ROME -- In her renewed Fertility Day campaign, Italian Health Minister Beatrice Lorenzin is accused of having produced an overtly racist poster, Thursday, as another wave of criticism on social media goes viral, inciting protests around Italy.

 The particular poster that has sparked the most criticism is one entitled “Correct Lifestyle Choices -- for the prevention of sterility and infertility.” The top half of the poster is subtitled “Good habits to promote,” showing a photo of two smiling white couples; whereas the bottom half is subtitled “bad ‘companions’ to avoid,” with a picture of predominantly black people smoking marijuana in sepia tone.

 Famous Italian journalist Roberto Saviano, who had also strongly criticized Lorenzin’s first attempt August 31 at the Fertility Day campaign, has written on his Facebook page, “Let us talk about lifestyle choices. The health minister urges to frequent young Arians (very blonde kids, with the blue background of the sea),” he wrote referring to the photos of the campaign, “and to abandon those who can be a bad influence (black kids with afros that smoke bongs).”

 “Seriously, who is Lorenzin’s communications team? The ‘creative’ people that think they can launch a campaign like this?” he continued. “After the debacle of Fertility Day, the minister tries us again but with a racist campaign now instead of sexist -- black equals bad and white equals good. Are we really back to this?”

 ‘Il Fatto Quotidiano’ writes that Lorenzin has supposedly fired Daniela Rodorigo, the communications leader, over the choice of pictures for the campaign. However, when Rodorigo was contacted by ‘Il Fatto,’ she did not confirm this properly: “I heard about it in a note from the ministry. I have not received any official communication.”

 It seems, according to various agencies, that a version of the posters was only shown to the minister that had the young people’s faces so faded and veiled that only their outlines and gestures could be seen. But Lorenzin has made no comment herself about this, she has simply started an internal investigation and has retracted that poster.

 Around Italy, reactionary ‘Fertility Fake’ protests have been organized in the piazzas of many big cities. 

 A manifestation began this morning in Rome's Piazza di Spagna, of nearly 100 people, with many protesters holding posters with the hashtag #SonoInAttesaDi -- 'I am waiting for' -- with varying ending such as "for a healthy environment," or "for nurseries in universities." They ask for the health minister to stand down after her two epic Fertility Day failures. 

 nkd