No sooner have government affairs been taken over than the Italian legal alliance stumbles upon a scandal. In a photo from 2005, Galeazzo Bignami poses with a swastika on his arm. The politician is supposed to be sworn in as State Secretary on Wednesday – now he feels he has been treated unfairly.
In Italy, an old photo of a designated state secretary of the new right-wing government with a swastika armband caused a stir. The picture shows politician Galeazzo Bignami from the ultra-right ruling party Fratelli d’Italia in a black shirt and red armband. The recording is said to have been taken during a bachelor party in 2005, as reported by several media.
Fratelli boss and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wants to make the 47-year-old State Secretary in the Ministry of Infrastructure led by Lega boss Matteo Salvini. The swearing-in ceremony for the state secretaries is scheduled for Wednesday.
According to reports from various media, the photo was already circulating publicly in 2016. Bignami said on Monday he was ashamed of the admission. However, it is absurd to publish almost 20-year-old private photos again, for which he has apologized several times.
