Italy: Molotov cocktail attack on Romani people, politicians silent, residents protest
On 19 September in the town of Prato near Florence, Italy, a Molotov cocktail was thrown at an encampment of Romani people in yet another incident of violence targeting the Romani and Sinti community. Right-wing extremists are suspected of committing the attack, which caused property damage and fortunately no physical injuries to any of the people there.
The incident has sparked anger and fear among the Roma. According to the results of the investigation so far, the assailants threw the Molotov cocktail from a slowly-driving Fiat Punto passing by the Sinti village.
The attackers were lighting the Molotov cocktail as they drove into the village. Fortunately, nobody was physically harmed, but the fire caused significant material damage, including destroying the truck of a village worker.
That same locale and its residents first became known to the public on 1 March 2019 during an election campaign. An MP with the right-wing populist Brothers of Italy party, Giovanni Donzelli, together with leading representatives of the party Chiara La Porta and Cosimo Zecchi, drove into the location and said: “Places like these have to be razed to the ground. Get some jobs and find yourselves a new home, the party’s over.”
Donzelli was then investigated for inciting racial hatred, but avoided trial thanks to his immunity from prosecution as a member of parliament. Ever since, the community of Sinti living in the municipality have repeatedly faced hostile attacks.
“Each time these atrocities happen it reminds us of the hatred and hostility our community faces. It’s impossible to ignore. People are terrified,” Noel Maggini of the Khetane Roma and Sinti Movement for Italy said in a press release sent to news server Romea.cz.
“We are asking the police to properly investigate this with the aim of identifying those responsible for it and to protect the community until that happens in order to prevent further attacks,” Maggini said. Željko Jovanović, director of the Open Society Roma Initiatives Office, is asking: “Why haven’t any politicians condemned this attack?”
“We are calling on all political parties to publicly condemn this repugnant, criminal, racist deed and to express solidarity with the families of the victims of this attack,” Jovanović said, adding: “Since in Europe, from Germany to Italy, there is a trend underway toward the ultra-right, we are calling on European and on local politicians to be vigilant about growing nationalism and right-wing extremism, which inevitably leads to aggression and violence against Sinti, Roma and other minorities.”
