Viral Video Of The Day

Spin recaps:

One thousand musicians banded together in Italy to perform the Foo Fighters’ “Learn to Fly” all at once in an attempt to woo the band to come play a show for them. Let’s repeat that — 1,000 musicians. A thousand. “The Foo Fighters are not in Romagna since 1997, it’s time to get them back, but we need a crazy idea,” the description on Rockin’ 1000’s website explains. “We have to organize something that kicks ass worldwide and can be seen by Dave Grohl: We will ask one thousand rockers to play one of their songs, all together and at the same time.”

4.1 million views since yesterday.

European Court Denounces Italy, Says Partner Recognitions Are Overdue

Via the Daily Mail:

The European Court of Human Rights condemned Italy on Tuesday for failing to provide legal recognition to same-sex couples and said the country should introduce some form of civil union for homosexual couples. Italy is the only major western European country that does not recognise either civil partnerships or gay marriage. The country was taken to the Strasbourg-based European Court by three homosexual couples who all complained that Italy discriminated against them because of their sexual orientation. In their ruling, a panel of seven judges said same-sex couples in Italy needed greater legal rights. "The Court considered that the legal protection currently available in Italy to same-sex couples ... not only failed to provide for the core needs relevant to a couple in a stable committed relationship, but it was also not sufficiently reliable," it said. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said at the weekend his government would introduce a law on civil unions by the end of the year, convincing a junior minister to end a hunger strike he had started in early July to protest at the lack of legislation.

Bolding is mine. In its ruling the court cites Obergefell. See Section #4. (Tipped by JMG reader Andrea)

ITALY: Hundreds Of Thousands Rally In Rome Against Same-Sex Marriage

Breitbart celebrates:

Hundreds of thousands of people travelled from all over Italy and Europe yesterday to protest against the proposed legalisation of gay marriage, and the teaching of ‘gender theories’ in schools. Gathering in the San Giovanni Square in Rome, with estimates of participants running from 300,000 to a million people, the protest put the ‘anti-Austerity’ protests held in London on the same day to shame, for sheer volume of people and absence of criminal behaviour. Attendees held aloft banners reading “The family will save the world” and “Let’s defend our children”, as Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi tries to push a civil union bill through parliament.

The call for Italy to keep pace with its western European neighbours on the issue has grown stronger since Ireland voted overwhelmingly in favour of gay marriage last month. But rights activists warn it will be no mean feat for the leader of the centre-left Democratic Party to find allies across the political spectrum, blaming an excessive influence of the Catholic clergy on the political class. Rejecting the assertion, Massimo Gandolfini, spokesman for the “Defend our children!” committee said: “We are asking for families based on marriage be respected, and stressing the central role parents play. We forcefully reject the attempt to sneak into the curriculum projects which aim to destroy children’s sexual identities”.

More from Yahoo News:

While a survey published by Italian daily La Stampa at the end of May found that 51 percent of voters would support gay marriage, protesters in Rome said the state should stop trying to interfere in sexual or gender education. "We are asking for families based on marriage be respected, and stressing the central role parents play. We forcefully reject the attempt to sneak into the curriculum projects which aim to destroy children's sexual identities," said Massimo Gandolfini, spokesman for the "Defend our children!" committee. There were both cries of support and derision from the political sphere.

Matteo Salvini, rising star on the far right and head of the Northern League party, sent a Facebook "hug for all the mummies and daddies protesting peacefully in Rome to defend their children's future." Vincenzo Brana, head of the long-standing Arcigay gay rights association in Bologna, was quick to point out that "today is World Refugee Day", with hundreds of thousands of migrants in Italy facing an uncertain future. Their problems "are an urgent issue which concerns us all. Those who take to the streets to talk of other things show they are living on another planet, and I would recommend leaving them on that planet alone."

Note the many Manif Pour Tous flags.

ITALY: Lower Chamber Approves Motion On Civil Unions In 204 - 83 Vote

ANSA Politics reports:

Italy's Lower House on Wednesday approved a motion on same-sex civil unions promoted by the Democratic Party. It was the first such motion from any party to gain the approval of MPs in the Lower House after several other motions were rejected. The motion commits the government "to promote the adoption of a law on civil unions, particularly with regard to the condition of the people of same sex". It also commits the government "to ensure equal treatment throughout the nation" of civil unions. Premier Matteo Renzi and Justice Minister Andrea Orlando have both said recently that Italy needs a civil unions law. The government rejects the notion that "extending rights to same-sex (couples) could undermine the traditional family", Orlando said. The proposed civil union is similar to one recognised in Germany.

