"Italian Students Mock Asian Film Directors on Train with 'Nihao~'"

A video showing three female university students mocking and laughing at an Asian film director on a train in northern Italy has spread widely on online communities and social networking services (SNS), sparking controversy.

In response, the three Italian universities to which the female students belong issued a statement and announced that they would launch an investigation into the matter.

According to Italian media 'Corriere della Sera' on the 26th (local time), Pakistani-American film director Mahnoor Yousuf boarded a train heading to Milan, a city in northern Italy, on the 16th. However, on that day, he experienced an unpleasant incident from locals.

At the time, Director Yousuf was traveling with her Chinese-American boyfriend, his Chinese mother, and his white father. Meanwhile, three female university students sitting diagonally across from them were seen looking at him and laughing, reportedly engaging in racially discriminatory language and behavior in Italian.

Director Mahnuar Yusef's video posted on 'TikTok' [Image source=TikTok]

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At first, Director Yousuf ignored the female students. However, as the same behavior continued and escalated, she recorded their actions and posted the video on the video-sharing platform TikTok.

The TikTok video has so far recorded over 19.2 million views. The video shows the three women looking at Director Yousuf while mimicking Chinese phrases such as "Nihao."

Regarding this, Director Yousuf said, "This is the first time in my life that I have experienced such blatant racism," adding, "After posting the video, my Asian friends shared their experiences of racial discrimination in Italy and Europe. The U.S. also has racial issues, but Europe is about 20 years behind."

As the controversy grew, some netizens tracked down the female students' SNS accounts and identified their universities, reporting them.

The three universities to which the female students belong issued a statement saying, "We oppose all forms of racism and discrimination," and promised to take appropriate measures after completing a thorough investigation.

Meanwhile, Director Yousuf revealed that one of the female students sent her a message on her SNS account apologizing and requesting that the video be taken down, but she refused.

She emphasized, "I hope people think twice before threatening or mocking foreigners," and added, "I hope this incident serves as a lesson and that people take responsibility for their actions."

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