Meloni attacks Scurati, the writer's reply: “Does anyone who expresses a thought have to pay a price?”

Meloni attacks Scurati, the writer's response: “This is violence”

Back and forth between Giorgia Meloni and Antonio Scurati: the writer, in fact, responded to the prime minister, who had justified the cancellation of her monologue by talking about economic problems.

In fact, on social media, the Prime Minister had written: “The left shouts at the regime, Rai responds that it has simply refused to pay 1800 euros (the monthly salary of many employees) for a minute of monologue”. To deny Rai's censorship, therefore, Giorgia Meloni had published the full text of Antonio Scurati's monologue.

Subsequently came Antonio Scurati's reply, also read live by Serena Bortone, presenter of What will bethe program that was supposed to host the writer's monologue.

Scurati responds to Meloni's post and Bortone reads it live: “President, what you say is false […] In order to confuse the waters, a head of government should not hesitate to attack a citizen and writer. Is this the price to pay today in his Italy? #What will be pic.twitter.com/lOl2ObEOYk

— The Great Scourge (@grande_scourge) April 20, 2024

“Dear President, I read your statements that concern me. She herself admits that she doesn't know “what the truth is” about the cancellation of my speech on Rai. Well, I inform you that what you carelessly say, despite unaware of the truth by your own admission, is false both as regards the compensation and as regards the extent of the commitment” writes Scurati.

And again: “I don't think I deserve this further defamatory attack. I didn't argue with anyone, neither before nor after. I was dragged into this matter by my hair. I only accepted the invitation of a public television program to write a monologue at a price mutually agreed with the same company by the agency that represents me and perfectly in line with that of the writers who preceded me. The decision to cancel my speech is evidently due to “editorial reasons”, as explicitly stated in a now public company document. My thoughts on fascism and post-fascism, well rooted in facts, had to be silenced. It continues to be so now that the discussion has shifted to the evidently specious question of compensation. In order to muddy the waters and hide the real issue raised by my text, a head of government, using all his overwhelming power, does not hesitate to personally and harshly attack with disparaging statements a private citizen and writer of his fellow countryman who has been translated and read. all over the world”.

The writer then concludes: “This, kind President, is violence. Not physical, of course, but still violence. Is this the price that must be paid today in his Italy for having expressed one's thoughts.”