Far-right leader’s AI-generated clip shows him as a Roman emperor ordering the “execution” of opposition figures Conte and Schlein – triggering accusations of incitement to violence.<\/p>\n
Italian far-right\u00a0Futuro Nazionale<\/a>\u00a0leader Roberto Vannacci has sparked a political row after posting an AI-generated video of himself dressed as a Roman emperor, ordering the death of political rivals in a gladiatorial arena.<\/p>\n The clip, reportedly created using Grok AI and shared on Instagram by a fan account before being reposted by Vannacci himself, casts the former army general as an emperor presiding over a Colosseum-style amphitheatre.<\/p>\n Bound at the centre of the arena are four of his political opponents: Movimento 5 Stelle leader Giuseppe Conte, Partito Democratico (PD) secretary Elly Schlein, former prime minister Romano Prodi, and PD MP Laura Boldrini.<\/p>\n Vannacci gives a thumbs-down and orders their execution “with a hammer and sickle” – implements, he sneers in the video, “they’ve never actually used”.<\/p>\n A centurion-style figure is shown stepping in to wield the tools after dropping his ice cream, reportedly modelled on Giuseppe Barboni, a Vannacci supporter recently involved in an assault case against a migrant in the\u00a0Adriatic town of San Benedetto del Tronto.<\/p>\n Roberto Vannacci, secretary of far-right party Futuro Nazionale, posted an AI-generated video showing him, in the guise of a Roman emperor, ordering the death of PD secretary Elly Schlein and M5S secretary Giuseppe Conte.<\/p>\n July 20, 2026\u00a0pic.twitter.com\/n66TwYKvrg<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Crazy Ass Moments in Italian Politics (@CrazyItalianPol)\u00a0July 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Seated beside the self-styled emperor are figures representing prime minister Giorgia Meloni and senate president Ignazio La Russa, both in imperial dress, while a representation of Vannacci’s wife Camelia Mihailescu\u00a0is shown raising her middle finger – an apparent reference to recent footage of her reaction to a rendition of the song\u00a0Bella Ciao<\/a>\u00a0on a street in Viareggio.<\/p>\n Former premier Mario Draghi and others are depicted remaining seated in silent disapproval as the rest of the crowd erupts.<\/p>\n Political backlash<\/p>\n Conte was among the first to respond to the video, calling it a message that “incites violence and risks stirring up the most fanatical”.<\/p>\n He questioned whether Meloni’s right-wing Fratelli d’Italia party would go on to strike a formal pact with Vannacci, asking pointedly whether she would once again “neither condemn nor endorse” the video.<\/p>\n Vannacci hit back, dismissing the furore as an overreaction to “an obviously unreal satirical video” and telling critics to “take an antihistamine”.<\/p>\n Other opposition figures were equally scathing. Boldrini called it proof of a “very dangerous drift” that must be stopped immediately, arguing there was nothing ironic about depicting the killing of political opponents.<\/p>\n Green MEP Angelo Bonelli went further, suggesting the video could meet the threshold of Italy’s criminal code provisions on harmful AI-generated content, and comparing the approach to what he called the “Trump method” of normalising political violence.<\/p>\n PD figures Chiara Braga and Francesco Boccia both pressed Meloni directly to distance herself, noting her likeness appears seated approvingly beside Vannacci in the footage.<\/p>\n Carlo Calenda, leader of the centrist Azione party, also called on Meloni to “formally distance herself” from Vannacci, writing on X: “The fascist clown, traitor to the homeland and disgrace to the uniform, has crossed every limit of decency and lunacy”.<\/p>\n The row comes amid reports that Vannacci is open to a formal, written electoral pact with Meloni ahead of elections in 2027.<\/p>\n