Police confirmed the arrest and said the man was taken into custody as inquiries continued. Meloni, whose Brothers of Italy party is leading the polls ahead of national elections on September 25, tweeted the video, which was posted on a newspaper website with the image blurred but the woman’s cries being heard clearly. “One cannot remain silent in the face of this appalling episode of sexual violence against a Ukrainian woman carried out during the day in Piacenza by an asylum seeker,” Meloni wrote. “A hug to this woman. I will do everything I can to restore safety to our cities.” The tweet sparked a barrage of criticism online, as well as from Meloni’s political opponents. “It’s obscene to use images of rape. Even more indecent to do it for electoral purposes,” tweeted Enrico Letta, head of the center-left Democratic Party (PD). Another centrist leader, Carlo Calenda, called Meloni’s tweet “immoral.” Igiaba Scego, a prominent Italian writer of Somali heritage, accused Meloni of exploiting the rape victim. “It’s being offered as click voyeurism, instead of being protected. This campaign is horrible,” he wrote. Meloni, who has called for a naval blockade of North Africa to prevent migrant boats from setting sail, said on Facebook that her opponents had used rape to attack her while ignoring the victim to avoid confronting what she called immigration emergency. Leta’s post said: “Respect for people and victims always comes first,” and Kalenda wrote, “only victims matter.”
