The Sanremo Song Festival, Italy's
premier TV extravaganza of the year, ended on a high note early
Sunday morning despite political rows which prompted members of
Premier Giorgia Meloni's rightwing Brothers of Italy (FdI) party
to call for the decapitation or privatization of State
broadcaster Rai because of a perceived leftwing bias.
The festival, a national institution that inspired the
Eurovision song contest and helped launch the careers of many of
Italy's top music stars, such as Eros Ramazzotti, Laura Pausini
and Maneskin, ended up with a record audience figure of over 12
million viwers and some 66% of the share tuning in to see
favourite Marco Mengoni claim his second crown, earning the
right to represent Italy at Eurovision, ahead of young rappers
Lazza and Mr Rain.
But the mood was slightly soured by FdI attacks on Rai after a
string of 'political' incidents and statements construed as
beeing anti-government, including Life Is Beautiful star Roberto
Benigni hymning the postwar anti-fascist Constitution,
basketball star Paolo Egonu calling Italy racist, rapper Fedez
ripping up a 2005 photo of an FdI member dressed as Hitler, and
Fedez going on to call for the legalization of cannabis and
share a full-ob kiss with gender fluid rapper Rosa Chemical, who
also ground her backside into his lap in a simulated act of sex.
League leader Matteo Salvini also fulminated against a message
to the festival by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky,
although Meloni said she would have preferred an original plan
to have the Ukrainian leader appear in a video.
Hist Amadeus was delighted with the viewing figures but also
said "if they send me away then I'll go".
Rai officials refuted the FdI MPs' accusations and said the
festival had always featured political moments which were not be
taken too seriously.
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