Beppe Grillo, the firebrand
leader of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S), was
accused of racism on Wednesday after publishing a manipulated
picture of Interior Minister Angelino Alfano with his face
coloured black.
The image was at the top of a post in which Grillo
continued to criticise the government's policy on migrants, with
sea rescue operations seen by some as contributing to an
increase in refugee arrivals.
On Tuesday Grillo accused the government of "re-importing
TB" to Italy and suggested new arrivals to Italy should be
quarantined "as our forefathers were on Ellis Island" in New
York.
Rome launched its Mare Nostrum rescue operation almost one
year ago after the deaths of 400 migrants in two boat disasters
in the seas off southern Italy.
Alfano has recently won backing from many European Union
partners, including Germany, France and Spain, to support the
EU-led Frontex Plus, which is to replace Mare Nostrum in
November.
Over 100,000 desperate people fleeing war in Africa and the
Middle East have arrived in Italy so far this year after taking
on the dangerous crossing over the Mediterranean.
Grillo said in Wednesday's blog post that Frontex Plus
would mean that "Europe will help us import more migrants, who
will inevitably try to flee to other European nations".
He also called for Italy to abandon the Dublin Regulation,
the EU law that says a country in which an asylum seeker arrives
is the one that handles their case.
He said migrants should be given the chance to choose which
EU country looks at their request.
"It's despicable that Grillo is fermenting fear, sowing
hate and preaching the most loutish form of racism to pick up a
few votes more," said Marco Furfaro of the Left, Ecology and
Freedom (SEL) party.
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