Silvio Berlusconi’s most controversial and distasteful political moments
Italy’s former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi was not identified for his sensitivity and positively was not wanting controversial remarks.
The 86-year-old billionaire media mogul’s sense of humour usually landed him in hassle.
Here, we check out a few of his most awkward, distasteful and offensive feedback.
‘Many loved him, many hated him’ – latest updates
Sweet letter to Putin as Russia invaded Ukraine
Vladimir Putin and Silvio Berlusconi pictured in 2003. Pic: AP
In October final yr, Berlusconi stood resolutely by his previous good friend, Russian president Vladimir Putin, regardless of anger within the West over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The former Italian chief stated the Russian chief despatched him a “very sweet letter” – and he despatched one again.
He stated: “Putin for my birthday sent me 20 bottles of vodka and a very sweet letter. I replied with bottles of Lambrusco and an equally sweet letter.”
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The media mogul-turned-prime minister set the mould for other populists to follow
Called Obama ‘good-looking’ and ‘suntanned’
Among the sequence of controversial remarks, Berlusconi additionally described Barack Obama as “handsome, young, and tanned.”
He made the remark to Mr Obama in November 2008, after Mr Obama was elected as US president and also became the country’s first Black president.
Barack Obama with Berlusconi and Russia’s former oresident Dmitry Medvedev in 2009
Told earthquake survivors they need to take a look at it as ‘weekend of tenting’
Back in 2009, Berlusconi visited survivors of an earthquake within the central Abruzzo area of Italy, who had been staying in emergency tents.
He stated: “They should look at it as a weekend of camping.”
The earthquake killed round 300 individuals and made tens of hundreds of others homeless.
Berlusconi lifts a childduring his go to within the quake-stricken Abruzzo in 2009. Pic: AP
Condemned by Vatican newspaper over ‘deplorable’ jokes
Berlusconi was additionally condemned by the Vatican’s official newspaper in October 2010, after he informed a joke a few Jew who costs fellow Jews to cover in his basement from the Nazis, with out telling them World War Two is over.
He additionally made a sequence of different jokes, which had been described as “deplorable” by the Vatican’s official newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano.
Ex-Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi dies
Berlusconi: ‘It’s higher to love lovely ladies than to be homosexual’
The former Italian prime minister additionally sparked controversy over an offensive remark he made in 2010.
He dismissed calls to resign over studies he helped a 17-year-old lady who attended events at his home, saying it was “better to like beautiful girls than to be gay.”
Berlusconi refused to apologise for his fondness for younger girls and denied doing something improper.
“As always, I work without interruption and if occasionally I happen to look a beautiful girl in the face, it’s better to like beautiful girls than to be gay,” he informed a gathering at a bike business present in Milan.
Pic: AP
West needs to be ‘acutely aware of the prevalence of our civilisation’
Berlusconi additionally boasted of the “supremacy” and “superiority” of Western civilisation and took intention at Islamic nations.
In October 2001 he stated that whereas the West has a worth system “that has given people widespread prosperity in those countries that embrace it, and guarantees respect for human rights and religion… This respect certainly does not exist in the Islamic Countries.”
Berlusconi raises two fingers behind the pinnacle of then Spanish overseas minister Josep Pique
Rude gestures behind then-Spanish overseas minister
During a bunch {photograph} at an off-the-cuff EU summit in Spain in 2002, Berlusconi sparked controversy after he raised two fingers behind the pinnacle of then Spanish overseas minister Josep Pique – within the conventional Latin gesture for a cuckold.
‘Mussolini by no means killed anybody’ – in accordance with Berlusconi
He additionally claimed the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini “never killed anyone”.
“Mussolini never killed anyone. Mussolini sent people on holiday in (internal) exile,” Berlusconi informed the Spectator journal in 2004, replying “yes” when requested if he thought the World War Two dictator was “benign”.
‘I’m the Jesus Christ of politics’
In February 2006, Berlusconi was additionally quoted by Italian media telling supporters: “I am the Jesus Christ of politics.
“I’m a affected person sufferer, I put up with everybody, I sacrifice myself for everybody.”