(07/07/2016)
Nigerian asylum seeker killed in an racially motivated attack
A Nigerian asylum seeker who fled Nigeria to escape from Boko Haram was killed in an Afrophobic racially motivated attack in Fermo, Italy. Italian police said that the attacker allegedly called the victim’s wife a “monkey” and then proceeded to hit the victim on the head with a road-sign pole in a horrific racial attack.
The Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi took to Twitter to condemn “hatred, racism and violence” whilst Laura Boldrini, President of the chamber of deputies, spoke of her dismay and outrage on hearing “a man who escaped the ferocity of Boko Haram terrorists in his country was killed, in Italy, because of hatred, racism and xenophobia.”
Cécile Kyenge, Co-Preisdent of ARDI and Chair of ARDI’s Afrophobia Working Group, said: “I am shocked by this horrific attack which clearly targeted the couple because they were black and this attack must be recognised as an afrophobic attack. The attack reminds us that we must remain vigilant and continue our fight against racism and more specifically against afrophobia. We have also seen a dangerous rise of and even legitimation of extreme right views, and all parties have now to stand united against racist ideology and xenophobia, because that is what feeds this form of terror acts. “