Open letter regarding racist statement against Cecile Kyenge MEP
The Italian Senate recently decided not to sanction Roberto Calderoli, Deputy President of the Senate, for his 2013 statement describing Cecile Kyenge, Italy’s former Integration Minister and current Member of the European Parliament, as an ‘orangutan’.
ENAR and a coalition of 40 civil society organisations from across Europe therefore sent an open letter to the Italian Prime Minister and government representatives to express concern about this decision.
We call on them to allow appropriate criminal procedures against Mr Calderoli and to sanction racist and xenophobic speech by politicians in the future.
