Italian deputy prime minister who is also labour and economy minister, Luigi di Maio, has accused France of fuelling migration by continuously colonizing dozens of African countries leaving them impoverished. Di Maio’s statement angered France which summoned the Italian ambassador to France, Teresa Castaldo, to the foreign ministry in Paris on Monday. Since the far-right coalition party’s assumption of office in June 2018, racist attacks, especially against African migrant workers, have gone up. Italians are quick to dismiss racist attacks against African migrants and the police do not ensure justice despite protests regularly sparked by attacks. Italy is one of the biggest recipients of migrants arriving in Europe mainly from Africa.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 22, 2019 12:56 UTC