An 11-year-old Italian-African boy was subjected to racial insults and then spat on, in an attack that has shocked the community of Gioia del Colle, near Bari. The incident occurred on Friday evening when the child, who was out with friends alone for the first time, encountered a group of slightly older boys.
His mother, Roberta, made the event public in a Facebook post, which she said she shared with her son’s consent so that “similar episodes are never repeated.” She stated that her son’s “only flaw is being Italian-African.”
“It seems they started in three,” his mother, who works in social services, told ANSA. “Then the others backed away and only one boy remained. The mark of this will remain, but an entire town has risen up, and he felt protected. Even the mayor called him. There was a community that cried scandal.” She added, “It is not the first time he has been bullied for his skin color, but this time a line was crossed.”
The boy returned home that evening with spit on his body and his bicycle completely covered in spit. He was told “you stink” and other similar slurs. “He managed to tell me something between sobs,” Roberta said. “He had an upset stomach from the agitation.”
Mayor Giovanni Mastrangelo immediately reacted by calling the boy, whom he described as “very sweet, very good.” The mayor noted, “He was clearly frightened and hurt. But he was happy about the many shows of solidarity that arrived, including from his classmates.”
Mastrangelo condemned the “very ugly episode” and confirmed that social services would be activated to investigate. “We need to understand how, at such a young age, this idea of discrimination could have matured. We will certainly analyze the family context,” he said. While assuring that such an episode is unprecedented in the community, which hosts refugees from Ukraine and Africa without issue, the mayor stated he does not want the city to gain negative notoriety.