Northern League politicians were up in arms on Friday after low-cost airline Ryanair used a photo of party leader and Reforms Minister Umberto Bossi making an offensive hand gesture in a publicity campaign.
The photo of Bossi, whose party wants devolution of powers to the regions, was taken Sunday when he caused a country-wide furore by raising his middle finger at the Italian national anthem.
But the image now appears on the homepage of Ryanair's Italian website in an advert for summer price bargains that knocks recent efforts by the Italian government to keep loss-making national carrier Alitalia in the air through 2008.
''The government supports Alitalia's high tariffs and its frequent strikes and it doesn't give a damn about Italian passengers,'' says the banner, before announcing a 10-euro deal on Ryanair flights.
Northern League MEP Mario Borghezio said he had asked the European Commission to verify ''if these false statements are not harmful to the image and legitimate interest of a member state'' as well as evaluating whether the advert constitutes a violation of competition law.
''Ryanair should take it off their site and in particular get rid of the offensive connection between these lies and our leader. As faithful Padanians (the League's name for northern Italians), we are ready to boycott the airline,'' he added.
Opposition politicians blamed the government for the advert, saying it should have kicked up more of a fuss over Bossi's original gesture, made in reference to a line which appears to say Italy is the slave to Rome.
''The government treated Bossi's insult to the anthem as little more than a show of bravado,'' said Silvana Mura from the Italy of Values party.
''If the Italian government is the first to show that it doesn't respect the country's honour, it's inevitable that Italy's dignity will be offended abroad as well''.
Shadow public works minister Andrea Martella of the Democratic Party also blamed the government for failing to solve Alitalia's problems.
''An issue crucial to our economy has been reduced to the level of a publicity war,'' he said.
In June the Italian government gave Alitalia a 300-million-euro loan - now under European Union scrutiny - to keep the loss-making airline flying after Air France-KLM abandoned a takeover bid due to union opposition.
This is not the first time Ryanair has came under fire for its ad campaings: in January it was rapped for publishing an advert showing French President Nicolas Sarkozy and then-girlfriend Carla Bruni .
In a thought bubble over her head, Bruni was shown to be thinking her entire family could come to the wedding - at that time unannounced - because of the air carrier's flight deals.
