[REVISION HISTORY]

Legal dispute between Ignazio La Russa and Michela Ponzani

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2026-10-28 12:43 UTC → 2026-11-03 03:59 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Italian Senate President Ignazio La Russa has initiated legal action against historian Michela Ponzani for defamation following her comments on the television program ‘Otto e mezzo’. The dispute concerns Ponzani’s remarks regarding the 1973 ‘Black Thursday’ in Milan, during which La Russa led an unauthorized demonstration that resulted in the death of a police officer. Ponzani suggested that if security decrees similar to current government proposals had existed in 1973, La Russa might not hold his current office. While La Russa’s spokesperson maintains the President has a clean criminal record and characterizes the statements as ‘fake news’, Ponzani has stated she has no intention of apologizing, asserting that historians must challenge narratives rather than celebrate power. In a ~~recent~~ video addressing the allegations, La Russa dismissed claims of personal responsibility for the events of April 12, 1973, as ‘fake news’. He clarified that as a youth leader for the Movimento Sociale Italiano (MSI), he was part of a demonstration organized to protest political violence. La Russa claimed the MSI initially accepted a ban on the procession, but a subsequent ban was placed on their rally just hours before it began. He characterized the justification for this ~~ban—the~~ ban, the opening of the Milan Trade ~~Fair—as~~ Fair, as an ‘unprecedented suspension of constitutional rights’ designed to provoke incidents to target the MSI. The conflict has prompted a wider debate regarding the boundaries of historical research, public responsibility, and the distinction between institutional roles and partisan speech.

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