Twitter has deleted a controversial blurred video of an asylum-seeker sexually assaulting a Ukrainian woman which was posted by the woman likely to be elected as Prime Minister of Italy next month.
Giorgia Meloni, who heads the Brothers of Italy party, posted the video as a part of a campaign promise to ‘secure the cities.
The blurred video shared on the microblogging site doesn’t reveal the identities of the victim or the suspect, however, the full audio including the woman’s cries for help was seen and heard. This has drawn scorn from Meloni’s political opponents and praise from her center-right coalition partners- Silvio Berlusconi and Matteo Salvini, whose anti-immigrant stance has drawn criticism from human rights groups.
The video was reportedly captured by someone in an apartment above the sidewalk where the incident took place, and it first appeared on a newspaper website before it was reposted by Meloni as part of her campaign.
“One cannot remain silent in the face of this atrocious episode of sexual violence against a Ukrainian woman carried out in the daytime in Piacenza by an asylum seeker,” Meloni wrote.
“A hug to this woman. I will do everything I can to restore security to our cities.”
The 55-year-old woman was assaulted on a pavement in the city of Piacenza early Sunday by an asylum seeker from Guinea, local officials said.
However, Police have confirmed the arrest of the suspect and said the man has been detained as the investigation continued.
Meloni heads a center-right coalition that looks to handily win snap elections held on September 25 after the dramatic fall of Mario Draghi’s administration in July.
The populist coalition has campaigned on Trump-style conservative promises that include a strong anti-immigration platform and also hints that abortion rights could be diminished if they win the elections.
If elected, Meloni would become the first female Prime Minister in Italy.
“It is indecent to use images of rape. Even more indecent to do so for electoral purposes,” Enrico Letta, head of the center-left Democratic Party (PD), wrote on Twitter.
Another centrist leader, Carlo Calenda, called Meloni’s Tweet “immoral.” Igiaba Scego, a prominent Italian writer of Somali heritage, accused Meloni of exploiting the rape victim.
“Offered up as clickbait voyeurism instead of being protected. This electoral campaign is horrendous,” she wrote.
Meloni, who has called for a naval blockade of north Africa to prevent migrant boats from setting sail, said on Facebook her rivals had used the rape to attack her while ignoring the victim to avoid addressing what she called the immigration emergency.