Laika mural in Rome featuring volleyball player Paola Egonu vandalised

The mural dedicated to Paola Egonu, a celebrated volleyball player of the Italian national team and new Olympic champion, was created by the artist Laika in front of the Coni headquarters. It has been vandalised with pink paint in an act of racism.

An act of vandalism has recoloured the skin of Italian national team volleyball player Paola Egonu on the work of masked street artist Laika, which appeared in Rome between the night of 11 and 12 August.
Enogu was elected best player of the Olympic tournament in Paris, and was born in Cittadella, in the province of Padua, to parents of Nigerian nationality.
The mural entitled ‘Italianità’, which appeared in front of the Rome headquarters of CONI, the Italian National Olympic Committee, was defaced with pink spray paint on the Italian champion’s skin. Also bleached was the message on the ball. In the original version, it read: ‘Stop, Hate, Racism’.
Laika’s work lasted just 24 hours, but it was enough to reignite the debate on racism and integration in Italy.
A controversy already reopened on Sunday by Lega Nord MEP Roberto Vannacci. Immediately after the victory of the historic Olympic gold medal by the women of Italian volleyball, he commented: “I am delighted that the Italian volleyball team has won and I congratulate all the athletes, including Paola Egonu who is a very good athlete, Italian. I have never doubted her Italian-ness, but I still say that her somatic features do not represent the majority of Italians.”
A post shared by Laika (@laika1954)
“This victory is a slap in the face to all the so-called ‘patriots’ who do not accept a multi-ethnic Italy, made up of second generations, who do not want ius soli,” Laika declared, referring to Vannacci’s statements. “A slap in the face to those who speak of ‘Italianness’ by referring to somatic features.”
It is not only the general-turned-politician’s words that are causing discussion.
After the Olympic victory, the journalist Bruno Vespa called the Italian volleyball athletes “good, black, Italian – an example of winning integration.” He suggested that Egonu, born in Italy and an Italian citizen, had successfully integrated as a foreigner.
From Antonio Tajani to Elly Schlein, Italian politicians have criticised the incident against the mural.
“I want to express my solidarity with Paola Enogu and my total outrage at this serious act of boorish racism,” wrote Vice-Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani on X.
“Racism is disgusting and must be opposed” wrote Elly Schlein on social media. “For us, whoever is born or grows up in Italy is Italian and we will continue to fight to change the law on citizenship.”
Schlein concluded by calling Egonu and all the athletes of the national volleyball team an Italian pride.
Condemnation also came from the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, who called the act “a disgrace, a cowardly insult to a great Italian who has brought our country’s colours to the top of the world and to an artist committed against xenophobia”. For Gualtieri, “it is sad to see that in 2024 there are still racists prisoners of their own ignorance who think they can turn back the hands of history. It won’t happen, but we must always be vigilant to nip in the bud any cowardly attempts of this kind.”
After the vandalism, a passer-by with a felt-tip pen repainted the mural, vandalised with pink, back to the Italian champion’s skin. Next to it was the added message: “Thank you Laika.”
The artist herself also launched a poll on her social channels to paint the entire wall this time.
“The racists think they are censoring me,” Laika wrote in a story on Instagram, proposing the idea. “But they don’t know that I will raise it later.”