Dacia Valent
Encyclopedia
Dacia Soraya Valent is a Somali-born Italian politician and former Member of the European Parliament
.
, daughter of an Italian father and a Somali mother, she travelled extensively around the world during her youth and moved permanently to Udine
, in Northern Italy in 1980. While she lived in Udine, in 1985 her 16-year-old brother Giacomo was stabbed to death as the result of a fight with two classmates. She currently resides in Rome.
After having tried Engineering
studies at the University and after the breakup of her marriage (during which, she gave birth to two children), she joined the Polizia di Stato
and was initially assigned to a police station
in Milan
. She was later transferred first to the mobile squad and later to the Special VIP protection service at Palermo
. In January 1989, while on duty, Valent claimed that a visibly drunken man insulted her with heavily racist remarks, refusing to hand her documents for identification and assaulting her physically. During this incident, Valent was on patrol with two male colleagues who Valent accused of being negligent in helping her and tried to minimize the incident, as the assaulter was drunk. Valent denounced that supposed irregular behaviour of her colleagues to the media and through this claimed incident, as well her story, she gained solidarity as well as experiencing a wide popularity.
As an activist of the Italian Communist Party
(PCI), Valent was candidated with the support of the then Secretary Achille Occhetto
to the European Parliament
and was elected in the 1989 elections with about 76,000 votes. Her position as an Independent MEP
of the PCI caused some friction with the Party Board. Particularly famous was the diplomatic row with the Government of the State of Israel
which, in a 1990 column on the magazine "Avvenimenti" was deemed as «the most racist Government in the world» and compared to the Third Reich. The outrage sparked by these statements, forced the Israeli Ambassador in Italy, Mordechai Drory, to file an official written complaint to Achille Occhetto, who distanced himself and the PCI from Valent's statements. At Strasbourg
Dacia Valent was a member of the Commission on Legal Affairs and Citizens Rights (1989–1992), of the Joint Assembly of the Convention between the ACP and the EEC
(1989–1994), and of the Committee on Civil Liberties and Internal Affairs (1992).
Following the dissolution of the PCI and its subsequent transformation into the Democratic Party of the Left
, she decided not to join the new political entity but she rather chose to be enrolled in the Communist Refoundation Party
. After some time she was expelled from the party for her declaration of admiration to the former neo-fascist politician Gianfranco Fini
, leader of centre-right party Alleanza Nazionale. Dacia Valent tried unsuccessfully to run for a seat under the Alleanza Nazionale party, and finally was candidated to the European elections of 2004 with the list of Antonio Di Pietro
getting 583 preferences without being elected.
On 26 July 1992 Dacia Valent founded a non-governmental organization known as SCORE and was nominated Chairwoman of it. In 1995 as a member of that group, supported the action of a group of Somali women who denounced requests for sexual favors by the CGIL trade union in respect of their fellow immigrants in exchange for concessions in the allocation of food, but the CGIL denied the circumstances and Dacia Valent was found guilty of defamation after a Court trial. In April 1995 she was arrested for the attempted murder of Luc Tchombé Mutshail, a citizen of Zaire with whom she had a child; Tchombé was injured by Valent with a knife during a fight. Later in 2002, she was sanctioned by the Italian Comptroller and Auditor General
for improper administration of the money invested from the Italian Government into SCORE which was meant instead to be used to build temporary sojourn and assistance centres for illegal immigrants. For these reason she lost the opportunity to be nominated in the Berlusconi government as a Minister of Immigration.
Later, after her supposed conversion to Islam, she founded an organization called Islamic Anti-Defamation League. Among its initiatives, the organization provided a telephone support and advisory service for Muslims who wished to report abuse issues based on religious discrimination. The toll free number, however, ceased to be operative shortly after.
In November 2006 Dacia Valent was indicted for aiding and abetting in a robbery against a Polish immigrant who had turned to SCORE for help.
In October 2007, she was sentenced to one year in jail and a 15,000 euro fine for defamation and threats against the former director of Telepadania. On October 2008, an article published on her personal blog, titled "Italians bastards, Italians shit", which contained a number of derogatory comments against Italians (notably as specified in «whites and Christians») has caused heavy reactions from the press.
In January 2010 she acquired the political portal Kilombo.org, an aggregator of blogs.
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
.
Biography
Dacia Valent was born in MogadishuMogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
, daughter of an Italian father and a Somali mother, she travelled extensively around the world during her youth and moved permanently to Udine
Udine
Udine is a city and comune in northeastern Italy, in the middle of Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic sea and the Alps , less than 40 km from the Slovenian border. Its population was 99,439 in 2009, and that of its urban area was 175,000.- History :Udine is the historical...
, in Northern Italy in 1980. While she lived in Udine, in 1985 her 16-year-old brother Giacomo was stabbed to death as the result of a fight with two classmates. She currently resides in Rome.
