'Racist, rapist' written on Montanelli statue in Milan

Milan residents on Sunday woke up to find a statue of Italian journalist Indro Montanelli vandalised -- covered in red paint with the words 'racist, rapist' -- written on its base.

The statue of Indro Montanelli, located at the central Milan park named after the prominent right-wing Italian journalist and writer who died in 2001, was constructed in the year 2006.

Paint was thrown over the bronze monument, with the words "racist, rapist" sprayed on the base, in reference to the fact that Montanelli bought a 12-year-old Eritrean girl as his wife while serving in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War in 1936.

The incident occurred on the night of June 13, three days after anti-fascist activists wrote a public letter calling on Milan mayor Beppe Sala to remove the statue, in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter protests that have broken out across the world following the killing of George Floyd, a black man, in Minneapolis, US.

The letter called on the city to remove the statue and rename the public gardens after "someone who is more worthy to represent the history and memory of our city."

To this end, Italian politicians and intellectuals had leapt to the defence of Montanelli.

A police investigation is now underway into the incident.

There have been demonstrations around the world against racism and police abuses since the death of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis, USA last month.

Statues of historical figures including Winston Churchill were boarded up to prevent them from becoming flashpoints or being defaced by protesters who say such monuments celebrate racists.