An Italian-language report notes that there were 98 abstentions for the vote. (Tipped by JMG reader Andrea)

Headline Of The Day

Details. (Tipped by JMG reader Daddy Ray)

ITALY: Activists Counter Neo-Nazis With Public Reading Of LGBT Children's Books

Yesterday I reported that Italy's neo-Nazi New Front Party planned to hold a burning of LGBT children's books in a central plaza in Milan. Local activists had demanded that city authorities stop the event and that may have happened. Not stopped, however, was a large counter-protest by LGBT activists and allies, who this afternoon staged a public reading of numerous LGBT children's titles.  Bravo Milano! Meanwhile the neo-Nazis are mocking the counter-protest on their Facebook page.

ITALY: Neo-Nazi Party To Stage Public Burning Of LGBT Children's Books

Two days after a civil unions bill advanced in the Italian Senate, tomorrow Italy's neo-Nazi New Front Party will stage a public burning of LGBT children's books in Milan. Local progressives are demanding that city authorities step in to stop the event.

Members of the Democratic Party are outraged: "Burning books with a theme of homosexuality was a typical behavior of the Nazi regime. This horrendous return to the most terrible past must be censured and rejected with the greatest commitment. Milan is a noted city of the resistance and in the seventieth anniversary year of its liberation it cannot suffer such an outrage."

Another group is calling for a counter-protest: "We invite the citizens of Milan to come to Piazza Oberdan [tomorrow] with one of the books contained in the list in question or with books like those of Sappho, Tondelli or Oscar Wilde. Read them together with us." (Tipped by JMG reader Andrea)

RELATED: The New Front Party was formed in 1997 by members of a Nazi punk band. In the 2013 general election New Front candidates got nearly 200,000 votes but won zero seats in the national legislature. Among its stated objectives are the "humane repatriation" of immigrants, a ban on abortion, the abolition of capitalism, and "the recovery of Christian religiosity and faith in the Catholic Church."

ITALY: Civil Unions Bill Advances

By a vote of 14-8 Italy's Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced a civil unions bill that would also allow gay couples to adopt each others' children and visit each other in the hospital. Outside adoptions by same-sex couples would remain banned. Same-sex marriages conducted legally in foreign countries would be recognized domestically as civil unions. The bill is opposed by Forza Italia, the party headed by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who is currently banned from holding public office following his conviction on corruption charges. Forza Italia holds 66 out of 315 seats in the full Senate. (Tipped by JMG reader Andrea)

ITALY: Pope Dines With LGBT Inmates

Pope To Lunch With LGBT Prisoners

Via the National Catholic Reporter:

Pope Francis reportedly will have lunch Saturday with about 90 prisoners, including 10 from a prison ward for transgender and gay prisoners and those who suffer from AIDS, as part of a visit to the southern Italian city of Naples. The prisoners won their spots after a raffle among some 1,900 detainees, according to a report posted late Tuesday on the Italian news website Vatican Insider. That article refers to a separate report made on the matter by Tv2000, an Italian television network operated by the country's Catholic bishops' conference and known for broadcasting most papal events. According to the Vatican Insider report, the pontiff's lunch with the prisoners will be cooked by the prisoners themselves and will include detainees from two nearby institutions.

(Tipped by JMG reader Eric)

Madonna Responds To Dolce & Gabbana

(Tipped by JMG reader Eric)

Tony Perkins Praises Dolce & Gabbana

"The minds behind the world-famous D&G brand have been creating more controversy than clothing lately, as the duo comes clean about their surprisingly conservative views. As expected, celebrities have turned on the pair with a ferocity that took the Italians by surprise. Singer Elton John has been the most vocal, calling Dolce and Gabbana's thinking 'archaic' and demanding a Tinsel town boycott of the popular line. The backlash (one celebrity vowed to set her Dolce on fire) threw the designers for a loop. They're learning, as we all have, that there's no room in the Left's debate for both sides. It was a powerful statement -- one that obviously hit a little too close to home. When it comes right down to it, there's nothing more threatening to the homosexual political movement than homosexual people who tell the truth." - Hate group leader Tony Perkins, via press release.

Dolce & Gabbana Talk To CNN

Embattled billionaire designers Dolce and Gabbana took to CNN this morning for some damage control.

In an exclusive interview on Wednesday, Dolce said his views on IVF were private, personal beliefs based on his sense of a traditional Sicilian family. "I believe in the traditional family," he said. "It is impossible to change my culture for something different. It's me... I respect all the world, all the culture." Dolce said he did not judge people who chose the procedure, although he previously made controversial statements to the Italian magazine, Panorama, referring to IVF babies as "chemistry children and synthetic children."

