London apologizes for discriminating against Italians in schools

Classification used in some British schools

Following protests from Italy and accusations of discrimination, the UK Foreign Office has apologised for the British government introducing into some school modules grades that differentiate Italians from Sicily and Naples from the rest of the country.

The ambassador of Rome in London, Pasquale Terracciano, said this Wednesday (12) that he had received a call from the Foreign Office promising to correct the questionnaires. Last Tuesday (11), the diplomat had made a formal complaint against some categories present on registration forms for schools in England and Wales.

In these documents, natives of the Italian peninsula are divided into “Italian-Sicilian”, “Italian-Neapolitan” and “Italian (anywhere else)”. This regional distinction angered the Embassy in London, which “reminded” the UK government that Italy has been a unified country since March 17, 1861.

“The British Foreign Office wants to understand how this could happen, but has committed to asking for changes to these modules,” said Terracciano. Shortly before, the mayor of Naples, Luigi de Magistris, had harshly criticized this classification system and called those responsible for “ignorant”.

“I dare not imagine what kind of culture emanates from such schools and universities. When I read the news, I felt ashamed for them and sorry for the deep ignorance that permeates them. There are no words to comment on such a form of racism,” he stated.

By Handle