The photo, taken with vocal anti-gay politician Matteo Salvini (left), has captured hearts around the world. Photo / Instagram
The photo, taken with vocal anti-gay politician Matteo Salvini (left), has captured hearts around the world. Photo / Instagram
An anti-gay politician has been caught in the perfect photobomb by two opportunistic teenagers while attending a rally last week.
Italy's ultraconservative Deputy Prime Minister, Matteo Salvini also serves as the leader of the far-right, anti-immigrant League Party, reports news.com.au.
Knowing Mr Salvini endorses the World Congress ofFamilies — a Christian coalition that "defends the natural family" by opposing same sex-marriage, abortion and pornography — two women decided to ask for a photo, pulling an unexpected pose just as the camera went flash.
The incredible moment of friends Gaia Parisi and Matilde Rizzo locking lips beside an outspoken anti-gay politician has been liked over 33,000 times since it was shared last week.
The 19-year-old girls devised a last-minute plan to ask the far-right minister for a selfie during his visit to the town of Caltanissetta, in Sicily, for a speaking engagement.
The pair then posted the photo to their social media accounts, captioning it with "Hello friend" and "Lots of love with Matteo Salvini".
It went viral, with thousands of likes and shares by LGBTQIA+ supporters across the world.
According to Buzzfeed, Mr Salvini reacted to the impromptu photobomb by "giving a pat on Matilde's head" and mentioning the Italian phrase "auguri e figli maschi".
Gaia and Matilde are not in a relationship but wanted to make a global statement. Photo / Instagram
The phrase loosely translates to "best wishes and I hope you have sons", which, traditionally, is a great honour in Italian culture.
Healso responded with his own Instagram post, showing the moment the lip-locked girls were pulled away from him by security guards.
"Greetings, peace and good, sisters," he captioned his post.
Ms Parisi told CNN the friends had wanted to send a strong message to the world on a platform that politicians use every day to communicate with voters.
"We decided to use all the means at our disposal to protest peacefully," she said.
The response to the post was overwhelmingly positive, with people everywhere thanking them for their courage and congratulating them on their quick thinking.
"This is the best kind of protest," one person wrote.
