DUNDAS NEWS
Italian far-right leader Matteo Salvini on Sunday dismissed as "fake news" reports that he had been blasted for posting a rape video, saying he had not committed any crime
Salvini, who is also deputy prime minister and interior minister, has been embroiled in a row over a video he posted on social media last week in which a man is seen raping a woman
The video, which Salvini said he had received from a "concerned citizen", was widely condemned by Italian politicians and women's rights groups
On Sunday, Salvini hit back at his critics, saying he had not committed any crime and accusing the media of spreading "fake news"
"I have not committed any crime, I have not done anything wrong," Salvini told reporters in the northeastern city of Trieste
"The only crime is that committed by the person who filmed and posted that video."
Salvini has been a vocal supporter of tougher penalties for rape and has previously called for rapists to be given life sentences.
In July, he sparked outrage by saying that migrants who commit crimes in Italy should be "taken away and locked up for good".