After having tried Engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
studies at the University and after the breakup of her marriage (during which, she gave birth to two children), she joined the Polizia di Stato
Polizia di Stato
The Polizia di Stato is one of the national police forces of Italy.It is the main police force for providing police duties and it is also responsible for patrolling motorways , railways , airports , customs as well as certain waterways, and assisting the local police...
and was initially assigned to a police station
Police station
A police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...
in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
. She was later transferred first to the mobile squad and later to the Special VIP protection service at Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
. In January 1989, while on duty, Valent claimed that a visibly drunken man insulted her with heavily racist remarks, refusing to hand her documents for identification and assaulting her physically. During this incident, Valent was on patrol with two male colleagues who Valent accused of being negligent in helping her and tried to minimize the incident, as the assaulter was drunk. Valent denounced that supposed irregular behaviour of her colleagues to the media and through this claimed incident, as well her story, she gained solidarity as well as experiencing a wide popularity.
As an activist of the Italian Communist Party
Italian Communist Party
The Italian Communist Party was a communist political party in Italy.The PCI was founded as Communist Party of Italy on 21 January 1921 in Livorno, by seceding from the Italian Socialist Party . Amadeo Bordiga and Antonio Gramsci led the split. Outlawed during the Fascist regime, the party played...
(PCI), Valent was candidated with the support of the then Secretary Achille Occhetto
Achille Occhetto
Achille Occhetto , nicknamed Akel, is an Italian political figure.-Biography:Occhetto was born in Turin. He served as the secretary-general of the Italian Communist Party between 1988 and 1994 Achille Occhetto (born 3 March 1936), nicknamed Akel, is an Italian political figure.-Biography:Occhetto...
to the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
and was elected in the 1989 elections with about 76,000 votes. Her position as an Independent MEP
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
of the PCI caused some friction with the Party Board. Particularly famous was the diplomatic row with the Government of the State of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
which, in a 1990 column on the magazine "Avvenimenti" was deemed as «the most racist Government in the world» and compared to the Third Reich. The outrage sparked by these statements, forced the Israeli Ambassador in Italy, Mordechai Drory, to file an official written complaint to Achille Occhetto, who distanced himself and the PCI from Valent's statements. At Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
Dacia Valent was a member of the Commission on Legal Affairs and Citizens Rights (1989–1992), of the Joint Assembly of the Convention between the ACP and the EEC
European Economic Community
The European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) The European Economic Community (EEC) (also known as the Common Market in the English-speaking world, renamed the European Community (EC) in 1993The information in this article primarily covers the EEC's time as an independent...
(1989–1994), and of the Committee on Civil Liberties and Internal Affairs (1992).
Following the dissolution of the PCI and its subsequent transformation into the Democratic Party of the Left
Democratic Party of the Left
The Democratic Party of the Left was a post-communist, democratic socialist political party in Italy.-History:...
, she decided not to join the new political entity but she rather chose to be enrolled in the Communist Refoundation Party
Communist Refoundation Party
The Communist Refoundation Party is a communist Italian political party. Its current secretary is Paolo Ferrero....
. After some time she was expelled from the party for her declaration of admiration to the former neo-fascist politician Gianfranco Fini
Gianfranco Fini
Gianfranco Fini is an Italian politician, President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, leader of the center-right Future and Freedom party, and the former leader of the conservative National Alliance and the post-fascist Italian Social Movement...
, leader of centre-right party Alleanza Nazionale. Dacia Valent tried unsuccessfully to run for a seat under the Alleanza Nazionale party, and finally was candidated to the European elections of 2004 with the list of Antonio Di Pietro
Antonio Di Pietro
Antonio Di Pietro is an Italian politician. He was a Member of the European Parliament, an Italian Senator, and Minister of the Prodi Government...
getting 583 preferences without being elected.
On 26 July 1992 Dacia Valent founded a non-governmental organization known as SCORE and was nominated Chairwoman of it. In 1995 as a member of that group, supported the action of a group of Somali women who denounced requests for sexual favors by the CGIL trade union in respect of their fellow immigrants in exchange for concessions in the allocation of food, but the CGIL denied the circumstances and Dacia Valent was found guilty of defamation after a Court trial. In April 1995 she was arrested for the attempted murder of Luc Tchombé Mutshail, a citizen of Zaire with whom she had a child; Tchombé was injured by Valent with a knife during a fight. Later in 2002, she was sanctioned by the Italian Comptroller and Auditor General
Comptroller and Auditor General
Comptroller and auditor-general is the abbreviated title of a government official in a number of jurisdictions, including the UK, the Republic of Ireland, India, and China....
for improper administration of the money invested from the Italian Government into SCORE which was meant instead to be used to build temporary sojourn and assistance centres for illegal immigrants. For these reason she lost the opportunity to be nominated in the Berlusconi government as a Minister of Immigration.
Later, after her supposed conversion to Islam, she founded an organization called Islamic Anti-Defamation League. Among its initiatives, the organization provided a telephone support and advisory service for Muslims who wished to report abuse issues based on religious discrimination. The toll free number, however, ceased to be operative shortly after.
In November 2006 Dacia Valent was indicted for aiding and abetting in a robbery against a Polish immigrant who had turned to SCORE for help.
In October 2007, she was sentenced to one year in jail and a 15,000 euro fine for defamation and threats against the former director of Telepadania. On October 2008, an article published on her personal blog, titled "Italians bastards, Italians shit", which contained a number of derogatory comments against Italians (notably as specified in «whites and Christians») has caused heavy reactions from the press.
In January 2010 she acquired the political portal Kilombo.org, an aggregator of blogs.