The city of Rome on Friday
announced that Mayor Virginia Raggi has invited representatives
of the Italian professional footballers association (AIC) to
take part in the first citizen's annual trip with a group of
students to Auschwitz.
The move comes after some ultra fans of Rome team Lazio used
a mocked-up photo of Holocaust victim Anne Frank for an
anti-Semitic insult of followers of AS Roma, causing
international indignation.
AIC President Damiano Tommasi and AIC Junior Department head
Simone Perrotta, who helped Italy win the 2006 World Cup, have
been invited to the trip, which starts Sunday and runs until
Tuesday.
"We cannot ignore what happened in recent days at the
stadiums," Raggi said.
"I reiterate that this is not sport, this is not soccer.
"That's why we decided to give out a signal to make people
aware of the importance of history and memory as an antidote to
anti-Semitism, hate and violence.
"We say no to racists, fascists and anti-Semites".
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