AI video of Italian far-right politician as Roman emperor condemning opponents to death sparks outrage
An AI-generated video posted by far-right Italian politician Roberto Vannacci shows him as a Roman emperor ordering the death of opposition leaders, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at his side. The clip has drawn condemnation from across the political spectrum.
The video
On 20 July 2026, Roberto Vannacci, a former general turned far-right politician, posted an AI-generated video on his online accounts. The clip places him in a Roman amphitheatre resembling the Colosseum, dressed as an emperor, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni seated beside him. In the arena, bound with ropes, are four opposition figures: Elly Schlein, secretary of the centre-left Democratic Party; Giuseppe Conte, former prime minister and now president of the Five Star Movement; Laura Boldrini, former president of the Chamber of Deputies; and Romano Prodi, former prime minister and former European Commission president. Vannacci gives a thumbs-down, the gesture believed to signal a death sentence in ancient Rome, and a lion advances menacingly toward the condemned. One report also places former prime minister Mario Draghi among the terrified onlookers, though other accounts identify Prodi in that role.
Political reactions
The video drew immediate condemnation. Giuseppe Conte said the clip reveals Vannacci's institutional sensitivity after years in the army.
After years in the army, this is Vannacci's institutional sensitivity and his sense of honour. In Italy, we have already experienced all this. If you think we are afraid, you are wrong.
Conte added that the video constitutes incitement to violence. Vannacci dismissed the criticism, replying that Conte "cackles like a crow" over a video that is "clearly satirical and unrealistic."
Laura Boldrini rejected the satire defence outright.
The reference to killing political opponents is today the characteristic element of General Vannacci. There is no irony, it is a threat of physical elimination against opposing political forces and it is something very serious.
Party distancing and Meloni's silence
Lucio Malan, president of the senators of Meloni's Brothers of Italy party, also condemned the video, stating that "these images do not represent us, neither as a message nor as a style." Meloni herself has not yet reacted publicly, despite her prominent appearance in the clip.
Vannacci's political project
Vannacci founded the far-right party "National Future" five months ago. Its platform calls for mass deportations of illegal immigrants, questions the need to protect LGBTQ+ rights, and describes Benito Mussolini as a "leading figure." The AI video is the latest in a series of provocations that have kept the former general in the spotlight since his entry into politics.
