Beppe Grillo | |
|---|---|
 Beppe Grillo in 2011 | |
| Guarantor of theFive Star Movement | |
| In office 23 September 2017 – 8 December 2024 | |
| Leader | Luigi Di Maio Vito Crimi(Acting) Giuseppe Conte |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Leader of the Five Star Movement | |
| In office 4 October 2009 – 23 September 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Luigi Di Maio |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Giuseppe Piero Grillo (1948-07-21)21 July 1948 (age 76) Genoa, Italy |
| Political party | Five Star Movement |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 6 |
| Signature |  |
| Website | Official website |
Giuseppe Piero "Beppe"Grillo (Italian:[ˈbɛppeˈɡrillo]; born 21 July 1948) is an Italian comedian, actor,blogger, and politician.
He has been involved in politics since 2009 as the co-founder (together withGianroberto Casaleggio) of the ItalianFive Star Movement political party. Grillo became one of the most prominent examples of thepopulist surge which arose in Europe during the 2010s.[1]
Grillo was born inGenoa, Liguria, on 21 July 1948.[2] He studied as an accountant but did not finish university.[3] After high school, he became a comedian by chance, improvising a monologue in an audition. Two weeks later, he was discovered by Italian television presenterPippo Baudo. Grillo participated in the variety showSecondo Voi from 1977 to 1978. In 1979, he participated inLuna Park byEnzo Trapani, and in the variety showFantastico.[4][5]
In the 1980s he appeared in the showsTe la do io l'America (1982, four episodes) andTe lo do io il Brasile (1984, six episodes), in which he narrated his experiences of visits to the United States and Brazil. This led to his appearance as the protagonist of another show, developed especially for him, calledGrillometro (Grillometer). In 1986, he appeared in a series[6] of prize-winning advertisements for a brand of yoghurt.[citation needed]
Soon afterwards, his performances began to include political satire that offended some Italian politicians. In 1986 during the Saturday night television showFantastico 7, he attacked theItalian Socialist Party and its leaderBettino Craxi, thenItaly's Prime Minister, on the occasion of his visit to the People's Republic of China (PRC).[7][8] As a consequence, Grillo was effectively banished from publicly owned television.[9]
Since the early 1990s Grillo's appearances on television became rare; according toMark Franchetti, politicians were offended by his jokes.[10] When one of his shows was allowed to be broadcast live byRAI in 1993, it obtained a record share of 15 million viewers.[11] Grillo often accuses the public broadcaster RAI of "public financing for the parties" that abuse it for their own propagandist needs.[12]
Grillo also took aim at theItalian Socialist Party, which directly led to him having fewer television appearances after the mid-1980s.[13] Grillo also criticized Biagio Agnes, then the director of theSTET, for dishonest business practices.[14] By the early 1990s, Grillo was known for his anti-establishment comedy as well as the denunciation of public policies.[14] While it did give him attention and the beginning of his political base, it also directly led him to the lack of television appearances.
In 2007 he collaborated with the italian singerGiorgia for the song "Libera la mente", from her albumStonata.
Despite this exile, excerpts from Grillo'sFive Star Movement political rallies are often broadcast on television, especially on political debate talk shows. On 19 May 2014, Grillo returned to Italian public television, RAI to participate in the popular late-night political debate talk showPorta a Porta as part of his campaign for the2014 European Parliament election. The program attracted three million viewers.[15] As of August 2015[update], Grillo performed on stage in Italy and abroad.[16] His themes included energy use, political and corporate corruption, finance, freedom of speech, child labour,globalization and technology.[17]
Looking for another outlet, Grillo eventually turned to the internet. This started when Grillo met a manager of a small internet firm namedGianroberto Casaleggio.[18] He expanded his influence to a larger audience with his websitebeppegrillo.it once the site was launched in January 2005.[19] The internet was seen as an alternative source for media which ran contrary to the mainstream media. Hence, Grillo was able to gain many followers who became disillusioned with mainstream Italian media.[20] Over time, it also became seen as the "headquarters" of the Five Star Movement and the main hub of its activity, rather than a physical location. A year after its launch, it[clarification needed] became recognized byTime magazine as one of the most influential websites to date.[19] Despite the website's success, there were a number of other websites used to ramp up support for Grillo. One such site wasMeetup, which was used to organize rallies and campaigns[21] making Grillo's progress even more apparent. The website[which?] was also used to discuss the political stances of Grillo as well as any other politically affiliated topic referring to Grillo.[citation needed]
