Taormina, leghists erase TvBoy mural depicting Carola Rackete: Italians first

The mural that renowned Palermo street artist TvBoy had created in Taormina to pay homage to Carola Rackete, the commander of the Sea Watch 3 ship depicted by the artist as the “protector of refugees,” lasted only a few hours: which appeared in a city street on Tuesday, August 6, was immediately obscured yesterday by Taormina-based leghist activists, who, armed with spray paint, erased Carola Rackete’s face and that of the small migrant the young woman carries in her arms. In addition, the Taormina leghists put up some posters on the wall, which read “We stand with the [sic] Italian State and with the Guardia di Finanza - Murderers in jail - Italy and Italians first and with those [sic] who [sic] defend them - Thank you Matteo.”

In Taormina, TvBoy made two other murals in recent days, one depicting writer Andrea Camilleri and the other the singer Mahmood, which, however, were not obscured. The reason for the gesture was explained by lawyer Giuseppe Perdichizzi, one of the most active members of the League in Taormina, to the local website Blogtaormina: “we did an action for legality and we put up, among other things, a poster and we were attacked for it. Nothing to say about the other two murals that are a respectable artistic expression, different is the discourse for the mural that instead portrayed Rackete. One should be indignant now not because a mural has been erased but in the face of those who would like to sanctify, in this specific case, people accused of endangering the lives of the Police Forces, instrumentalizing the topic of refugees for reasons of political struggle. It is unacceptable that in a civilized country the apologia of crime and moral aiding and abetting those who have violated the norms of the state and the borders of Italy should become the subject of an artistic expression. Crime is not art.”

The League member then gave further reasons on his Facebook profile to explain the gesture, adding that “the act of indignation against Rackete’s poster in Taormina is a spontaneous due act of free citizens who do not tolerate hypocrisy and false humanitarian attitudes on their territory.” Meanwhile, the lawyer’s social account has been inundated with negative comments and reactions from people who repeatedly post a photo of the undamaged mural.

Pictured: the TvBoy mural dedicated to Carola Rackete before and after the intervention of the Sicilian leghists.

Taormina, leghists erase TvBoy mural depicting Carola Rackete: Italians first

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