Romanian woman sues Italian public TV over alleged discrimination

Luminița Toma, a 50-year-old entrepreneur who has lived in Italy for nearly three decades, has filed a lawsuit against public broadcaster RAI. She alleges that her participation in the casting for the show "Affari Tuoi," hosted by Stefano De Martino, was refused because of her Romanian origin.

The publication Fanpage reports that Toma submitted a video for pre-selection, but her application was rejected. The show's regulations reportedly state that participants must be born in Italy. Dissatisfied with this condition, which she considers discriminatory, Toma decided to sue the show and the Italian public television.

Toma is represented by lawyers Alessandro Romano and Giacinto Canzona. They assert that the rule cited by the organizers violates constitutional principles of equal treatment. "She pays her taxes on time, she provides jobs to others, she votes regularly in all elections, she cannot participate in a RAI show just because she is of Romanian origin. We have sent a formal notice to RAI for this serious form of discrimination," the lawyers stated.

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She pays her taxes on time, she provides jobs to others, she votes regularly in all elections, she cannot participate in a RAI show just because she is of Romanian origin. We have sent a formal notice to RAI for this serious form of discrimination.

They argue that excluding a person solely because they were born outside Italy is a violation of the Constitution. "There are no Category A citizens and Category B citizens, and it is unacceptable for state television, in certain programs, to violate the Constitution by discriminating against people based on race or ethnicity," the woman's legal representatives said.

According to Italian press, "Affari Tuoi" has faced legal challenges before. In the past, the show's producers sued Massimiliano Dona, the secretary-general of the National Consumers' Union, but their complaint was dismissed by judges.

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There are no Category A citizens and Category B citizens, and it is unacceptable for state television, in certain programs, to violate the Constitution by discriminating against people based on race or ethnicity.