A complaint was filed on Tuesday by a lawyer to the public prosecutor of Bergamo, in northern Italy, according to reports in the Italian media. Prosecutors will investigate the matter even though there has not been a formal complaint from integration minister Kyenge.
Calderoli, a senator with the anti-immigration Northern League party, could face up to four-and-a-half years in prison for the comments, which Prime Minister Enrico Letta described as a “shameful chapter” for Italy.
Calderoli, who has courted controversy for years with a series of racist, sexist and Islamophobic jibes, said at a rally on Saturday: "When I see pictures of Kyenge, I cannot help thinking of similarities with an orangutan.”
He later apologised for the remarks and pledged to send Kyenge a bunch of roses. But he vowed not resign unless those who elected him want him to.
The comments were met with a backlash in Italy and around the world. Thousands of people have signed an online petition calling for his resignation.
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