Italian politicians have expressed outrage following the racist murder of a Nigerian immigrant, Alika Ogorchukwu, who was beaten to death by an Italian man in public on Friday, July 29, 2022, in Civitanova Marche city in the Province of Macerata, Marche region of Italy
Ogorchukwu’s death, which was captured live on video, has sparked widespread outrage from Italy and beyond.
Speaking on the heinous crime, Police investigator, Matteo Luconi revealed that Ogorchukwu was repeatedly struck by his assailant until he died.
“The aggressor went after the victim, first hitting him with a crutch. He made him fall to the ground, then he finished, causing the death, striking repeatedly with his bare hands,” Luconi said.
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According to the police, a 32-year-old man, Filippo Claudio Giuseppe Ferlazzo has been arrested on suspicion of killing Ogorchukwu and stealing his phone.
Stating the reason he was likely attacked, Luconi said Ferlazzo was irritated by Ogorchukwu’s request for spare change, but in an interview with the AFP, Daniel Amanza who heads the ACSIM association for immigrants in the Marche region’s Macerata province gave a different reason, revealing a compliment might have cost the married father of two his life.
According to Amanza, Ogorchukwu said Ferlazzo’s companion was beautiful.
“This compliment killed him. The tragic fact is that there were many people nearby. They filmed, saying, ‘Stop,’ but no one moved to separate them,’’ he said.
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Civitanova Marche’s mayor, Fabrizio Ciarapica in a meeting with the Nigerian community expressed shock at the incident saying, “My condemnation is not only for the [crime] but it is also for the indifference,” Ciarapica told Sky. “This is something that has shocked citizens.”
Condemning the vile act, former Italian PM Enrico Letta, described the killing as dismaying, unjustfiable, saying silence is not enough.
Former PM, Matteo Renzi lent his voice to criticising the reaction to Ogorchukwu’s death, he tweeted, “A father of a family was killed in an atrocious and racist way while passersby made videos without stopping the attacker. And instead of reflecting on what we are becoming, politics argues. I am horrified by this election campaign atmosphere. A thought to Alika and his family.”
Right-winger leader, Matteo Salvini, whose anti-immigration stance is public, also condemned the murder of Ogorchukwu, saying “Security has no colour, it must go back to being a right.“
According to Al-Jazeera, Macerata is no stranger to hate crimes. In 2018, a shooting spree targeted African immigrants, wounding six people in the process.