Italian murdered in England accused of stealing local jobs

A 19-year old Italian was fatally injured in Kent on Wednesday, following an attack by 9 men that accused him of stealing local jobs. According to "La Repubblica", the 19-year old Joele Leotta, from Nibionno (Lecco), travelled to Maidstone in Kent just 10 days ago to learn English and found a job with a friend at a local Italian restaurant, The Vesuvius. He stayed in an apartment above the restaurant with a friend. He was attacked by a group of 9 men, between 21 and 25 years old, that wanted to "teach him a lesson" because he and his friend were "stealing local jobs". They broke into Joele's flat shouting racial slurs and violently attacked them with one attacker holding a knife. Reports from local police indicate that just one of the attackers was British and that the attack may not be racially motivated. Joele's town in Italy is reeling from the shock of the news, while the young man's family travelled to the UK. The mayor of Nibionno has also complained about the lack of information from British police. They were only informed about Joele's death through a friend and only once Italian police and diplomats were involved was more information available from British official sources. Joele's Facebook profile has received numerous messages of condolence and support to the family, There are also many messages where people are expressing their anger at what they deem a racial attack at a time where relationships between countries in Europe are frayed because of the pressures of the financial crisis. The attack strikes a raw nerve with Italians, many of which are facing the tough choice of having to move to Northern European countries in search of jobs.