Italy has rejected a media report that it was investigating public figures suspected of spreading pro-Russian views. Additionally, the government chose on Friday to publish a declassified document about “pro-Kremlin” activities on social media, parts of which were previously leaked to the press, sparking an outcry.
Franco Gabrielli, the state undersecretary for security, insisted that the rumored secret government dossier on supposedly pro-Russian figures was “actually nonexistent.”
“There is no Big Brother, no Spectre in Italy: no one wants to investigate people’s opinions,” Gabrielli said, referring to a villainous organization from James Bond novels. “Opinions are always respected, which is different from fake news,” he said, adding that “the only antidote to propaganda is free information.” The leaking of a classified document to the media, however, will be investigated and “nothing will go unpunished,” Gabrielli stressed.