In the following video you’ll see participants in an Italian TV show debating the European Union’s unequal treatment of religions.
The clip being aired on the program shows the late Gianluca Buonanno and Mario Borghezio of the Lega Nord removing a blasphemous painting from the European Parliament, and getting into arguments with EP functionaries as a result.
Many thanks to Elle Bowlly for the translation, and to Vlad Tepes for the subtitling:
Video transcript:
| 00:00 | It’s something… I don’t know why it’s even here… | |
| 00:03 | You’re not allowed to remove paintings! What are you doing!? | |
| 00:07 | What are you doing? —This painting shouldn’t be seen, it needs to be taken down. —Why? | |
| 00:11 | —It’s obscene, and it’s shameful that this parliament housed it. | |
| 00:15 | You know that there’s secur…—I’m making it so that it faces the wall. | |
| 00:20 | He may well be a great artist, but what’s depicted here is obscene and blasphemous. | |
| 00:24 | A naked woman next to the crucifix…there’s a limit to everything. | |
| 00:28 | They’re gonna put it back anyway. —Then I’ll remove it again. | |
| 00:31 | So you’ll be going at it back and forth? —Certainly. | |
| 00:34 | They can even suspend me for 200 days. I don’t care. | |
| 00:37 | They’ll have to decide if a blasphemous painting needs to hang inside the EU building or not. | |
| 00:52 | Buonanno, what are you doing? Still with this painting? | |
| 00:55 | What painting? —Borghezio removed it once already. What are you doing? | |
| 00:58 | We need to put an end to this. This is blasphemous. We need to stop this. | |
| 01:01 | Where are you taking it? —Away. If they ask me where it is I’ll just say I didn’t steal it. | |
| 01:06 | I’ll just put it in a corner —So you’re seizing it? | |
| 01:10 | “Hello. This picture is not possible here. Finish.” | |
| 01:20 | It’s time to stop it. Religions need to be respected. This is blasphemous. | |
| 01:26 | Put Muhammad here instead and let’s see what happens with the Islamists. | |
| 01:29 | What has this lady got to do with it? —I had nothing to do with this… | |
| 01:33 | Well, it’s time to stop it. This Europe sucks. Full stop. | |
| 01:37 | Goodbye. I’ll go check if you’ve put it back again, afterwards. | |
| 01:40 | Only this time, if you do, I’ll remove it and I’ll smash it into pieces. | |
| 01:46 | You really don’t give up. —No, I just want to bring it in the room. | |
| 01:51 | Excuse me? —What? Is this yours? —No it’s the parliament’s, why are you carrying it? | |
| 01:58 | Because it’s rather blasphemous. —Excuse me, excuse me. —Hands off. | |
| 02:02 | Who am I talking to? —I’m a Eurodeputy. —Could you give me your name, please? | |
| 02:06 | When I’ll be forced to, I will. Who are you anyway? | |
| 02:09 | I’m an appointee. —Of what? The painting? —Yes. | |
| 02:12 | Are you Catholic? —If you have something to… | |
| 02:15 | Are you Catholic or not? Answer me! —Yes. —Do you like this? | |
| 02:19 | Whether I do or not is my own business. If you don’t like this… | |
| 02:22 | All right. It’s your own business like my ID is my own business; so I won’t show it to you. | |
| 02:26 | Protesting against… —I get it, however, this should not be displayed. I’m telling you, if it’s | |
| 02:30 | displayed again, I’ll destroy it. —I wouldn’t advise that. —Oh yeah? You don’t? I’ll tell you again… | |
| 02:34 | Because it’s worth €50K with tax —Pff, really? €50K? —Yes! | |
| 02:39 | You shouldn’t allow yourself to remove a painting… —Oh really? —Really. | |
| 02:42 | All right, I’m telling you I’ll do it again. I won’t give you my name, got it!? I. WON’T. GIVE. IT. | |
| 02:47 | All right. No problem. —Goodbye. — You’re asking me for my ID… | |
| 02:51 | do you take me for a criminal? —No, but since you’re without a badge, and I don’t know you… | |
| 02:55 | Then you should put yours on, too! —It’s right here, take a look at it! | |
| 02:58 | Yeah, let me see, bravo! You can’t read anything that’s on it. —Why? | |
| 03:02 | And you’re also way younger in this picture, you’re unrecognizable. | |
| 03:12 | Well, it may look like Italian comedy to you. I wasn’t on board with the music that was chosen… | |
| 03:17 | but David chose it because that is how he felt like when this was going down. | |
| 03:22 | But… this footage we shot was requested by European TV stations throughout the whole of Europe. | |
| 03:27 | Let’s introduce our guests, but before the debate, I wanted to ask Alessandro Sallusti | |
| 03:31 | what would he have done with that painting? Is it blasphemous like Buonanno says, | |
| 03:37 | or tolerable? Not to mention of great value: €50K. | |
| 03:40 | No, I would have done the same exact thing. And maybe something more. | |
| 03:45 | Outright? —Absolutely. —Come on, blasphemous art? You’re a secular newspaper director! | |
| 03:52 | No, it is very much so. We have to stop it with this hypocrisy. | |
| 03:56 | Blasphemy is either valid for everyone and everything, or… | |
| 04:00 | How can it be that our God can be blasphemed, but other gods… | |
| 04:08 | if someone even dares to make a cartoon of them, they get a death sentence? | |
| 04:14 | First off, Europe should come to grips with the fact that its roots are Christian, | |
| 04:19 | and that is therefore should pay more respect to the symbols of Christianity. | |
| 04:23 | And secondly, it should at least make sure that there’s equal treatment in this area. | |
| 04:33 | Well… very fair theory. |
I quite agree with him. Modern art’s obscession with Jesus Christ is ridiculous. I have more respect for Charlie Hedbo, at least they seem to take Jesus and Mohamed at the same level.
As he said: put up a fancy Mohammed painting on the walls of the parliament, only then can we believe your secularism and excuse your making fun of our King.
Bravo! Reminds me of my story “Piss Christ? Piss Koran!”
https://gatesofvienna.net/2016/06/piss-christ-piss-koran-part-one/
“This Europe sucks.” Love this guy!
Yet, if the cross, even death, did not put an end to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, how might a painting do so? He overcomes even the very worse of our sin, even the most obscene. On the other hand, when it comes to Islam, convert or be punished/killed indicates weakness and an inability to withstand mocking and ridicule, even in its mildest of forms. At least, this is my impression.