Verdict: False and Misleading
A viral video circulating on social media falsely claims that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni issued a threat to Pakistan in response to the recent violence in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). In reality, the clip is from a 2019 speech—delivered years before she assumed office—and contains no reference to Pakistan whatsoever.
What’s Being Claimed
On April 30, a 35-second video clip of Giorgia Meloni speaking in Italian at a podium began making rounds on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). One user captioned the video: “Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is threatening Pakistan.”
The clip rapidly gained traction, amassing over 312,000 views and 4,500 likes. Other users amplified the misinformation, with one asserting that Meloni had extended full support to India, while another bizarrely claimed she threatened to turn Islamabad into an “Italian parking lot.”
These posts emerged amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan following the killing of 26 civilians in IIOJK last week, lending the fabricated claims a veneer of plausibility.
The Truth
The claims are entirely baseless. The video in question dates back to April 15, 2019, and was recorded long before Giorgia Meloni became Italy’s Prime Minister. At the time, she was still a political opposition figure.
A reverse image search conducted by Geo Fact Check confirms that the video was originally published by Italy’s state-run broadcaster Vista Agenzia Televisiva Nazionale on its official YouTube channel. The speech was centered on Rome’s role in European history and identity—completely unrelated to Pakistan or any international conflict.
Here is the verified English translation of the speech excerpt that appears in the viral clip:
> “Rome is the capital of Italy — and I will go further: Rome should be the capital of the European Union. It should not merely be a convenient office location, but it must embody the millennia-old identity of our continent.”
There is no mention—direct or indirect—of Pakistan, India, or any geopolitical issue involving South Asia.
Conclusion
The claim that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni threatened Pakistan in a recent speech is demonstrably false and highly misleading. The video being circulated is taken completely out of context from a 2019 domestic political address, which bears no connection to recent developments in the region. Sharing such misinformation not only distorts facts but also risks inflaming already sensitive international tensions.
Rating: False
This is a textbook case of disinformation: a repurposed video, miscaptioned to fit a false narrative.
