Italian police said on Thursday that a court had ruled in favor of kicking American white supremacist David Duke out of the country, according to Reuters.
Duke’s lawyer in Italy, Filippo Augusto, told TPM courts initially ordered Duke expelled from the country in November 2012. Duke left immediately following that ruling and attempted to appeal, he said.
“When he got the Italian ban, he left Italy. He’s not in Italy at the moment. I do not know where he is. Many people asked me where he is and I do not know exactly,” Augusto told TPM. “I think he’s in Europe, but I feel I don’t know exactly where he is.”
That appeal was rejected. Augusto said Duke can make another appeal, but he is not sure how Duke wants to proceed as he has been unable to get in touch with his client.
“I did not speak with him yet about the Italian sentence,” said Augusto. “I have to speak with him, because I just searched for him but I did not speak to him. … I wrote him some mails, I tried to call him, but at the moment, I did not speak with him. I’m waiitng for a call from him.”
Reuters reported that the court ruled Duke should be expelled based on a 2009 travel and residence ban issued by Switzerland that affects the entire Schengen area, a group of 26 European countries that have a common visa policy.
On Thursday, Luciano Meneghetti, a deputy police chief in Italy’s Belluno province told Reuters the court rejected that appeal on the grounds that Duke was “socially dangerous for his racist and anti-semitic views.” Meneghetti said Duke moved to the “mountain village” of Valle di Cadore after authorities in Malta gave him a visa to study and write there. The Corriere del Veneto newspaper reported Duke began living in the country “almost incognito” starting in at least 2011.
Duke did not respond to a request for comment from TPM.
