In October 2021, when Meloni was still in opposition, Cortese posted a digitally altered picture on X, showing the far-right politician standing in front of a bookshelf with an image of Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini in the background.
Meloni reacted on Facebook by saying that the fake image was of “unique gravity” and announced that she would take legal action.
In the exchange that followed, Cortese described Meloni as a “little woman”. She then wrote in a separate post: “You don’t scare me, Giorgia Meloni. After all, you’re only 1.2 metres tall. I can’t even see you.”
Reacting to the judge’s verdict, Cortese said late Thursday that the Italian government has a “serious problem with freedom of expression and journalistic dissent”. She added that she may consider appealing the verdict.
It’s not the first time that Meloni has taken legal action against a journalist or someone who had criticised her publicly. Her far-right government has been accused by the centre-left opposition of using legal action to put pressure on journalists and critics. Meloni’s lawyer said she would donate the 5,000 euros to charity if the sentence against Cortese is confirmed and the money is paid.