An Italian priest, Father Giannicola Maria Simone, has been in the spotlight after he gave the middle finger to rioters in Milan. The incident took place on October 17, outside the Church of Sant’Alessandro di Zebedia near the historic Piazza Sant’Alessandro.

The 65-year-old priest was standing at the doorstep of the church when a group of masked youths ran past him. One of the rioters gave him two middle fingers, and the priest responded with the same gesture. The video quickly went viral, sparking speculation that it could have been created using artificial intelligence.

However, Simone confirmed the authenticity of the video in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. According to him, he did not seek to provoke an argument or resort to violence.

“When these young people passed by me, one of them showed me his middle finger. They are children, so I was not surprised. I responded in the same way, but without any aggressive intent and without the desire to provoke further anger,” the priest explained.

He said that he was watching what was happening nearby, and when he saw how the participants in the riots headed towards the church and dispersed into the surrounding streets, he decided to close the church. Inside, he gave shelter to tourists and passers-by who were trying to escape the violence. According to Simone, they remained in the church until the situation calmed down.

The priest added that he does not consider his act a reason for repentance, since he did not harm anyone.

“If I had hit someone, then yes. But I never raised my hand against anyone, even in the most difficult moments,” he noted.

Later, Simone spoke with some of the participants in the riots. One of them, according to the priest, confessed that he had come to the square simply because the others were going there.