right to launch legal proceedings on charges of “contempt of the institutions”, with the outlet noting that “the crime in question is subject to direct summons to trial”.
If found guilty, Brian could be fined between €1,000 and €5,000.
Last summer, the band caused a stir when they told critics to “get a life” following complaints about their performance at the OpenAir St Gallen festival in Switzerland, defending the show by claiming they experienced “unrepairable technical issues” during the gig.
Brian wrote on Instagram: “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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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)”
Brian reminded gig-goers it is their “individual choice” whether they watch Placebo live or not.
He added: “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.”