Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, a writer, journalist, and a prominent figure and intellectual of the Italian right, is currently facing criticism for permitting Russia to inaugurate its pavilion at the forthcoming architecture exhibition. Europe has threatened to withhold €2 million from the Biennale if Buttafuoco does not back down. However, the solidarity expressed for Buttafuoco by Massimo Cacciari, 80, a prominent figure in numerous cultural conflicts, is currently generating controversy. He is a left-wing politician, a world-renowned philosopher, a former mayor of Venice, and a former Communist MP. In an interview with Il Giornale, the philosopher questioned, "“What should we do — like during World War I, when Verdi was banned in Vienna and Wagner in Rome? Only fools would believe that because we are in the midst of conflict and war, it is inappropriate to employ all available methods to safeguard the integrity of particular cultural, scientific, and artistic links. It's not hard to understand. In such cases, it should be the responsibility of universities and cultural groups to maintain these partnerships while waiting for peace to break out and things to return to normal..."