Lieutenant of the Army Pasquale Trabucco, retired officer and President of the Committee for November 4th, has filed a lawsuit against comedian Luciana Littizzetto following statements made in the March 9, 2025 episode of Che Tempo Fa, a show hosted by Fabio Fazio. This was reported by the National Asbestos Observatory on its website.
During the program, Littizzetto read an ironic letter addressed to the President of the European Commission Ursula Von der Leyen, questioning Italy's ability to contribute to a hypothetical European army. In her monologue, the comedian argued that Italians "are not capable of waging war" and cited historical episodes such as Caporetto, the Greek Campaign, and World War II to support her thesis. We responded to Littizzetto first by publishing the words of General Marco Bertolini and Lieutenant Colonel Gianfranco Paglia, then by clarifying the false myth of the inefficiency of the Italian Army.
Lieutenant Trabucco considered the comedian's statements damaging to the dignity of the Armed Forces and explained the reasons for his legal action:
I made this decision because I think certain things should not be touched. I mean the dignity of our men in uniform. As the Committee for the Restoration of the November 4th Holiday, I considered it a necessary symbolic act for our fallen in battle. For example, Giuseppe Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, an Italian officer, commander of the Clandestine Military Front, martyr at the Ardeatine Caves, and posthumous Gold Medal for Military Valor. I refer not only to our soldiers but also, for example, to the Partisans of the Resistance. Obviously, I am willing to withdraw the lawsuit in case of a public apology.
The National Asbestos Observatory (ONA) also took a stand on the matter, expressing solidarity with the Armed Forces. Lawyer Ezio Bonanni, president of the ONA, stated:
The ONA – National Asbestos Observatory strongly supports the action of our armed forces, which constitute the bastion of freedom and justice.
Credit must be given to those who have honored the flag and the homeland without retreating, to those who resisted, for example, in Russia even in numerical inferiority in equipment and armament. And they withdrew due to the reckless choices of the Germans who preferred to concentrate all their troops inside Stalingrad, exposing the flanks to uncovered fronts including the Romanian one.
Our men, including the Alpini, were thus overwhelmed. The First World War allowed for the restoration of national integrity with the Italian identity of Trento and Trieste. I also refer to the Second World War, the Decima Mas before the armistice, or when in Sicily the army resisted 20 to one compared to the Anglo-American forces, which were also supported by mafia elements. Or the massacre of Nikolajevska in Russia of the Alpine Corps, which almost no one ever remembers, where we lost an entire corps of Alpini. The history of our armed forces is a glorious history. I do not agree with Littizzetto's words. It saddens me that the institutions have not reestablished these principles, and we hope that now and in the future there will be greater respect for our men in uniform."
The lawsuit filed by Lieutenant Trabucco has sparked a heated debate between those who defend satire as a form of free expression and those who believe that certain statements have crossed the line of institutional and historical respect. It remains to be seen what Luciana Littizzetto's reaction will be and if the matter will have further developments.
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