An Italian priest inadvertently got the spotlight on himself on 17 October when a video of him flipping his middle finger towards protestors in Milan went viral. In fairness to Father Giannicola Maria Simone, he hadn't flipped first. The instigators had passed by his church as they took over the streets of Milan in protests over recent government turmoil.
Father Simone told Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera that he was monitoring the disturbance when he realised that the group of young protestors were making their way to his church, the Church of Sant'Alessandro di Zebedia. The 65-year-old cleric immediately went towards the front of the church and allowed scared tourists to go inside, before closing the doors. He then stood outside to stand guard.
As the young mob walked past the church, one of them raised both his arms and flipped both of his middle fingers at him. 'I gave them the middle finger back, but without any violent intentions or the risk of sparking further anger,' he explained regarding the action.
Disbelief, Claims of AI Abound
When the video of him flipping his middle finger in response to the protestors made the rounds on the internet, some claimed that it was fake and created by artificial intelligence. However, Father Simone admitted committing the flagrant act.
'It's real, even if they're now making up fake versions', the priest said, before explaining why he believes the protestor flipped him off. 'He did it because he saw me, but they were all running away.'
The cleric added he was not worried that the mob would damage his church as they had no clue as to why they were there. Father Simone learned from speaking to some of the protestors that some of them joined in the disturbance because they were bored.
No Need for Repentance
Father Simone said he believed he does not need to repent for flipping his middle finger back at the aggressor because he did it with no intention nor did he harm anyone. 'No, I don't think we should talk about repentance,' he said. 'If I had thrown a punch, yes, but I've never raised my hand to anyone, not even in the most difficult moments.'
The Italian priest added, 'I'm 65 years old and I've worked with kids all my life, and every now and then you have to tell them, "Be careful what you do." I certainly would never have done something like that outside of the context of the fights.'
Milan Unrest
Violence erupted in Milan as well as other northern Italian cities as young rioters took to the streets in what started as protesting the expensive cost of living and unsatisfactory public services. The protests quickly turned into unrest when people started robbing shops, vandalising buildings, and attacking authorities.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said the chaos was a product of 'hybrid warfare', a form of conflict waged against nations using unconventional tools like TikTok, social media and YouTube.
Aside from condemning the violence, Meloni also approved enhanced measures for security. This included giving police the right to detain minors from 14 to 17, even if they have not committed a criminal act. Tougher penalties for rioters were also imposed.
