"As far as I'm concerned, you can go out with the Monster of Florence (ED: a serial killer who butchered women in the 1990s), but allow me to not entrust the safety of my store to those who share their life with an African," the shopkeeper is purported to have told the girl, according to Corriere della Sera.
The story went viral after Chiara del Gaudio shared the exchange on her Facebook profile. According to a report in La Stampa, Claudio, the shopkeeper, advised the 18-year-old to not show photos of her relationship if she wants to find a job.
"Respect and integration are values that animate our activities," Maria Luisa Coppa, president of the Torino Union of Traders, told Repubblica. "Episodes such as the one reported do not belong to our culture," added Coppa, stressing the role that immigrants play in the city's economy.
Torino has a large North African and Muslim community. Millions of Italians and foreigners have migrated to Torino to work for Fiat and other major industrial companies in the last decades.
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