Italian journalist fined 5,000 euros for mocking PM Giorgia Meloni’s height

Journalist Giulia Cortese has been fined over a remark made when she clashed with Italian PM Giorgia Meloni on the X website in 2021.

By: Trends Desk

New Delhi | July 18, 2024 04:07 PM IST

2 min read

This is not the first time PM Meloni has taken a journalist to court.

A Milan court has ordered a journalist to pay Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni 5,000 euros (Rs 4,57,215) in damages for mocking her in a social media post, Reuters reported.

Journalist Giulia Cortese also received a suspended fine of 1,200 euros (Rs 1,09,731) for a derogatory remark made on X in October 2021 about Meloni’s height.

Meloni sued Cortese after they clashed on social media. When Cortese posted a photo mocking Meloni with a backdrop of the late fascist leader Benito Mussolini, Meloni, then in Opposition with the far-right Brothers of Italy party, took offence.

Cortese fired back with more tweets, including one that said, “you don’t scare me, Giorgia Meloni. After all, you’re only 1.2 metres (4 feet) tall. I can’t even see you.”

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Giorgia Meloni’s height is reported to be between 1.58 m and 1.63 m.

Cortese can challenge the verdict.

Meloni’s lawyer mentioned that any damages awarded would go to charity.

Meloni has a history of suing journalists. Last year author Roberto Saviano was fined 1,000 euros (Rs 91,443) plus legal fees by a Rome court for criticising Meloni’s hardline stance on illegal immigration during a TV appearance in 2021.

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