The murder of a Nigerian street vendor last Friday (29) in Italy generated outrage and, amid discussions for the country’s election, intensified debates about racism and immigration policies.
The case took place in the town of Civitanova Marche, 245 km northeast of Rome, and drew attention after videos of the scene were posted on social media. On a public road and in broad daylight, under the gaze of other passers-by, Filippo Ferlazzo, 32, beat Alika Ogorchukwu, 39, to death.
According to the Italian’s version, the traveling salesman would have flirted with his girlfriend — a version contested by the police’s initial investigations — and insisted that she give some alms. Two witnesses said Ferlazzo ran after Ogorchukwu, ripped off his crutch and hit him over the head with it.
Fallen due to the coup, the Nigerian continued to be attacked; Videos posted on the internet show this moment, with the Italian apparently strangling the street vendor, who, underneath, tries in vain to free himself. The attacks, according to local media, lasted from three to four minutes.
The Italian later allegedly took the victim’s cell phone and walked away. Calls to the scene, rescue teams were unable to help the Nigerian. Initial police report pointed to the beating as the cause of death, but the body will undergo an autopsy to verify that Ogorchukwu died of asphyxiation.
Ferlazzo was arrested shortly after the attacks and will answer for theft and murder. According to the Italian press, however, he will not be charged with racism. “The situation is quite clear; everything seems to have emerged from a dispute over frivolous reasons, not racism,” said Matteo Luconi, one of the investigators.
Ogorchukwu lived 50 kilometers from Civitanova Marche, but went to town every day to sell small items such as lighters and handkerchiefs. At the same time, he asked for alms from pedestrians. He had two children, aged 8 and 10, and lived with his wife. A year ago, according to the newspaper Corriere della Sera, he had an accident and, since then, he needed the support of a crutch. “I just want justice for my husband,” said Charity Oriachi.
This Saturday (30), Ferlazzo apologized to the victim’s family through his lawyers. He has no criminal record, and the defense intends to ask for a psychiatric report.
In Civitanova Marche, hundreds of people took to the streets to protest the crime, including Italians and members of the African community in the region. Many questioned the omission of bystanders who witnessed the attacks.
Congresswoman Laura Boldrini, from the center-left Democratic Party, added to these criticisms. “A man was killed in the street with brutal violence while witnesses filmed the scene. Don Albanesi is right: racism, indifference and anger find an outlet in the weakest,” she said, referring to statements by an Italian priest about the case.
In the electoral scenario – the country is preparing for an early legislative election, after the resignation of Prime Minister Mario Draghi – the case had repercussions due to the anti-immigration platform of the party that leads the polls, the Brothers of Italy.
Giorgia Meloni, leader of the group, and the far-right Matteo Salvini, of the League, criticized what they called an attempt to politicize the case. “I hope the killer pays dearly for this heinous murder,” Meloni wrote, asking for prayers for the victim. In a tweet, Salvini linked Ogorchukwu’s murder with insecurity. “City in disarray, violence day and night, we can’t take it anymore: security has no color, security must once again be a right.”
The League and the Brothers of Italy are rehearsing a coalition with Força, Italia, by Silvio Berlusconi, for the September election.
If it has similarities with the case of Geroge Floyd in the USA, the crime in Italy also refers to a shooting attack by an extremist against six immigrants in February 2018. At the time, the country was also preparing for elections, with anti-government policies. immigration policies defended by Salvini.
