Lega, a far-right party with long-standing roots in the north of Italy, has taken aim at the neomelodica genre of music associated with the southern city of Naples.

Gianluca Cantalamessa, a Lega senator for Naples, said the goal of the bill was “absolutely not to limit the free expression of thought, but it’s a different story when someone incites crime, even through song lyrics”.

“The phenomenon of spreading misleading ideas under the guise of art is becoming widespread,” he added.

Some neomelodica singers have been known to perform at mafia family weddings and baptisms, and their songs often have criminal themes.

The Lega bill provides for sentences ranging from one-and-a-half to three years for inciting a young person to commit crimes by praising mafia culture.

While it would technically also apply to other media including TV, Mr Cantalamessa said he “can’t think of any Neapolitan dramas that encouraged young people to become members of the Camorra”.