A call to shut down the site has gathered 170,000 signatures, and many have reported it to the police. On the Phica site, a message is now displayed that it has been shut down. According to the site, this is due to "some users' toxic behavior", reports BBC.
Meloni herself has said that she feels "disgusted" by the site and has demanded harsh punishments for those responsible for it. The site's so-called "vip section" has contained manipulated images of famous Italian women, including politicians and influencers. The images have been provided with sexist captions and sorted into sections such as "hot politicians".
Among the comments on the site, there were calls for violence that exposed women to risk, according to EU Member of Parliament Alessandra Moretti.
–Platforms that encourage rape and violence must be shut down and banned, said Moretti, one of those who demanded that the site be stopped.
