The President of the Council Giorgia Meloni has publicly distanced herself from a video shared on social media by Futuro Nazionale leader Roberto Vannacci, created using artificial intelligence. In the video, set in ancient Rome, Vannacci appears as a general who in the Colosseum decides the fate of several opposition figures, including Elly Schlein, Giuseppe Conte, and Laura Boldrini. Meloni herself had been included in the video without her knowledge.

Following calls from the opposition to address the matter, Meloni intervened on social media to dissociate herself. She stated that the video does not reflect her way of being or her understanding of political debate, adding that she has always believed politics should be measured by ideas, consensus, and citizens' votes, and never by intimidation, hate, or the violent depiction of opponents.

Meloni however added that she expects the same clarity from those who addressed the appeal to her. In particular, she asked left-wing figures to distance themselves from the case of a Democratic Party official who, according to the Prime Minister, went so far as to evoke rifles against political opponents. She further called for the same firmness regarding institutional representatives of the left who, in matters still under judicial review, allegedly fueled a climate of confrontation aimed at delegitimizing law enforcement.

The condemnation of hate speech, incitement to violence, and any form of political intimidation cannot apply only when it serves the controversy of the moment, Meloni concluded, but must always apply, without exceptions and without double standards.