CERVIA, Italy, July 26 (UPI) -- A nationalist political party has claimed responsibility for blood-smeared mannequins protesting the first black member of the Italian cabinet.
The mannequins were discovered in the central square of Cervia, a small city near Ravenna in northern Italy, police said Friday. Cecile Kyenge was scheduled to visit Cervia a few hours later for Democratic Party meetings, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.
Nuova Forza (New Force), a nationalist group that opposes immigration and wants Italy to ban abortion and support traditional families, said it had placed the mannequins in the square. Police said they have identified at least six suspects.
The mannequins, dressed in jackets and jeans, had chests smeared with blood and signs reading "Immigration kills." Police also found flyers opposing immigration around the square.
Kyenge, an immigrant from the Democratic Republic of Congo, trained as an ophthamologist. She became minister for integration in April, two months after she was elected to the Chamber of Deputies.
Since she joined the cabinet, Kyenge has been the target of racial attacks.
