Italian MP Francesco Emilio Borrelli's Sicily remark sparks outrage

In an interview with Radio Cusano, AVS deputy Francesco Emilio Borrelli said, “when we populated the Campi Flegrei, the ancestors of Musumeci were still eating bananas.” The comment, perceived as a stereotypical insult to Sicilians, provoked immediate criticism.

FDI MEP Ruggero Razza denounced the remark as ignorant and arrogant. Sicily’s minister Nello Musumeci demanded that Borrelli apologise, warning that the statement disrespected Sicily’s millennia‑old civilisation. Regional president Renato Schifani also called for an apology, describing the comment as offensive to millions of Sicilians and unfit for a public official.