Italian-born Nigerian athlete attacked with an egg, spark-up racism storm in Italy
Osakue, born in Turin to Nigerian parents, was struck in her left eye when unknown assailants hurled an egg at her face from a car at Moncalieri, near Turin.
The discus thrower landed in her eye with an injured cornea but is expected to make a full recovery before next month's European Athletics Championships in Germany.
According to a report by The New York Times, Osakue is confident the attack was racially-motivated amid a spate of similar attacks on people of colour.
Since the attack occured early on Monday, the European nation's far-right Interior Minister, Matteo Salvini, has been accused of promoting hate against immigrants with his anti-immigration actions.
Many Italian journalists and sports personalities have publicly voiced their support for Osakue and condemned the motive behind the attack, even though local police are unsure about any racial motives behind the attack as white locals have also been targeted by the assailants.
The New York Times reported that the United Nations has also reacted to the attack, with the southern European chief of the UN refugee agency, Felipe Camargo, expressing how worrisome it is.
We can not tolerate this escalation of indiscriminate violence, which reveals an alarming racial matrix, he said.
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