The incident, involving a foreigner living in the Tuscan town of Grosseto, has outraged politicians as far away as Rome, who are now calling for greater awareness. In the video, according to local newspaper Il Tirreno, a group of young women is seen slapping the 17-year-old while shouting racial slurs such as “nigger”.
Andrea Riccardi, minister for integration, called the report “extremely serious” and far from a simple prank. Police say that with the video in hand, they can begin to investigate. Such attacks cannot be tolerated by Italian society, said Raffaela Milano, Italy-Europe program director Save the Children.
“This episode of discrimination and bullying shows how, in a country where there is almost a million foreign minors… integration is still a distant goal to be achieved”. A recent survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Save the Children found that approximately four out of 10 young people have witnessed cyber-bullying, most often related to physical appearance, followed by nationality. (Ansa)