A Milan court has ordered journalist Giulia Cortese to pay Italian PM Giorgia Meloni 5,000 euros ($5,465) in damages for mocking her on social media. This decision also includes a suspended fine of 1,200 euros for a tweet Cortese posted in October 2021, which was considered "body shaming" by Meloni for her height.
The conflict between Meloni and Cortese began three years ago when Cortese shared a photoshopped image of Meloni with a picture of the late fascist leader Benito Mussolini in the background. This led to further exchanges, including a tweet from Cortese saying, "you don't scare me, Giorgia Meloni. After all, you're only 1.2 metres (4 feet) tall. I can't even see you." Meloni's height is reportedly between 1.58 m and 1.63 m.
Meloni, who was the leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party in opposition at that time, decided to take legal action. Meloni's lawyer stated that any damages received would be donated to charity.
Cortese plans to appeal the sentence. On Thursday, she wrote in English on X, expressing her concern for independent journalists in Italy and hoping for better days ahead, saying, "We won't give up!"
Last year, a Rome court fined author Roberto Saviano 1,000 euros plus legal expenses after he insulted Meloni on television in 2021 over her strict immigration policies.
