An old photo of the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure wearing a Nazi armband raises controversy in Italy

ROME, 1 Nov. (DPA/EP) -

Galeazzo Bignami, recently appointed as Deputy Minister of Infrastructure by the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, has been involved in a controversy over the publication of an old photograph in which he appears aviator with a Nazi armband.

In the photograph in question, Bignami -- a member of Meloni's Brothers of Italy party -- can be seen wearing a black shirt, a symbol of Italian fascism, and a red armband with a swastika, also a symbol of Nazi Germany.

According to information published this Tuesday by the Italian press, the photo of Bignami, 47, would have been taken in 2005 during a bachelor party and had been circulating since 2016.

Meloni appointed Bignami on Monday as deputy minister and secretary of state for the infrastructure ministry, led by far-right Matteo Salvini.

However, this controversy could jeopardize Bignami's final appointment, since the swearing-in of the Secretaries of State is scheduled for Wednesday.

On Monday Bignami acknowledged feeling embarrassed by the image in question, although he criticized and called the publication of a private photograph almost 20 years later and for which, he says, he had previously apologized, absurd.

Several public figures in Italian politics, such as the mayor of Naples, Luigi de Magistris, have reacted to the controversy by calling on Prime Minister Meloni to back down on Bignami's appointment as Deputy Minister of Infrastructure.