Alghero, homophobic graffiti at the hospital. The CGIL (Italian General Confederation of Labour) states: "Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case."

There is widespread outrage over the homophobic attack against a healthcare worker at Alghero's civil hospital in recent days. The man, upon opening his locker, found an offensive graffiti and suffered severe stress, requiring treatment for a week.

A gesture that the Uil Fpl union described as "considered by the interested party to be yet another instance of hostility experienced in the workplace." The word imprinted on the locker was perhaps the straw that broke the camel's back for the 35-year-old from Sassari, now assisted by lawyer Graziella Meloni. And while the local health authority (ASL) has launched an internal investigation, and the Head of Workers' Safety is requesting the employee's temporary transfer as a precautionary measure, the CGIL Nuovi Diritti office has also commented on the matter.

The union "expresses solidarity with the worker involved" but emphasizes that these situations are unfortunately not uncommon. "In our office's two years of activity," writes office manager Costantino Loi, "we have unfortunately observed that cases of discrimination are neither sporadic nor isolated, but widespread at various levels and in multiple work contexts. Even more worrying is the number of incidents that remain unreported for fear of retaliation or job loss, especially in precarious situations."