As of 2014, Grillo maintained a blog in Italian, English, and Japanese that is updated daily. According toTechnorati, the blog ranks among the 10 most visited in the world. In 2008,The Guardian included Grillo's blog among the world's most influential.[22] He often receives letters from prominent figures such asAntonio Di Pietro (former Italian Minister of Infrastructures),Fausto Bertinotti (former President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies),Renzo Piano, andNobel Prize Winners includingDario Fo,Joseph E. Stiglitz, theDalai Lama andMuhammad Yunus.[23] As Grillo became more and more involved in Italian politics, the use of his blog to convey a political message was accompanied by a strong emphasis on the role of the Web as the harbinger of new possibilities for direct democracy and for a fairer society, making Grillo one of the leading popularisers ofdigital utopianism in Italy.[13] As of mid December 2017, the English and Japanese versions of the blog seem permanently defunct. The last entry in the English section is from November 2015, and in Japanese from October 2011.[original research?] The Italian version, however, continues to be updated daily.[citation needed]
Grillo has spoken in support of auniversal basic income on both his blog and on social media.[24][25]
On 1 September 2005, Grillo used money donated by readers of his blog to buy a full-page advertisement in the Italian newspaperLa Repubblica, in which he called for the resignation of theBank of Italy's then governorAntonio Fazio over theAntonveneta banking scandal. In October 2005,Time chose him as one of the "European Heroes 2005" for targeting corruption and financial scandals.[26]
On 22 November 2005, Grillo bought a page in theInternational Herald Tribune, saying that members of theItalian Parliament ought not to represent citizens if they have been convicted of a crime, even in the first degree of the three available in the Italian system.[27] He maintains a regularly updated list of members of the Italian Parliament who have been convicted in all three degrees on his blog.[28]On 26 July 2007, Grillo was permitted to speak to the members of theEuropean Parliament in Brussels, where he drew attention to the state of Italian politics.[29]
Grillo has led several national and international political campaigns. On 8 September 2007, he organized a "V-Day Celebration" in Italy; the "V" stood forvaffanculo ("fuck off"). During the rally, he projected the names of 24 Italian politicians who had been convicted of crimes including corruption, tax evasion and abetting a murder. More than 2 million Italians participated in this rally.[30] He also used the rally to urge Italians to sign a petition calling for the introduction of a "Bill of Popular Initiative" to remove from office Italian parliamentarians with criminal convictions.[31]
According to Internet scholars Alberto Pepe and Corinna Di Gennaro, V‑day was the first political demonstration in Italy developed and promoted via theblogosphere and thesocial networking services.[32] The second V-Day took place on 25 April 2008, inTurin, San Carlo Square, dedicated to the Italian press and the financial support it receives from the government. Grillo strongly criticized the Italian press for the lack of freedom,Umberto Veronesi for his support for incinerators, NATO bases in Italy, politicians (Silvio Berlusconi had recently been re-elected), and the television channelRetequattro for retaining frequencies assigned toEuropa 7.[1].[dead link]
In August 2008, Grillo was the subject of a report on theAustralian Broadcasting Corporation's international affairs programForeign Correspondent. Entitled "The Clown Prince", the report profiled Grillo's life, political activism, the V‑Day campaign and use of the internet as a political tool.[33]
In 2010, he started a political movement,Movimento 5 Stelle, the "Five Star Movement" to promote through the Internet his ideals about honesty anddirect democracy. The movement became a party with electoral prospects during the 2010 regional elections, with four regional councillors being elected. The party made further gains at the 2012 local elections, receiving the third highest number of votes overall and winning the mayoral election forParma.[34]
At the2013 general election the M5S won 25.5% of votes, the second most popular one for theChamber of Deputies,[35] but obtained just 109 deputies out of 630 due to an electoral system which favoured parties running in coalition.[36] In theEuropean Parliament the M5S is part of theEurope of Freedom and Direct Democracy (EFDD) group.
