Thousands attend anti-racism rally in Italy in memory of killed migrant

Thousands of people have marched peacefully through the streets of central Florence, after an Italian man shot dead a Senegalese street vendor.

Protesters on Saturday carried banners reading "Stop all racism, take the initiative" and "We want to respect, but also to be respected", five days after Roberto Pirrone fired six pistol shots at close range, killing Idy Dienec as he sold leather bags, according to police.

The shooting came a day after a parliamentary election in which politicians, especially the anti-immigrant League, often portrayed migrants as criminals and called for mass deportations.

Police told Reuters on Tuesday, March 5, the murder was not racially motivated, citing testimony Pirrone gave to investigators after his arrest. Pirrone, who had a license to carry a weapon for sport, was suicidal and lashed out in a state of confusion, investigators said.

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