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The artist Fugazzotto, meanwhile, has not stayed quiet in defending his work.

\"There may be gaps in communication, but I don't believe I have shared an unclear message: Three monkeys with human characteristics from every latitude painted on a picture is not a message of equality?\" Fugazzotto, who frequently uses primates in his work, said in an interview with Corriere della Sera this week.

\"I decided to portray monkeys to talk about racism because they are the metaphor for human beings,\" he said in May, according to Serie A. \"Last year I was at the stadium to see Inter-Napoli and I felt humiliated, everyone was talking about the monkey at Koulibaly, a player I respect. I've always been painting monkeys for five to six years, so I thought I'd make this work to teach that we're all apes, I made the western monkey with blue and white eyes, the Asian monkey with almond-shaped eyes and the black monkey positioned in the center, where everything comes from. The monkey becomes the spark to teach everyone that there is no difference, there is no man or monkey, we are all alike. If anything we are all monkeys.\"

Kick-It-Out, another anti-discrimination organization, said the symbol was a mistake.

\"It is encouraging when any governing body recognises they need to do more to tackle discrimination. Sadly, Serie A's use of monkeys in their anti-racism campaign is completely inappropriate, undermines any positive intent and will be counter-productive,\" the group said in a statement obtained by ABC News.

Art can be powerful, but we strongly disagree with the use of monkeys as images in the fight against racism and were surprised by the total lack of consultation. @SerieA_EN pic.twitter.com/M7wFjhsfj2

— AC Milan (@acmilan) December 17, 2019

Racist acts by some in the crowd in Europe -- and particularly in Italy -- are directed specifically at players on the field and are meant to humiliate and upset them. World class players of color from both Italian and international clubs have been subjected to racist slurs.

Belgian Romelu Lukaku said in a September Instagram post that monkey noises made at him after he scored a goal at a match showed \"we're going backwards.\"

Italian Mario Balotelli angrily kicked a ball into the stands in November after racist slurs were made at him. He scolded the fans in an Instagram story, according to La Repubblica, by repeatedly writing, \"Shame.\"

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