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The bird of the Lord.
An Italian priest gave a group of far-left rioters the middle finger in sign of resistance against the agitators who took over the streets of Milan under the guise of student protests, pillaging the city with violence and looting.
Father Giannicola Maria Simone stood at the doorstep of the Church of Sant’Alessandro di Zebedia near the historic Piazza Sant’Alessandro as the mob of youngsters rushed by and gave them the universal sign to scatter off in front of a shocked parishioner after the violent protests erupted on Oct. 17.
The horde of masked instigators marched past the entrance of the towering parish church as the 65-year-old priest stood guard at the doors.
One of the unidentified agitators raised his hands, pointing both middle fingers at Simone, who nonchalantly returned the crude gesture, sticking up his left hand and flipping the bird, according to a now-viral video of the encounter.
Simone confessed to the flagrant act, debunking rumors that the viral video was AI, claiming he did it without violent intentions.
“It’s real, even if they’re now making up fake versions,” Simone told Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera Thursday.
“It happened like this: as these young people were walking by, someone gave me the middle finger. They’re kids, so I’m not surprised. I gave them the middle finger back, but without any violent intentions or the risk of sparking further anger.”
The fearless cleric was not worried about the rioters damaging his church, saying they were clueless about why they were there.
“He did it because he saw me, but they were all running away,” he said.
Simone had been monitoring the violence occurring next door when he realized the hooded hoodlums were making their way towards the church.
The quick-thinking priest says he ushered scared tourists into the church to escape the violence.
“I was in the church watching what was happening… then I saw them pushing forward and spreading out into the side streets, and I ran to close the church,” Simone said. “There were lots of people fleeing the rioters, and I let them all in. They weren’t worshippers, but tourists and other passersby. They stayed here until the chaos passed.”
Simone doesn’t believe he needs to repent for his action against the rioters as he didn’t harm anyone.
“No, I don’t think we should talk about repentance. If I had thrown a punch, yes, but I’ve never raised my hand to anyone, not even in the most difficult moments. 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.”
The priest spoke with some of the rioters who had arrived to the square, learning that some had just come because they were bored.
“We don’t know why we’re here, everyone came, so I came too,” Simone recalled one of the protesters telling him.
Violence and unrest broke out in Milan and other northern Italian cities when mostly young rioters robbed shops, vandalized buildings and attacked police officers.
Milan, Italy’s financial capital, was the focal point of initial protests against rising cost of living and public services before the reckless mob took over.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Defense Minister Guido Crosetto blamed the violence on
“The events in Milan and elsewhere in Italy are fundamentally different from those seen in other eras; they are the product of what I call ‘hybrid warfare’—a form of conflict being waged against our nations through unconventional tools like TikTok, social media, and YouTube,” Crosetto said in Rome, Ansa Italy reported.
Meloni condemned the violence and has since approved stricter security measures that will allow police to detain any minors between the ages of 14 and 17, even if they didn’t commit any crimes and impose tougher penalties for rioters.
“Thugs who exploit demonstrations to sow chaos, attack those who ensure security and hold entire cities hostage… Demonstrating is a right. Setting our cities ablaze is not,” Meloni said Saturday.
Meloni’s new anti-riot laws will also make parents financially liable for their children’s looting and vandalism.
Italy will also deploy 500 military troops to Milan for the remainder of the year to help control the protests.
“We know what it means to look for a job, to earn an insufficient wage, and to see no prospects for the future … but hardship must never be used as an excuse for violence,” Meloni said Tuesday.
With Post wires