Italian
In
Italian,
negro (male) and
negra (female) were used as neutral term equivalents of "negro" until at least the 1980s. Famed
1960s pop singer
Fausto Leali is still
called il negro bianco ("the white negro") in Italian media,
[30][31][32] on account of his naturally
hoarse style of singing. Either word is now considered offensive,
[33][34][35] and is commonly replaced by
nero/
nera ("black").
In
Italian law, Act No. 654 of 13 October 1975 (known as the “
Reale Act”), as amended by Act No. 205 of 25 June 1993 (known as the “
Mancino Act”) and Act No. 85 of 24 February 2006, criminalizes incitement to and racial discrimination itself, incitement to and racial violence itself, the promotion of ideas based on racial superiority or ethnic or racist hatred and the setting up or running of, participation in or support to any organisation, association, movement or group whose purpose is the instigation of racial discrimination or violence.
[36][37]
As the
Council of Europe noted in its 2016 report, "the wording of the Reale Act does not include language as ground of discrimination, nor is [skin] color included as a ground of discrimination."
[37] However, the
Supreme Court, in affirming a lower-court decision, declared that the use of the term
negro by itself, if it has a clearly offensive intention, may be punishable by law,
[38] and is considered an
aggravating factor in a
criminal prosecution.
[39]