Ignazio La Russa sues historian Michela Ponzani

Italian Senate President Ignazio La Russa has instructed his legal team to file a lawsuit against historian Michela Ponzani for defamation. The legal action follows comments made by Ponzani during an appearance on the La7 program ‘Otto e mezzo’ on October 22, 2026.

During the broadcast, Ponzani discussed the 1973 death of police officer Antonio Marino, which occurred during an unauthorized demonstration organized by the FUAN, a youth organization of the Movimento Sociale Italiano. Ponzani suggested a link between the incident and La Russa, who was a young activist at the time.

La Russa’s spokesperson, Emiliano Arrigo, stated that the Senate President has a clean criminal record and maintains there is no documented responsibility regarding the 1973 incident. The legal proceedings aim to defend La Russa’s reputation against claims that associate him with the tragedy.