An anti-racism campaign by Serie A featuring monkeys was “too provocative”, Lazio president Claudio Lotito said Wednesday, stressing however that the league was not racist. Monday’s launch of the campaign was aimed at promoting “integration, multiculturalism and fraternity” but immediately drew widespread criticism and ridicule. “Remember when Benetton did its first campaign with black people — it created a scandal,” he said. Italian stadiums are the scene of recurrent racist incidents, including monkey chants aimed at black players. Lazio’s cross-city rivals Roma criticised the campaign on Monday, saying that the monkey imagery was not “the right way” to fight racism.

Source: The Guardian December 18, 2019 16:07 UTC