A TikTok showing Italian women mocking Chinese-American tourists has gone viral and sparked discussions about racism in Italy.

Mahnoor Euceph was on a train from Lake Como to Milan on April 16 with her boyfriend, who is half-Chinese, her Chinese mother and her white father.

In an unfortunate turn of events, a group of three women started making fun of her boyfriend and her mother. She filmed the nasty incident on camera and shared it on TikTok.

In the caption, Euceph, a Pakistani director, said she noticed them staring at her and laughing while making remarks in Italian.

She told her boyfriend, took a nap, but woke up to see the group doing the same “more aggressively”.

“I asked them, ‘Is there a problem?’ They said, ‘No, there is no problem.’ At that time, they started saying “Ni hao!” in an obnoxious, racist and loud voice, as well as other things in Italian that I did not understand,” she recounted.

She says they kept getting more aggressive, so she started filming them. The group continued to make fun of her boyfriend and her mother, although in a more low-key way, according to Euceph.

In the video below, you can still hear them saying “Ni hao” while laughing and staring at the travelers.

“Never in my life have I experienced such blatant racism. My boyfriend said the same. I expected better from the younger generation,” Euceph wrote in the caption. “It’s so dehumanizing to live That.”

@mahnooreu I was on the train from Lake Como to Milan on April 16 with my half-Chinese boyfriend, his Chinese mother and his white father. I am Pakistani. We are all Americans. I noticed these girls sitting across from us staring at me, laughing and speaking Italian. At first, I didn’t know. Then I looked at them. They didn’t stop so I brought my boyfriend up to speed then took a nap. I woke up from nap to have them do the same but more aggressively. I asked them, “Is there a problem? They said, “No, there’s no problem. At that time, they started saying “Ni hao!” in an obnoxious, racist and loud voice, as well as other things in Italian that I could not understand. They kept getting more and more aggressive, laughing at us and laughing at us. Eventually, I started filming them. They were the quietest during the video, but you can still hear them say ni hao and get an idea of ​​their general attitude. Never in my life have I experienced such blatant racism. My boyfriend said the same thing. I expected better from the younger generation. After sharing this on IG, many of my Asian friends shared their stories of racism in Italy and Europe. America may have its racial problems, but Europe is 20 years behind. I hope you Italians can find these girls and put them to shame. It was really disgusting behavior and I hope they learn a lesson from it. It’s so dehumanizing to go through this. #racism #stopaapihate #Italy #Milan #Lake Como #RacistItalians #racistcheck #racistoftheday #shitracist #milandesignweek2023 #milandesignweek #Chinese #hapa #wasian #racism awareness #racismneedstop #racismsucks ♬ original sound – Mahnoor Euceph

The director says that after sharing the video on Instagram, many of her Asian friends spoke about their experiences with racism in Italy and Europe in general.

The original TikTok, which now has over 19 million views, was widely shared on social media platforms, and others joined in the conversation.

“It was really my first experience there in 2011 with people saying nihao/doing slant eyes,” one person tweeted.

“Italy is by far the most racist European country and personal experience strongly confirms this,” added another.

An Italian-born TikToker has shared the microaggressions he faced as a half-Italian, half-black kid growing up in Rome.

@anais_speaks I’m so sorry for everyone who had a horrible experience ☹️ #Rome #Italy #story time #blackinitaly #voyagenoir ♬ original sound – Anaïs

The disturbing stories of tourists visiting Italy have dissuaded many from visiting the country.

@lmfaomal I got bitten chewing my gum so hard but it was necessary #fypシ #voyagerennoir #xyzabc ♬ original sound – lmfaomal

Euceph shared an update to her story on Wednesday after followers found the women’s Instagram handles. One of the students messaged what Euceph says was a “totally hypocritical apology” which instead turned out to be an attempt to “manipulate and enlighten her”.

@mahnooreu In response to @asocialclimber #green screen #stopaapihate #racistItaliangirls #racism #Chinese #Pakistani #racism awareness ♬ original sound – Mahnoor Euceph

Internet sleuths were also able to find the universities the group attended, causing a response from the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, the IULM University and the University of Milano-Bicocca.

Incidents like these are not unique to Europe. Most recently, a fight for a window seat on a Canadian Flair flight led to allegations of racism.