Outrage In Italy Over Black Minister Banana Attack

[icyfroth]

ROME (AFP) - The latest racist attack against Italy's first black minister, in which bananas were hurled at her during a rally, sparked outrage across the political spectrum Saturday.

Immigration Minister Cecile Kyenge was speaking at a Democratic Party (PD) rally on Friday when an unidentified spectator threw bananas at her, missing the stage but sparking reactions of disgust from across the country.

Shocking cases of abuse have multiplied against Kyenge, an Italian citizen born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, climaxing earlier this month with a member of the anti-immigration Northern League party who likened her to an orangutan.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/queensland/a/-/mp/18173933/outrage-in-italy-over-black-minister-banana-atta...

Kyenge, who has refused to rise to the bait or write Italy off as racist, immediately reacted to the banana attack by slamming it as "a waste of food."

Good on her!

Not "oh they're picking on me because I'm a woman" or "if I were white it'd be different"

Instead:

At a rally for the Left Ecology and Freedom (SEL) party on Saturday, where she was received with warm applause, Kyenge said she was "proud to be Italian."

"I do not believe the problem lies with me. There are some people who are not happy, who are showing their discontent, and it is my job to listen to that discontent," she told journalists. "I have to draw out the better side of Italy."

[icyfroth]

The good ol' "taken out of context" eh?

right in there with "I was only following orders"

[freakiness]

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@icyfroth wrote:

The good ol' "taken out of context" eh?

right in there with "I was only following orders"

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Well no, it was taken out of context, as was obvious if the entire interview was read.

Not sure how it relates to following orders.

[gipps.st]

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@icyfroth wrote:

ROME (AFP) - The latest racist attack against Italy's first black minister, in which bananas were hurled at her during a rally, sparked outrage across the political spectrum Saturday.

Immigration Minister Cecile Kyenge was speaking at a Democratic Party (PD) rally on Friday when an unidentified spectator threw bananas at her, missing the stage but sparking reactions of disgust from across the country.

Shocking cases of abuse have multiplied against Kyenge, an Italian citizen born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, climaxing earlier this month with a member of the anti-immigration Northern League party who likened her to an orangutan.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/queensland/a/-/mp/18173933/outrage-in-italy-over-black-minister-banana-atta...

Kyenge, who has refused to rise to the bait or write Italy off as racist, immediately reacted to the banana attack by slamming it as "a waste of food."

Good on her!

Not "oh they're picking on me because I'm a woman" or "if I were white it'd be different"

Instead:

At a rally for the Left Ecology and Freedom (SEL) party on Saturday, where she was received with warm applause, Kyenge said she was "proud to be Italian."

"I do not believe the problem lies with me. There are some people who are not happy, who are showing their discontent, and it is my job to listen to that discontent," she told journalists. "I have to draw out the better side of Italy."

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What do you expect from Italians? They act like savages - look at the Vatican.

[fourandsixpants]

Minister Cécile Kyenge appears to be a nice person

maybe a rowdy, banana throwing 'rent-a-crowd' were called in to gain opposition because this brave and moral Minister has decided to go ahead with plans to grant citizenship to children born in Italy to Immigrant parents ........

......perhaps the issue is policy, as it usually is in politics, rather than the irrelevant issues of sex, race and skin colour......just a diversionary tactic IMO.

[polksaladallie]

[icyfroth]

How come this old thread got bumped?

[polksaladallie]

Sloth, mischief.