Thirteen billboards in Rome, five in Bologna and four in Milan unlawfully advertise RT documentaries—contravening EU regulation 2022/350—prompting criticisms from politicians and calls for swift removal and legal action
Billboards defy EU ban. Across Rome (13), Bologna (5) and Milan (4), bold posters proclaim, “They ban the truth, we show it. Find RT docs in your city”—promoting RT (formerly Russia Today) documentaries.
- This is in direct violation of EU Regulation 2022/350, which prohibits the distribution of any form of RT content in member states.
Not a first. The billboard campaign echoes recent public events.
- On June 14, RT’s “Donbas Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” was screened in Milan.
- Late May saw RT.Doc’s “The Time of Our Heroes” festival in Gorizia—the first such Nato-hosted RT event in Europe.
Politicians react. Pina Picierno, Vice-President of the European Parliament (PD), urged the mayors of Milan, Rome and Bologna to remove the posters immediately, calling them “irregular and in blatant breach of EU law.”
- She also announced intentions to file a judicial complaint to trace the campaign’s funding sources.
- Federica Onori (Azione) pushed for “effective measures,” submitting a parliamentary question to Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi to demand guidelines for local authorities.
- Riccardo Magi (Più Europa) highlighted the campaign’s provocative slogan and called on the government and the Authority for Communications (AGCOM) to counter Russian disinformation.
- “It is unacceptable that Moscow continues to poison Italian public debate,” he warned.
