Beppe Grillo stokes outrage by comparing Italian PM to Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz – 'If we let him go on there will be no survivors'
'If we let him go on there will be no survivors'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Beppe Grillo has sparked outrage by comparing the Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi to the co-pilot who intentionally downed a plane with 150 people on board in a picture appearing to show Mr Renzi leaning out of a Germanwings plane.
The controversial Italian comedian and leader of the Five Star Movement was condemned for using such a horrific event to criticise his political opponent after Grillo tweeted a cartoon showing Renzi in a Germanwings aircraft.
The manipulated image had “only one man in charge” written across it and was tweeted with the hashtag “#FermiamoRenzi”, or “stop Renzi”. In a caption for the tweet, he also wrote: “We must stop Renzi while there is still time. If we let him go on there will be no survivors, only ‘pieces.’”
The tweet was blasted as tasteless by shocked Twitter users, particularly as it came just a day after prosecutors said the airline’s co-pilot "intentionally" set the plane into descent.
In an accompanying blog post translated by The Independent, Grillo claimed Italy would only realise that Renzi is driving the country towards disaster at the last minute, comparing it to the situation faced by passengers on the Airbus.
“Passengers of the Airbus only realised at the last minute that the co-pilot was taking them to disaster, after eight long minutes,” he said.
“Italy will also understand at the last minute, when there will be nothing left to do. We have seen in the past a lone man in charge, and it was not a pretty sight.
“However, there is one difference between the co-pilot and the former mayor of Florence: the co-pilot was depressed, but not the passengers. Renzi is not depressed, but Italians are.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments