September 10, 2025
Federica Polidoro centered extra on the hate she has obtained than why she initially slighted the actress.
The Italian journalist who caught backlash for excluding actress Ayo Edebiri from a query about Black Lives Matter pushed again on assertions that her feedback had been tone-deaf and exclusionary.
Throughout a press interview with Edebiri and her After The Hunt co-stars Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield, Federica Polidoro posed a query on to the 2 white actors about social justice actions like #MeToo and Black Lives Matter.
The second shortly went viral as Edebiri interjected herself into the response anyway. Social media questioned Polidoro’s intentions along with her phrasing of the query, however the journalist’s response centered extra on the hate she obtained from the incident.
“I discover it hanging that those that unjustly accuse me of racism and take into account themselves custodians of justice discover acceptable violent language, private assaults, and cyberbullying,” wrote Polidoro in a proper assertion to Instagram.
She added, “I wish to make clear that, reasonably than specializing in the considerate responses of Ayo Edebiri, Julia Roberts, and Andrew Garfield, the dialogue continues solely on how I ought to have phrased the query.”
Polidoro claimed individuals “unjustly accuse[d]” her of racism. She additional deflected by stating the “actual racists” are those that took offense to her interplay with Edebiri.
“In my opinion, the actual racists are those that see racism all over the place and search to muzzle journalism, limiting freedom of research, important pondering, and the plurality of views,” Polidoro.
The protection, unsurprisingly, didn’t appease critics.
Notably, Polidoro’s assertion didn’t embrace any apology to Edebiri or her co-stars, all of whom appeared confused and maybe offended by how she posed the query. Nonetheless, others additionally famous how Polidoro’s nationality could have performed a job within the slight.
International anti-racism advocates have lengthy critiqued the Afrophobia present in Italy, significantly inside its regulation enforcement and societal marginalization. In accordance with the European Union Company for Basic Rights, Afrophobia, a selected type of racism and violence in opposition to these of African descent, has been on the rise all through the continent.
Moreover, these anti-Black sentiments have permeated all through Italy, which hosts a distinguished immigrant group given its coastal location near Africa. The Council of Europe’s Fee in opposition to Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) launched a 2025 annual report in Might that discovered Italy to be a important perpetrator of racist incidents and harassment by its police.
As Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, and Deputy Minister each lead far-right events, the elected officers refuted the claims made by the council. Nonetheless, the refusal to acknowledge this rising drawback may result in extra hurt to African Italians, in addition to affect how Italians work together with Black individuals throughout the Diaspora.
Commenters didn’t let Polidoro off the hook, particularly as her house nation continues to wrestle with heightened racial prejudice.
“You refuse to deal with the precise issues about why you deliberately excluded Ayo Edebiri—a critically acclaimed Black lady actress you had the dignity of being in proximity with, not to mention interviewing—whom the themes of the query are most pertinent to,” a commenter stated. “This query specifically was not requested with respect or accountability relating to her, and made your friends visibly uncomfortable…It appears to be obvious to everybody however you the way inappropriate and dangerous that was.”
Others additionally known as her out for her deflection, together with Djarah Khan, an Italian-Ghanaian author and cultural activist. Khan commented in Italian about how Polidoro’s assertion performs into the “provincialism” that stifles the nation.
“This textual content is the manifesto of Italian journalism that can’t save itself from its personal provincialism,” wrote Khan. “I’m Italian and I’m very embarrassed by the best way [she] developed [her] career. I’m much more embarrassed by her lack of ability to acknowledge that such criticism may assist her be a greater journalist.”
Neither Edebiri nor her co-stars have addressed Polidoro’s controversial response.
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