Sports Minister Andrea Abodi told
Paola Egonu that his embrace after she led Italy to a historic
first women's volleyball Olympic gold medal was "worth even more
today" after an anti-racism mural put up outside the Italian
Olympic Committee HQ in Rome was defaced by vandals who painted
over her black skin with pink paint.
"Dear Paola, my embrace goes far beyond that special day and is
even more valid today," he wrote on social media.
"Respect and education are cultivated daily, to defeat
ignorance, incivility and insensitivity.
"Together".
The installation, called Italian-ness, was meant to not only
celebrate the Italian gold won by the women's volleyball team at
the Paris Olympics but also to promote the battle against
racism.
The street art's name Italian-ness is a reference to right-wing
League MEP General Roberto Vannacci's assertion in a bestselling
book that Egonu's "somatic features do not represent
Italian-ness".
Veneto-born Egonu, 25, who has Nigerian parents, top scored in
Sunday's Olympic final victory over reigning champions the USA
to give Italy its first Olympic volleyball gold medal for either
sex.
The art by Laika shows Egonu spiking a ball bearing the words:
"Stop to racism, hate, xenophobia, ignorance".
The Roman street artist, who says she has been "fighting
injustice" with her works in the Italian capital since 2019,
said about her latest paste-up piece that it was against
Vannacci and others who share his views.
The vandalism was condemned by government and opposition
politicians Tuesday.
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