Vannacci "has Schlein, Conte and Prodi killed" in an AI video. La Russa tells "Il Foglio": "Unthinkable"

“I don’t comment when I see videos – whether real, fake or terrible AI ones – directed against me, let alone comment on other people’s ridiculous AI creations.” This is how Senate President Ignazio La Russa dismissed the AI-generated video published by General Roberto Vannacci in an interview with Il Foglio. From the stands of a Colosseum-like arena, the leader of Futuro Nazionale is portrayed as a Roman emperor. At his side are Giorgia Meloni and La Russa himself, whilst in the arena, bound, are the secretary of the Democratic Party, Elly Schlein; the leader of the M5S, Giuseppe Conte; former Prime Minister Romano Prodi; and former Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Laura Boldrini. The crowd calls for their execution; Vannacci’s wife, Camelia Mihailescu, gives the middle finger whilst the general rises and, giving a thumbs-down, orders their death “with the hammer and sickle – the very same hammer and sickle they have never used”. The ‘gladiator’ Giuseppe Barboni then enters the arena; he is a businessman with close ties to the National Front, known to the press for beating up an immigrant in San Benedetto del Tronto. Following the “verdict”, we see the horrified faces of former ECB President Mario Draghi, former Health Minister Roberto Speranza and former Health Minister Beatrice Lorenzin, seated in the gallery.

There have been many indignant reactions from the centre-left, led by Conte. “A message that incites violence and risks stirring up the most fanatical elements,” said the leader of the M5S, before asking: “Is it with these people that Meloni, La Russa (who are also mentioned in the video), Tajani and Salvini will strike a deal?” Leaders of the PD and the M5S have publicly called on the Prime Minister to distance herself from the video, but at the time of writing, silence prevails on the centre-right. The exception is Rachele Mussolini, the Rome city council leader for Forza Italia, who in a statement branded the ‘Vannacciano’ AI video “of enormous and unacceptable gravity, both for the extremely violent content depicted therein and for the severity of the grave insults directed at the highest offices of state.” “Between death threats, vulgar gestures and bewildering delusions of omnipotence, the video is a hymn to the most utter ravings, which has nothing to do with satire and marks a dangerous drift towards authoritarianism that is totally contrary to any form of democracy and incites hatred,” continued Mussolini, calling on all political forces to firmly distance themselves from it. 

For his part, the general tried to defend himself against those who accused him of inciting violence. “Those who get angry are the defenders of rights and freedoms – especially freedom of expression – who laugh their heads off at Crozza and Luca and Paolo but can’t take satire when it’s Vannacci presenting it.” All he did, he downplayed, was simply “repost a wonderful ‘science-fiction and clearly unrealistic’ video found on the web”. To those who took offence at the reposted images, Vannacci nevertheless offered a piece of advice: “Take an antihistamine and you’ll feel better.”