«A balancing of accounts». This is how the actor and director Michele Riondino defines his post on Instagram in the aftermath of the controversy he raised for having published an old upside-down photo of the president of the Senate Ignazio La Russa, portrayed next to an image of Benito Mussolini. The post was published last April 25th, but only in recent days has he started to cause discussion. In an interview with Daily fact today he responds to the controversy. «Let’s put it this way: I apologize. But let’s see who is in that photo, and what happens there. The president of the Senate, the second highest office in the state, declares himself anti-anti-fascist. And therefore he is anti-Constitution”, comments the actor. In the post that went viral he wrote that «the really funny thing is that there was a time when fascists were more authentic, more bold, they were lions, even if only for a day. […] Today, however, they are afraid to define themselves and […] they betray their identity by swearing on the anti-fascist constitution.” And Riondino has no doubts about this, as he does not fear ideologies, and indeed underlines how important they are.
«The government is economically boycotting culture and art»
«I am for ideologies. If you believe in a part, you should be proud of it to the core. Have the courage to claim membership. It was my intention that that first post should be noticed”, he says in conversation with Stefano Mannucci. «If my words have only gone viral now, this is functional to the attempt to put anti-fascists in a bad light after April 25th. A leveling of scores”, he continues. «Like – he specifies – what leads some to justify Israel after the Hamas attacks». As an artist he believes in the need to expose himself, but he cannot help but recognize that it is always the same people who do it. Yet, he is keen to underline, “there are many things to report”. On the cinema front, he recalls that for the David ceremony several artists will go to the Quirinale from Mattarella. «We will listen to the usual tirade of the ruler on duty who will praise our supply chain. It’s a shame that the minister of culture reiterated from day one that he wanted to cut: without “tax credit” we will also lose international productions intending to work in our territory”, complains Riondino. «More than censorship. With the economic boycott they will silence culture”, he concludes.
