Gianluca Buonanno

Gianluca Buonanno (15 May 1966 – 5 June 2016) was an Italian far-right politician. At the time of his death, Buonanno was mayor of Borgosesia and member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Lega Nord. During his career, Buonanno generated controversy and public uproar.

Biography

Buonanno was born Borgosesia, province of Vercelli, in the Piedmont region. He was affiliated with the Italian Social Movement (MSI) from 1982 to 1995, when he switched to the MSI's legal successor National Alliance (AN). Buonanno left AN for Lega Nord in 2002. He was elected in the XVI and XVII legislature of Italy and in the 2014 European Parliament election for the eighth European Parliament. As an MEP, Buonanno was an unaffiliated Non-Inscrit before joining Europe of Nations and Freedom, and was backed by the European Alliance for Freedom and Movement for a Europe of Nations and Freedom. Buonanno died at the age of 50 in 2016 in a car accident in Gorla Maggiore, province of Varese. His funeral was held in the parish church of Serravalle Sesia, where Lega Nord leader Matteo Salvini was also present.

Political views and controversies

Buonanno was known for having shown attitudes typical of Italian far-right politics and generating controversy and public uproar. Multiple times he expressed opinions, judged to be homophobic, on homosexuality. In 2011, Buonanno said: "Gays, everything is due to them. When a homosexual happens to be beaten up, a great outcry comes out, but nobody says anything when who is beaten up is not gay." In 2013, he stated: "At Gay Pride you can see scenes that are disgusting, horrifying scenes. [Gay] Pride sucks. If a gay person approaches me, does some flirting and he pisses me off, I kick him in the balls."