Dissident Spotlight: Roberto Saviano
Roberto Saviano faced a 1,000-euro fine for calling Italy's prime minister a "bastard," a regression of free speech in a "Western" country.
Roberto Saviano’s case in Italy is a stark reminder that freedom of speech is constantly under threat, even in countries that are supposedly “western” and “modernized.”
Saviano is a best-selling author who called Matteo Salvini and Giorgia Meloni “bastards” in reaction to Meloni suggesting that boats rescuing migrants trapped in the ocean should be sunk. When Meloni became prime minister, she sued Saviano for defamation.
Saviano called Meloni a bastard in December 2020, when she was still the opposition leader. Meloni brought her defamation suit in November 2021, asking for a 75,000-euro fine.
A criminal court in Rome found Saviano guilty of defamation in 2023 and gave him a suspended 1,000-euro fine, payable only if he repeats his “offense.”
Offense Rears its Ugly Head Again
Meloni has built a reputation for being tough on immigration and fierce within her own party. It contrasts her brittle response to being called a gentle word on TV almost a year ago. It’s hard to imagine how she or her team handles social media where the attacks can be much more visceral — not to mention creative.
Her lawsuit isn’t without strategy, though. Fines for tepid criticism prevent serious reports of wrongdoing from surfacing. Few journalists are willing to risk the bankruptcy or imprisonment that could come from reporting on a scandal equivalent to Joe Biden’s failing mental health or Trump’s early denials of COVID’s severity.
Stifling dissent is a tactic expected in countries with governments designed to enrich the ruling party instead of serving the people. Doing so in a government supposedly founded on “western” Enlightenment values is a particularly galling betrayal.
Meloni is deeply concerned about retaining Italy’s national identity. She could start by reforming her country’s defamation laws to fall in line with what Enlightenment thinkers wrote but often failed to implement themselves.
It would be a much better starting point than Benito Mussolini.