Marco Liccione
Marco Liccione, born in 1989, is a truck driver from Turin who became known for his involvement in protests against vaccination campaigns and the Green Pass during the Covid-19 pandemic, and later for his participation in social protest initiatives in the city [1].
No Vax activism
During the pandemic, Liccione fell ill with Covid-19 after taking part in several No Vax protests; in the same period he proposed to his girlfriend during a protest and was placed under investigation [1]. On one occasion he publicly confronted infectious disease specialist Matteo Bassetti in Sauze d'Oulx, when the municipality awarded the doctor honorary citizenship [1].
The 17 October 2026 protest
Liccione is among the organisers of the anti-cost-of-living protest held in Turin on 17 October 2026, which turned into clashes including an assault on the Feltrinelli bookshop at Torino Porta Nuova station [1][2]. Liccione himself said he was attacked by a group of people during the most heated moments of the march [1][2]. In the complaint he filed, he describes himself as a «person known for his political and social commitment» publicly associated with the Futuro Nazionale movement, founded by Roberto Vannacci, although the movement's representatives in Turin have denied that he is one of their members [1][2].
Bassetti's criticism and the complaint
On 21 October 2026 Matteo Bassetti published a social media post criticising Liccione, describing him as having a «curriculum of permanent opposition» and linking his political history to the movement led by Vannacci [1][2]. In the following days Liccione, assisted by Turin lawyer Gilberto Comotto, filed a defamation complaint against Bassetti with the public prosecutor's office (Procura) of Genoa, where the doctor lives, seeking damages for remarks he considered offensive and defamatory [1][2]. The complaint was also extended to a newspaper that allegedly republished the content of the post without, according to the complainant, adequate critical scrutiny [2].
Related articles: Marco Liccione's complaint against Matteo Bassetti
Sources
- Torino, camionista no vax denuncia l’infettivologo Matteo Bassetti: “Mi ha diffamato, deve risarcirmi” — TorinoToday, 7 November 2026
- Bassetti querelato per diffamazione da Marco Liccione, ex volto No Vax di Torino — CronacaQui Torino, 7 November 2026