Monza Mayor denies racism allegations following Le Monde report

Monza Mayor Paolo Pilotto has issued a formal rebuttal following a report by the French newspaper Le Monde, which described the Italian city as having an ‘atmosphere of uninhibited racism.’ The report, published as part of a series on the rise of the European far-right, cited local tensions, immigration issues, and the vandalism of a lion statue at the Ponte dei Leoni as evidence of a changing social climate.

Mayor Pilotto rejected these characterizations, stating, ‘Monza is not a racist city.’ While acknowledging a ‘palpable need’ for increased security, he argued that the newspaper’s portrayal was a journalistic simplification. He defended the city’s identity, highlighting its educational systems, volunteer networks, and social services as models for other territories. Pilotto emphasized that the administration is actively addressing security through prevention and surveillance rather than through the lens of racial tension.