It is a controversy about Street artist Jorit, who asked Vladimir Putin for a photo “to show Italy that he is human like all of us”. The episode took place in Sochi, at the International Youth Forum. And this has attracted criticism from our politicians. Starting with Carlo Calenda, according to whom “dictators have always found support from “useful idiots” who are paid or simply in search of notoriety. This is not new and it is not even particularly relevant given that we have a vice-president of the Council who is formally allied with Putin's party. »
Commentary by Tajani and Manfredi
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani was gentler, responding to journalists on the merits of the case and commenting: “Propaganda was the art of the KGB, the disinformation it was the art of the USSR and obviously there is still someone in Russia who uses this art to try to get others in trouble. Italy stands with Ukraine, but that does not mean we are at war with the Russian people. The Italian people are friends of the Russian people but we do not want the Russian army to invade Ukraine. » The mayor of Naples, Gaetano Manfredi, also intervened in the debate: “I believe there is no doubt about the judgment we have on Putin and the strong condemnation of the invasion of Ukraine” .
The mural in Naples
Manfredi then said a few words about the urban makeover of the Taverna del Ferra district, which will result in the removal of the famous Maradona fresco created by the accused artist: “The idea of finding a way to save Jorit's fresco depicting Maradona is a question that interests Neapolitans and not Putin. If we have the possibility of saving part of the fresco, and it is an exclusively technical question, we want to do it because it represents a symbol of identity.” The president of the Culture Commission of the Chamber and national director of Culture and of Innovation of the Fratelli d'Italia, Federico Mollicone, attacked not only the artist, but also Ornella Muti and her daughter Naike, themselves guests of the International Youth Forum.
Mollicone: “Shocking images”
“The images of the 'Italian delegation', made up of Ornella Muti, her daughter Naike and street artist Jorit, in Russia are shocking. They are mercenaries, hat artists of the post-Soviet dictator Putin. It is one thing to respect Russian culture and art, another to lend oneself to a war propaganda operation, even more so after Navalny's assassination. Pecunia non oletbut in this case it oozes blood”, was Mollicone's harsh attack. Jorit has not yet publicly commented on the matter. The 33-year-old had found himself at the center of a controversy since the summer last for having created a huge mural in the town occupied by the Russian army in Mariupol, in Donbass. To those who accused him of being pro-Russian and of taking the side of the occupying army, he replied that he was “a free artist” who had the duty to “show the other side of the coin and create debate”.
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