The statue of a famous Italian journalist ransacked in Milan

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The statue dedicated to the Italian journalist Indro Montanelli, considered as a mirror of the 20th century, has been stained with red paint. The act is said to be part of international protests against the death of African-American George Floyd.

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Installed in a park in Milan, the bronze statue of Indro Montanelli had already been targeted in the past. On March 8, 2019, feminists had covered it with paint and tagged it. This time, the operation was claimed on social networks by the group “Rete Studenti Milano e Lume”, presenting itself as a “university collective” from Milan. He posted a 40-second video showing two hooded individuals throwing pots of red paint on the statue before tagging his "racist, rapist" pedestal.

"  A colonialist who has made slavery an important part of his political activity cannot and should not be celebrated in the public square  ", justified this organization, asking for the removal of the statue. "  In such an important world moment (...), we think that characters like that of Indro Montanelli are harmful to the imagination of all  ".

Died in 2001 at the age of 92, Indro Montanelli is a famous Italian journalist and essayist, notably passing through the Corriere della Sera . Classified on the right, he defined himself as "anti-communist" and "anarcho-conservative", which earned him to be labeled as "fascist" by the Italian left during the 70s and 80s. In 1935, he had volunteered for the colonial war in Eritrea led by Mussolini.

In recent days, an “anti-fascist” Milanese association had demanded the removal of the statue from the mayor of Milan Giuseppe Sala, accusing the journalist of having been guilty of having taken a child in Ethiopia during the period Italian colonialist in Africa, which he himself has repeatedly confirmed.

But Giuseppe Sala refused. "  I think Montanelli made a very serious mistake, but Milan recognizes his indisputable merits  ," he said. 
His statue was very symbolically cleaned by young people from the far right movement Gioventù Nazionale. But all the damage will be repaired, this Monday, by agents of the city of Milan.

Anti-racist protests after the death of George Floyd at the hands of the police in the United States have given rise worldwide to the debunking or the degradation of several statues of controversial figures.

( With AFP)

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