The trial brought by Carola Rackete against allegations of serious defamation against former Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini began in a court in Milan on Thursday.
At the end of June 2019, the 34-year-old German captain of the "Sea Watch 3" steered the rescue ship of a Regensburg aid organization with 40 migrants rescued from distress on board into the port of Lampedusa.
The then Interior Minister Salvini, chairman of the right-wing nationalist Lega party, had all Italian ports closed to ships with migrants on board.
Matthias Rub
Political correspondent for Italy, the Vatican, Albania and Malta based in Rome.
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The "Sea Watch 3" with initially 53 boat people waited several days in front of the port of Lampedusa before Captain Rackete entered the port of the Italian Mediterranean island without permission due to the humanitarian emergency on board.
She rammed a patrol boat of the Italian financial police at the pier.
Rackete accuses Salvini of having badly slandered her with statements on social media, thereby indirectly exposing her to the risk of acts of violence.
Salvini had insulted Rackete as a "lawless accomplice of smugglers, potential murderess, criminal and pirate" and as a "rich and spoiled German communist".
The investigating prosecutor said at Thursday's hearing that such abuse was "a direct attack and an act of aggression against a person and their dignity."
Racketes' legal representative accused Salvini of having "abused his public office for targeted hate speech".
Salvini's defense attorney called for the case to be dropped.
Salvini had exercised his right to freedom of expression and, in his capacity as a member of Parliament, "sent a political message".
Neither Salvini nor Rackete appeared at the first hearing, which was postponed to June 23 after a short period.