In 2014, Grillo announced that he was aiming to get four million signatures to support his attempts to get a referendum on Italy's membership of theEurozone.[37] He collected around 200,000 signatures while the minimum is 500,000 but he announced that his project was going on despite the failure.[citation needed]
In June 2018, Grillo published a post on his blog in which he called for selecting the members of the Italian Senate throughsortition, and possibly eventually replacing elections with sortition altogether.[38][39]
On 7 December 1981 Grillo lost control of aChevrolet K5 Blazer as he drove on amilitary road, forbidden to civilians, fromLimone Piemonte toColle di Tenda. Six kilometers after "Quota 1400" near the border with France the vehicle slipped on a sheet of ice and fell 80 meters into a deep ravine. In the car with Grillo were three of his Genoese friends, with whom he was spending the weekend ofImmaculate Conception. Grillo saved himself out of the passenger compartment before the car dropped into the void and in state of shock he managed to call for help. Three of his friends in the car lost their lives: Renzo Giberti and Rossana Quartapelle, respectively 45 and 33, and their 9-year-old son Francesco.On 14 March 1985 Grillo was found guilty ofmanslaughter.[40]
In 2003, he settled a libel suit for defamation filed against him byRita Levi-Montalcini. During a show, Beppe Grillo called the 94-year-old winner of the 1986Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and ItalianSenator for Life (2001–2012) an "old whore".[41]
When Italian judges were investigating theParmalat scandal, which was then the world's largest corporate bankruptcy scandal, Grillo was called to testify because he had anticipated the imminent collapse of the dairy conglomerate in one of his shows. When the judges asked how he had been able to discover that, he said thatParmalat's financial holes were so evident that anybody who had enough ability to see them would see them, since the corporate accounting was easily accessible.[42]
In 2012 Grillo was convicted of having defamedFininvest in an article published in 2004 in the Italian magazineInternazionale. The compensation, equal to 50,000 euros, in addition to the costs of the proceedings, was established by the judges of the first section of the court of appeal of the court of Rome.[43][44][45][46][47]
In September 2013 he was sentenced for defaming the former mayor ofAsti and parliamentary forForza Italia, Giorgio Galvagno. In 2003, Grillo had called Galvagno "a briber" during a performance at theTeatro Alfieri in Asti. Grillo had to pay Galvagno 25,000 euros and interest from 2003 as compensation for damages, plus compensation for legal costs.[48][49]
On 12 December 2013 the Tribunal ofGenoa sentenced Grillo in the first instance for defamation against Antonio Misiani, treasurer of theDemocratic Party. In May 2012, Grillo published on the front page of his blog a mosaic of pictures with photographs of thePdL (Rocco Crimi),PD (Antonio Misiani) andUDC (Giuseppe Naro) administrators, along with those of formerLega Nord (Francesco Belsito) andThe Daisy (Luigi Lusi). The judge has provisionally recognized a compensation for Misiani and a compensation for the Democratic Party of 5000 euros.[50]
On 14 September 2015 he was convicted by the tribunal ofAscoli Piceno for aggravated defamation against Franco Battaglia, professor at theUniversity of Modena, to a term of imprisonment with suspended sentence, €1,250 fine and a provisional fee of €50,000 to the offender. In that occasion Grillo compared himself toNelson Mandela andSandro Pertini.[51][52]
On 31 March 2017 Grillo was formally investigated along withAlessandro Di Battista for defamation following a police report filed by Marika Cassimatis, former candidate mayor of the M5S in Genoa.[53]
On 11 July 2017 Grillo was convicted at the third and higher judgement level by the tribunal ofAncona to a payment of 6,000 euros, a provisional amount of 50,000 euros and payment of legal fees, raised to 12,000 euros for defamation against Professor Franco Battaglia.[54]
Over the years, Grillo has accumulated a number of fines and/or convictions for building abuse and other crimes, such as attempted instigation to disobedience by inviting police officers to stop protecting politicians.[55]
Grillo is often criticized for his lifestyle. In particular, critics blame him for owning amotor yacht and aFerrarisports car, in contradiction with his environmentalist stance. In his blog he said he acquired both but has since sold them.[40] He defended himself from similar attacks from the leader of the Democratic Party on this subject, saying he earned his pay over the years and paid his taxes on them.[56]
Grillo was also criticized for having taken advantage of theCondono Tombale, atax amnesty granted by thefirst Berlusconi government in 2001, which Grillo had publicly opposed.[57] Grillo said during the V‑Day demonstration that he had personally benefited by only €500.[citation needed]
Grillo has proposed that members of theItalian Parliament who have a criminal record should be banned from public office. Because Grillo was found guilty ofinvoluntary manslaughter caused by a car accident,[40] he cannot run for public office as a member of his own party, which prohibits those who have a criminal record from being candidates.[citation needed] He says he is not interested in becoming amember of the Italian Parliament.[40] Despite this, in July 2009 he announced his intention to present himself as a candidate for thePD's primary elections,[58] which does not imply automatic presence in the Italian parliament. He also proposed that MPs should be limited to two government terms of office, after which they may not stand again.
Grillo is also criticized as being ademagogue who attacks politicians on superficial issues and their private lives, while being unable to provide a valid alternative. For example, stand-up comedianDaniele Luttazzi criticized him in 2007 in an open letter published on the website of the news magazineMicroMega. Luttazzi accused Grillo of being a "demagogue" and a "populist", suggesting Grillo should choose between satire and politics.[59]
In March 2013 a commentary piece inDer Spiegel called Grillo "The most dangerous man in Europe", described his rhetoric as anti-democratic, said he derived his energy from resentment, and cited the British writerNicholas Burgess Farrell who has drawnparallels between Grillo andBenito Mussolini.[60]
Grillo has appeared in three movies:
In 2008, Grillo was featured in the documentaryThe Beppe Grillo Story, produced by Banyak Films forAl Jazeera English.[61] He also appeared in archive footage in the 2017 movieCall Me by Your Name.[62]
| Party political offices | ||
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| New political party | Leader of theFive Star Movement 2009–2017 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
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| Other | |
