Italian leader Giorgia Maloni has made no secret of her outrage after learning that her photos, along with those of other women, were posted on a pornographic website. She has publicly demanded that the perpetrators be identified immediately and "punished with the utmost severity."
Points of attention
- Phica, a platform known for its controversial content, faced closure after accusations of misuse and complaints from female politicians.
- Italian Prime Minister George Maloney expresses solidarity with the affected women and vows to support them against insults, humiliation, and injustice.
Maloney expressed her position amid a high-profile scandal
The scandal erupted after people discovered photos of Meloni's sister Arianna and opposition leader Ellie Schlein on the Italian platform Phica.
These photos were taken from personal social media accounts or from open sources without consent.
What is important to understand is that they were accompanied by vulgar and sexist captions.
Phica, which is a misspelled slang word meaning "vagina" in Italian, was launched in 2005 and apparently worked smoothly despite complaints from women.
According to journalists, police launched an investigation after receiving official complaints from several politicians from the center-left Democratic Party (PD).
It also states that on August 28, administrators closed the site, accusing users of "misusing the platform."
I am outraged by what happened. I want to express my solidarity and support to all the women who have been insulted, humiliated and wronged.
George Maloney
Prime Minister of Italy
