‘Rapist, racist’: Statue of Italian journalist Montanelli defaced in Milan

ITALIAN protesters have attacked the statue of journalist Indro Montanelli in Milan, Italy, and written the words ‘racist, rapist’ on the plinth.

The anti-racism protesters targeted the monument of the famous journalist over his involvement in Italy’s colonial past and his admission to buying a 12-year-old girl from Eritrea to be his ‘wife.’

Statue of famous Italian journalist vandalized as similar incidents occur throughout Europe and the United States

MILAN — The statue of Indro Montanelli, a famous Italian journalist, became the first statue vandalized and destroyed in Italy. Red paint and terms such as + pic.twitter.com/3Fb1xz4nx9

— Fatima Zaidi (@timesoffatima) June 14, 2020

An activist group in the city, Retestudentimilano, called Montanelli “a colonialist who made slavery an important part of his political activity.” The group says, “he cannot and should not be celebrated in the public square.”

However, the mayor of Milan Giuseppe Sala has rejected calls for the statue to be removed. In a Facebook video, Sala said, “lives should be judged in their totality” and that Montanelli “was a great journalist, a journalist who fought for the liberty of the state, an independent journalist.”

Montanelli died in 2001. His journalism career began in the 1930s when he wrote for the fascist newspaper Il Selvaggio. In 1935 he served in the Italian colonial army under the rule of Mussolini and admitted to having bought a 12-year-old Eritrean girl to ‘marry.’

Later in his life, Montanelli received international recognition and was included in the International Press Institute World Press Freedom Heroes in 2012.