An Italian mother's heartfelt message to a far-right political leader about her African children being subjected to abuse has captured the attention of a country that is battling anti-immigration sentiment.
Gabriella Nobil was fed up with her two adopted children being subjected to racist attacks because of the colour of their skin, so she wrote an open letter to the man she held responsible: Matteo Salvini.
Mr Salvini is the leader of far-right party The League, which has promised to deport half a million illegal immigrants if it wins Sunday’s general election with a coalition that includes former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
Ms Nobil’s letter, posted on Facebook, starts by “thanking” Mr Salvini for the “terrors” her children have recently felt because of the rising anti-immigration sentiment.
Gabriella Nobil with her two young children in a post on Facebook. Source: Facebook
“My seven-year-old daughter, before she goes to bed, asks me, "but if he (Salvini) wins, what's bad about us, will they send me back to Africa?" she wrote.
“My son, on the other hand, takes the bus to soccer practice almost every day and for about a couple of months he tells me about insults he is forced to suffer.”
Ms Nobil has a young son born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and a younger daughter from Ethiopia.
She said while her son was old enough to defend himself from abuse by children his age, he is now facing attacks from adults, including being called the N-word.
The 49-year-old mum told the BBC her son has also been screamed at and told - “If Salvini wins, you will go home.”
Her post went viral and has since been shared over 67,000 times.
Anti-immigration sentiment
Italy is in the middle of an election campaign whereby anti-immigration sentiment has been front and centre.
Almost 700,000 migrants have sought refuge in Italy by boat since 2013.
Polling has shown immigration to be a key issue for just under a third of Italian voters.
The issue came to a head earlier this year when a Nigerian man was arrested over the murder of an 18-year-old woman.
A few days later, a far-right activist was accused of going on a racially fuelled shooting rampage in central Italy, injuring six people of African descent.
Matteo Salvini’s reaction
Matteo Salvini. Source: AAP
He reportedly blamed an “invasion” for the gun rampage.
"It's clear that out of control immigration... will bring about social conflict," Mr Salvini said.
In a response to Ms Nobil’s letter, the politician has invited her for a coffee, and explained that he was not trying to deport her children, but “thugs, illegals and drug dealers.”
“I want a safer country for everyone, especially for our children.”
