Gabriele Paolini (born 12 October 1974, in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

) is an Italian

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

prankster,

condom A condom is a sheath-shaped barrier device used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are both male and female condoms. With proper use—and use at every act of in ...

advocate and convicted

sex offender A sex offender (sexual offender, sex abuser, or sexual abuser) is a person who has committed a sex crime. What constitutes a sex crime differs by culture and legal jurisdiction. The majority of convicted sex offenders have convictions for crime ...

. He calls himself the "prophet of the condom" and "the prophylactic prophet". In

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

he is also referred as a ''disturbatore televisivo'', which means videobomber. His antics usually involve exhibiting condoms in the background behind interviews or other unwitting live reporters. He has also been involved with singing contests and sporting events.

Overview

Gabriele Paolini began his career as a "television polluter" when a friend of him died of

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

at age 22, contracting the disease some years before as a result of unprotected sex with a

prostitute Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...

. Paolini's reaction was to invade TV news reports wearing or waving chains of condoms. Sometimes Paolini also uses a photo of a politician or of the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

. The son of a retired general and of a singer, Paolini is in the

Guinness Book of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

for his more than 30,000 very short appearances, waving over the shoulders of hundreds of displeased TV journalists. Over the years, Paolini has angered many in the media. During one interrupted TV report, journalist Paolo Frajese kicked Paolini away and then resumed his report as if nothing had happened. Journalists have asked the legal office of

RAI TV RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...

in Saxa Rubra for a legal injunction to "eliminate the disturber". In response, Gabriele Paolini showed the media a list of interviewers who had in fact requested his presence. However, Italy's Supreme Court upheld a three-month suspended sentence against him.

TG5 ''TG5'' (''TeleGiornale 5'') is a news programme on the Italian TV channel Canale 5, part of the Mediaset network and owned by MFE - MediaForEurope. It is broadcast domestically on Canale 5 and Mediaset TGcom24 several times a day. The rating f ...

editor-in-chief Salvo Sottile and communications expert Enrico Mieli launched a petition on

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to "abolish" Paolini from Italian television due to his insensitivity. On March 5, 1995, Paolini personally disguised a condom as a request in a paper and gave it to

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

at a church in Rome. In 2008, Paolini was sentenced to a 5-month prison term for offenses against the Pope, stemming from his actions in 2005 when he interrupted a live TV show of RAI TV insulting the Pope and the Italian premier. On November 11, 2013, Paolini was arrested in Rome for underage prostitution and possession of child pornography.La Stampa, 10.11.2013, "Vittime di Paolini 2 studenti di 16 anni"
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References

External links

Personal website of Gabriele Paolini
* 1974 births Italian television personalities Mass media people from Milan Living people Criminals from Milan People convicted of child pornography offenses People convicted of sex trafficking {{Italy-tv-bio-stub

Overview

See also

References

External links