A southern Italian holiday flat owner who sparked an online furore this week when he told a male couple he didn't allow 'gays or animals', recently called for homosexuals to be summarily executed by firing-squad.
"Gays? Execute them immediately by firing-squad," the unnamed Calabrian holiday home owner wrote on his Facebook page in June after media reports that three gay men had wed in Colombia.
"Soon the family will no longer exist," the Calabrian's post continued.
The man from the Calabrian coastal town of Tropea caused outrage on Monday when he wrote in a WhatsApp message that two gay men from Naples were unwelcome at his holiday flat.
"Important, and I am sorry if I may seem like a caveman. We do not accept gays or animals," read the message, which the couple circulated on social media and reported to Italian rights association Arcigay.
Arcigay publicised the case on its website and its president, Gabriele Piazzoni, deplored the "disturbing" incident and urged the LGBTI community to boycott vacation websites with no clear non-discrimination policies.
After an online backlash over his message, the Calabrian's holiday rental venture was suspended from booking.com, the website where he had advertised the holiday accommodation.
Tropea's mayor condemned the homphobic insult and offered the couple a free stay in another apartment.
