Civil Liberties Minister Helena Dalli has signed a declaration by 17 EU countries condemning racism in a show of support for Italy’s first black minister.
Dr Dalli said it was “very worrying” that the racist verbal abuse towards Integration Minister Cecile Kyenge came from the educated political class.
“In recent years we have seen a rise in the number of political parties and movements that adopt xenophobic platforms and incite hatred,” she said in a speech during a meeting in Rome on Monday.
Ms Kyenge has not only faced racist insults from the public but also from Italian politicians, including from right-wing Italian MP Roberto Calderoli, the North League’s deputy speaker, who said she had “the features of an orang-utan”.
In a demonstration of support for the Congolese eye doctor who has lived in Italy since the 1980s, representatives of 17 EU countries gathered in Rome to sign.
It is good that we speak about what can be done to combat racism and xenophobia
The declaration, which was triggered by Belgium’s deputy Prime Minister, Joelle Milquet, was covered extensively by the foreign media such as The Washington Post and The Guardian, who included Dr Dalli’s comments.
“It is good and important that we give support and speak of what can be done to combat racism and xenophobia and it is of equal importance to strive to eradicate what is at the root of such phenomena,” she said.
Dr Dalli described racism and xenophobia as “scourges of society” and added that one had to understand the source to solve the problem.
She called for a coordinated approach towards migration policies across the EU – when migrants enter a country that “is a member of Schengen, they enter the Schengen area”.
Member states had to accept that the burden should not be placed on the country of arrival but on all countries in the Schengen area, Dr Dalli added.
The ever-increasing level of immigration to southern European countries could lead to reinforcing populism, nationalism and racism, she said.
These were related and EU member states “need to show mutual solidarity to concretely address this reality”.