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."

[i-need-a-martini]

Actually Kyenge and another female minister (Boldrini) have had plenty to say on her colour and race (the former) and on being a women in politics (the latter). 

Whilst Kyenge says Italy is not a racist or a sexist country in general, she has often talked about the difficulty of being a woman in parliament specifically in Italy and has commented repetitively about her want to be called 'black' rather than 'coloured'.

If you are bringing this up because you feel that Gillard used her sex as an excuse, perhaps you should review how often Gillard mentioned the fact of her sex in public. Aside from the mysogyny speech and a small reference to her sex in her defeat speech I think you will find it was always OTHERS that brought it up as an issue continuously.

[icyfroth]

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@i-need-a-martini wrote:

 Aside from the mysogyny speech and a small reference to her sex in her defeat speech I think you will find it was always OTHERS that brought it up as an issue continuously.

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Oh right.  Yet it was Ms Gillards mysogyny speech portraying herself as a victim that went global, yet this lady has risen above such games, showing herself to the world to be a politician above gender and colour.

[cherry*135]

Still a nasty racist attack no matter what spin anyone puts on it. It isn't good, people have to put up with that in this day and age.

[icyfroth]

True A3.

But I don't think you'll eradicate racism while there are so many races clashing against one another in the world in this age. It will take generations IMO.

After that there will be other "isms".

[***super_nova***]

Julia Gillard has put up with an awful lot; there is no need to make it into a competition with another woman who is also coping abuse.  The only difference is that most Italians are outraged, many Australians thought abusing JG was fine.  JG pretty much ignored  the hideous behaviour of the opposition for close to 3 years, when she finally had enough she was attacked again.   She had no chance, when she ignored the abuse she was weak, when she did not ignore it  she was playing the gender card.  Anyway, she is retiring from politics, end of story.

[freakiness]

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@icyfroth wrote:

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@i-need-a-martini wrote:

 Aside from the mysogyny speech and a small reference to her sex in her defeat speech I think you will find it was always OTHERS that brought it up as an issue continuously.

---

Oh right.  Yet it was Ms Gillards mysogyny speech portraying herself as a victim that went global, yet this lady has risen above such games, showing herself to the world to be a politician above gender and colour.

---

Why don't you actually watch the speech and review her other speeches. She did not portray herself as a victim nor did she harp on about sexist treatment. It was others who raised it, often in her defence but others who talked about sexism, not Gillard.  In the misogyny speech she did not portray herself as a victim.

[icyfroth]

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@freakiness wrote:

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@icyfroth wrote:

---

@i-need-a-martini wrote:

 Aside from the mysogyny speech and a small reference to her sex in her defeat speech I think you will find it was always OTHERS that brought it up as an issue continuously.

---

Oh right.  Yet it was Ms Gillards mysogyny speech portraying herself as a victim that went global, yet this lady has risen above such games, showing herself to the world to be a politician above gender and colour.

---

Why don't you actually watch the speech and review her other speeches. She did not portray herself as a victim nor did she harp on about sexist treatment. It was others who raised it, often in her defence but others who talked about sexism, not Gillard.  In the misogyny speech she did not portray herself as a victim.

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Be that as it may, it's  the way she has been depicted and percieved

[freakiness]

And you can't see something wrong with that?

Should the depiction not have been true?

Should the media not portray her with honesty rather than with their own bias?

[lurker17260]

Be that as it may, it's  the way she has been depicted and percieved

And who's fault is that?  That sounds a awful lot blaming the victim to me icy.