Italian minister slammed for falsely blaming femicides on migrants

Italy’s far-right education minister, Giuseppe Valditara, has been accused of racist propaganda after making controversial remarks linking violence against women to immigration, despite official statistics contradicting his claims. Valditara, a member of the far-right League party, told parliament on Monday, November 18, that “male domination no longer exists” and suggested that the rise in sexual violence was connected to “a type of marginality and deviance” linked to illegal immigration. His comments were made during a presentation of a charity named after Giulia Cecchettin, a woman who was murdered by her Italian boyfriend.

The remarks sparked outrage, with Cecchettin’s sister, Elena, pointing out that the murderer was a “young white Italian.” Riccardo Magi, leader of the centrist Europa party, criticized Valditara’s statements, calling them “contradicted by all the statistics” and accusing him of using the tragedy for racist purposes.

Giulia Cecchettin’s murder in 2023 shocked Italy and led to widespread protests against violence toward women. The perpetrator, 22-year-old student Filippo Turetta, is due to be sentenced in December. During the parliamentary speech, Valditara complained about those who, in his view, focus on fighting male dominance rather than solving the underlying issues.

In response, Elena Cecchettin stated that if people listened rather than using propaganda during the presentation of a foundation named after a young woman killed by an Italian man, the alarming rate of femicides in Italy could be addressed. According to official data, 83 femicides have been reported this year, following 96 in 2023 and 106 in 2022. National statistics indicate that 94 percent of these murders were committed by Italian men.