Giorgia Meloni does not like the fact that among the texts that will parade on the bench at the Open Arms trial against Matteo Salvini there is “an actor in search of visibility”. The actor is Richard Gere, the Hollywood star. And the social irony is immediate, with amused and surprised comments on the exit of the Fdi leader. The American actor is one of the many witnesses, indicated by the parties, who yesterday the Court of Palermo admitted in the trial that sees the former minister and leader of the League accused for kidnapping and refusal of official documents.
Dozens of people will parade on the counter: old and new politicians, Italian ministers, former Italian and foreign prime ministers, 007. denounce the spectacularization of the procedure. “But how credible can a nation be in which an actor seeking visibility is allowed to testify against a former Minister of the Republic by mocking our institutions? We are truly beyond the limits of decency ”Meloni cheers as he rushes to the aid of his ally.
And on social media there is immediately a flourishing of jokes and combinations like the meme that compares Gere embraced to Julia Roberts in a scene from the famous Pretty Woman to a photo with an embrace of Meloni and Salvini. Gere’s presence at the trial is also serious for the Northern League leader. “All at the expense of the Italians …” Salvini writes on Instagram, relaunching his own statement: “Tell me how serious a trial is in which Richard Gere from Hollywood will testify about my wickedness”. And Maurizio Gasparri also lashes out against «the cinematographic use of justice»: «The testimony of the actor Gere at the farce trial in Palermo is an authentic farce. I will propose as president of the court for the future Lino Banfi. And I apologize to the great Lino if I hypothesize for him, a friend of all Italians, a position that today lacks adequate prestige ».