Black Italians have made a plea to politicians and news organisations to tell the truth about racism and ableism after the killing of a disabled Nigerian street vendor in the coastal city of Civitanova Marche.
Alika Ogorchukwu, a 39-year-old married father, had resorted to selling goods when he lost his job as a labourer due to injuries sustained in a bicycle accident. Ogorchukwu was working on the streets of the city in central Italy when he was attacked a week ago using his own crutch.
The Italian Anti-Racist Coordination says media coverage of the event has been “steeped in colonial and racist imagery”, pointing to terms like “the peddler”, “the Nigerian”, “the clandestine” in press reports.