The initial comments from Dolce and Gabbana struck some as hypocritical coming from a gay couple that was romantically involved until 2005 (they continued working together after the breakup). Dolce's comment was seen as an attack on gay and lesbian families.

But Gabbana said they weren't telling anyone how to live their lives. "We love gay couple. We are gay. We love gay couple. We love gay adoption. We love everything. It's just an express of my private point of view," he said. Dolce told CNN he was not boycotting the artist: "I love the music of Elton John." He said he believed they could end the dispute: "Every people resolve everything by talk... we start to talk, the problem is resolved." The pair said they respected how people chose to live their lives, including the use of IVF, and said others should also respect differences in opinion.

Hit the link for the video.

Gabbana: We're Like Charlie Hebdo

They may be trying to walk back their anti-LGBT comments in the press, but yesterday Stefano Gabbana took to Instagram to compare their situation to Charlie Hebdo. Not incidentally, the #BoycottDolceGabbana hashtag is trending at  #1 in the United States at this writing. (Tipped by JMG reader John)

Haters Are Thrilled That Italian Designers Dolce & Gabbana Oppose LGBT Rights

Hate group leader Austin Ruse writes at Breitbart:

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, founders of the eponymous fashion house, have come out strongly against gay marriage, the notion of gay families, and the use of surrogacy to procreate. The billionaire pair, who used to be romantically linked, gave an interview with the Italian magazine Panorama, in which they said, “The only family is the traditional one. No chemical offspring and rented uterus. Life has a natural flow; there are things that cannot be changed.”

They also said, “Procreation must be an act of love. I call children of chemistry, synthetic children. Uteri for rent, semen chosen from a catalogue,” Dolce stated. Gabanna said, “The family is not a fad. In it there is a supernatural sense of belonging.” The pair have long been outspoken about gay marriage. In 2013, when the London Telegraph asked them if they had ever considered getting married, they answered, “What? Never!” Dolce said, “I’m a practicing Catholic.”

Elton John has called for a boycott:

In an Instagram post on Sunday morning, John said: “How dare you refer to my beautiful children as ‘synthetic’. “And shame on you for wagging your judgemental little fingers at IVF – a miracle that has allowed legions of loving people, both straight and gay, to fulfil their dream of having children. “Your archaic thinking is out of step with the times, just like your fashions. I shall never wear Dolce and Gabbana ever again. #BoycottDolceGabbana.” The Czech-American former tennis star Martina Navratilova, who married her girlfriend in December, tweeted in support: “Wow – I had no idea. It will be interesting to see if this ridiculousness hurts them in the bank. BoycottDolceGabbana.”

Italians Mock ISIS After Threat To Throw Gays Off The Leaning Tower of "Pizza"

You can see the mocking responses and memes here and here. The Italian government is taking the threat seriously.

In the wake of the threat, Italian security chiefs have approved plans to put 4,800 soldiers on the country's streets and 'sensitive sites' to prevent terrorist attacks. Reports claim 500 will be deployed in Rome - where soldiers are already guarding diplomatic residences, synagogues and Jewish schools. The troops are also expected to be deployed at tourist venues such as archeological sites and monuments. The commander of Vatican's 110-man Swiss Guard said they were ready to defend Pope Francis if ISIS attack. ISIS have executed four men in recent weeks for alleged homosexuality.

Eurovision 2015: Italy's Entry

Pop opera trio Il Volo won Italy's Eurovision contest last weekend and since I'm not finding a clip of that performance, below is the rather odd production clip for their entry, which already has over 6M views and has spawned a viral parody. So far about half of the competing nations have selected this year's winners and with the slight exceptions of Italy and Denmark's boy band entry, none of the acts seem very interesting. We've certainly seen nothing that lives up Eurovision's often over the top glizt and glam standards.

ITALY: Captain In Cruise Ship Disaster Sentenced To 16 Years In Prison

ITALY: High Court Rejects Marriage

Via ANSA:

Italy's highest appeals court on Monday rejected same-sex marriage, saying there was nothing in the Constitution that requires the government to extend marriage rights to gays. However, the Cassation Court added that homosexuals have the right to a "protective" law that would ensure same-sex couples have the same rights as unmarried Italian couples. Neither same-sex marriage nor civil unions between same-sex partners are legally recognized in Italy but some cities, including Rome, have a civil union register.

I'll update this post if more details becomes available.

ITALY: VOD Ad Features Gay Couple

(Tipped by JMG reader Andrea)