The "I'm not virus, I am human" movement in Italy has inspired many Italians to show support to China's fight against novel coronavirus outbreak.
In the derby match between Inter Milan and AC Milan on Feb. 9, the slogan "Today and always. Together as a team. Forza Wuhan" can been seen on screens over the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, or San Siro.
Video of Massimiliano Martigli Jiang standing beside a signboard saying:"I'm not a virus. I am a Human. Eradicate the prejudice". (Video provided to Xinhua by Italian-Chinese Youth Union/Associazione Unione Giovani Italo Cinesi)
FLORENCE, Italy, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- Massimiliano Martigli Jiang, a young Chinese-Italian man, blind-folded himself and stood by a signboard saying:"I'm not a virus. I am a Human. Eradicate the prejudice" in front of the Florence Cathedral, Florence, Italy.
Jiang's quiet protest against racist prejudice on Chinese people following the novel coronavirus outbreak touched people around him. Many passersby stopped over to give him a warm hug.
The Italian-Chinese Youth Union made a video out of the interaction between Jiang and locals. The video went viral on social media. "It is virus that we are fighting, not people," Jiang told local media.
Video of Chen Sijia carrying a signboard saying:"Hug me! I'm not a virus". (Video provided to Xinhua by Micro Media Communication Italy)
A second video featuring young Chinese woman Chen Sijia in Milan also trended on social media. In the video, Chen held a signboard saying, "Hug me! I'm not a virus" in Italian at Milan's Duomo Square.
So many people came over to hug her and show their support that Chen burst into tears in the video.
The videos, first appeared online in early February, inspired movements of supporting China's fight against the virus in Italy. In south Italy's Naples, people marched on the streets to show their support to China and their spirit of solidarity.
Italian statesmen, including Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Mayors of Rome and Milan paid visits to Chinese communities to show their support.
"Today and always. Together as a team. Forza Wuhan" is seen on the screen during a Serie A football match between FC Inter and AC Milan in Milan, Italy, Feb. 9, 2020. (Xinhua/Cheng Tingting)
In the derby match between Inter Milan and AC Milan on Feb. 9, the slogan "Today and always. Together as a team. Forza Wuhan" can been seen on screens over the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, or San Siro.
Players of Inter Milan, which won the match 4 - 2, had the words "keep fighting China!" in Chinese woven on their shirts. ■
