The Council of Europe has come under fire from Italian leaders after it released a report accusing the country's police of racist and homophobic abuse.
Latest snapshot ECRI, Italy's independent human rights watchdog of the Council, announced on Monday that during its visit to Italy, its delegation found “many reports of racial profiling by law enforcement authorities, particularly affecting the Roma community and people of African descent.” ” he said. ”.
Accounts of “frequent suspension and liquidation activities based on ethnicity” were supported by reports from civil society organizations and international monitoring organizations, the report added.
Furthermore, ECRI claimed that Italian authorities “do not seem to recognize the relevance of the issue and do not consider the existence of racial profiling as a potential form of systemic racism.”
The report cites a 2022 survey of immigrants in which 45.8% of respondents said they experienced the most discrimination in police departments of all public institutions. did. Common examples include having asylum applications refused without reason, having documents destroyed, and being subjected to verbal abuse and even violent assault. Police were also accused of verbal abuse and physical abuse during operations in Roma camps.
ECRI also said that in recent years, “little or no steps have been taken to ensure better accountability in cases of racist or LGBTI-phobic abuse by state police officers.” carabinieri and other law enforcement officials. ”
The report concluded by calling for Italy to conduct a full and independent investigation into the situation.
But Italian leaders did not welcome the accusations. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose far-right government has taken a tough stance on law and order since coming to power in October 2022, passionately defended police, saying they “deserve respect, not such contempt.” did.
“Our security forces are made up of men and women who work every day with dedication and self-sacrifice to guarantee the safety of all our citizens without distinction,” Meloni said in a social media post. .
Italian President Sergio Mattarella expressed “surprise” at the accusations in the media and reiterated his respect for the police in a telephone conversation with police chief Vittorio Pisani, according to Mattarella's office.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he had instructed Roberto Martini, Italy's representative to the Council of Europe, to express the government's “deep disdain” for the report.
“I don't agree with a word of what's been written,” Tajani said. “Racism has no place within the Italian police. We must respect those who serve our country and work day and night for everyone's safety.”
Matteo Salvini, Tajani's deputy prime minister, said police had been “dragged through the mire” by a “useless” organization.
While ECRI's accusations against the police struck a nerve, the report also painted an unflattering picture of Italy in other areas. “With grave concern,” the report said, “Italy's public discourse has become increasingly xenophobic in recent years, and political discourse has become especially sensitive to refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, and even “It has a very divisive and hostile tone, targeting Italian nationals and Roma people with a migrant background.” and LGBTI people.”
The report said there were numerous derogatory and hateful comments from “prominent politicians and public officials, both online and offline, particularly during the election period.”
The report does not mention politicians by name, but a Florence city councilor posted a video of a Roma woman online ahead of the 2022 general election, saying he was “taking his own life to never vote”. I encourage people to vote for my party,” he captioned it. Let's meet again. ”
The report also cited a book the Army general published in 2023 that contained racist and homophobic comments. The person in question was Roberto Vanacci. be elected to the Diet in this year's European elections.
