Mara Venier

Venier made her debut with a main role in Diario di un italiano, a TV-series based on the novel Wanda written by Vasco Pratolini. She later starred in several films and TV-series, including Nanni Loy's Testa o croce and Pacco, doppio pacco e contropaccotto. She debuted as television hostess at 38, in the musical show Una rotonda sul mare, but her television career was launched in 1993 with the show Domenica in that she hosted until 1996 and again in 2001, 2002 and between 2004 and 2006, in 2013,^[1] and once again from 2018.

On February 12, 2024, Mara Venier found herself at the center of controversy after reading a statement by Rai's CEO, Roberto Sergio, during an episode of Domenica In. The statement expressed solidarity with the people of Israel and the Jewish community, honoring the victims of the Hamas attacks on October 7. Below is the full text of the statement:

"I express my total solidarity with the people of Israel and the Jewish community, and my heartfelt thoughts go to the many children, women, and men who lost their lives in the attack on October 7. Rai is deeply committed to keeping alive the memory of those innocent victims and all those who are still being held hostage by Hamas."

At the end of the reading, Venier added, "These are the words of our CEO, which we all obviously share." This comment triggered strong backlash, with accusations of bias and omission regarding Palestinian victims, sparking debates on social media and among television audiences.

The incident was criticized by various political figures, including Andrea Orlando of the Democratic Party, who described Rai's stance as "narrow-minded" and "embarrassing." Protests were also held in several Italian cities; in Naples, pro-Palestinian groups gathered outside the local Rai office, leading to clashes with the police.

Artists and public figures also voiced their disagreement with the statement broadcast live. Rapper Ghali accused Rai of lacking balance, stating that "a public broadcaster should not take such a one-sided position in a conflict as complex as this." Similarly, Dargen D'Amico criticized Rai for omitting mention of Palestinian suffering, saying that "ignoring one part of the story contributes to dehumanizing those who are already victims of war."^[2]

In her defense, Mara Venier explained that her role as a host includes reading official statements from the broadcaster and that her additional comment reflected an institutional position. However, the episode sparked a debate about Rai's role as a public service and its handling of pluralism in sensitive contexts such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

• Mara Venier at IMDb