Jim Carrey cartoon angers Benito Mussolini's granddaughter

The US actor and artist sketched the corpses of the Italian dictator and his mistress in a work about fascism.

JIm Carrey and Alessandra Mussolini

Source: AAP, Getty

Alessandra Mussolini has attacked the US actor Jim Carrey after he posted a satirical sketch of her grandfather the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini on Twitter.

Mr Carrey’s drawing depicts the corpses of Mussolini and his mistress Claretta Petacci shortly after their execution by anti-fascist partisans in 1945.

After Mussolini's death the bodies of him and other fascists were hung with meat hooks from the girder of a petrol station in Milan.
Ms Mussolini, the granddaughter of the dictator and an EU parliamentarian, responded angrily to the sketch.

“You are a b*******” she wrote in a one line reply.
The Italian politican then challenged Mr Carrey to illustrate a number of other historical events, such as the atomic bombing by US forces and the nation's civil rights struggles.
In October last year Ms Mussolini threatened to take legal action against those who defamed her grandfather on social media, in a move strongly condemned by Jewish groups in Italy.
Alessandra Mussolini Holds Rally Ahead Of Election Campaign
Alessandra Mussolini Holds a Rally Ahead Of Election Campaign Source: Getty Images Europe
Alessandra Mussolini is the daughter of Romano Mussolini, the fourth son of the Italian dictator.

She began her career as an actress and model, guided by her aunt Sophia Loren, and starred in a dozen Italian films.

In 1992 she entered politics and has become embroiled in a string of controversies.

She quit the conservative National Alliance party in 2003, after leader Gianfranco Fini denounced fascism as an “absolute evil” and apologised for Italy’s involvement in World War Two during a visit in Israel.

Ms Mussolini said Mr Fini had attacked her name and family, although she does support the right for Israel to exist.
Alessandra Mussolini with Prime Minister  Silvio Berlusconi in 2008
Alessandra Mussolini with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in 2008 Source: AFP
In 2006 she made derogatory comments about a transgender candidate and a year later she labelled all Romanians living in Italy "criminals".

Those remarks lead to the collapse of her far-right EU parliamentary group Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty after Romanian MPs withdrew in protest.

Ms Mussolini currently serves as an independent member of the European Parliament, but previously sat in the Italian Parliament as part of disgraced Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s People for Freedom coalition.


Share
2 min read

Published

Updated


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world