Threats to Meloni's daughter, Cicciano professor apologizes

Naples – “It was a stupid gesture, written on impulse. I apologize for the content of the post: you never wish death, especially on a child”.

This is how Stefano Addeo, a German teacher at a high school in the province of Naples, defends himself. He ended up at the centre of controversy over a Facebook post with offensive references to the daughter of the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni.

Interviewed by the portal Roma online, the professor expressed regret for what he wrote, while asserting his political position: "I do not feel represented by this government and I do not intend to give up my ideas. But I recognize the seriousness of the post. It was a mistake."

Addeo emphasizes that he has never brought politics into the classroom and that his students show him affection. “I hate all forms of violence, I love animals, I do volunteer work. I am not a bad person, but I made a mistake.”

The case had a wide resonance on social media, where the teacher was the target of insults and threats: "They threw tomatoes at my house windows, they wished me dead. For this reason I filed a complaint with the Police Postal. I deleted the post not out of fear, but because I realized for myself that it was wrong.”

Finally, a passage on the role of teachers: "I do not accept that a teacher must slavishly share the government's ideas to be considered worthy of his role. But I repeat: that post was a mistake, and I deeply apologize for it."