Italian TV show canned for stereotyping Eastern European women

Italy’s state broadcaster has canceled a popular Saturday night chat show for airing a discussion, branded as sexist and racist, that centered on the reasons Italian men choose to have relationships with Eastern European women.

The show, called 'Parliamone sabato' (Let's talk about it on Saturday), aired the segment under the title: “The threat comes from the east. Men prefer foreign women.”

A swift backlash followed from Italians commenting online, with women's rights group Non Una di Meno (One less) leading the wave of criticism.

The show was screened on the broadcaster’s flagship channel Rai1, which usually pulls in around 1.5 million viewers each show.

A graphic produced on the show, identifying six supposed reasons “to choose a girlfriend from the east” has been shared widely online, the Local reports.

The list is littered with both sexist and racist stereotypes such as “they're always sexy” or “they forgive cheating.”