A Muslim “cultural mediator” has weighed in on the recent violent rape of Polish tourists and a transgender woman in Italy with words that have prompted alarm and outrage.

Commenting on the situation, Abid Jee—a 24-year-old Muslim “cultural mediator” for an Italian migrant-reception cooperative — described rape as “a worse act, but only at the beginning, when the willy goes in, then the woman becomes calm and you can enjoy it like normal intercourse.”

It is unclear if Jee was making a rape joke or condoning the act itself. Italian news agency ANSA reports that the man made his now-deleted remarks while commenting on a Facebook post about the violence against Polish tourists, and a transgender woman, who were reportedly raped by a gang of four North African migrants. Italian Facebook users called for Jee to be fired.

In the widely publicized attacks, a vacationing Polish couple was subjected to brutal violence in Rimini, a popular tourist town on the Adriatic coast. The gang of four allegedly struck the 26-year-old man on the head with a bottle, and then repeatedly raped his girlfriend, also 26, in front of him. The couple was also robbed.

Both victims survived the attack and are recovering in hospital. The man is reported to likely require facial surgery due to the cuts and blows to his face.

A transgender victim from Peru was also subject to brutal rape by the same gang, although conflicting accounts are unclear as to whether that attack happened before or after the Polish couple was assaulted.

The case has drawn international attention, prompting Poland to send its own investigative team to help locate the rape gang. The cruelty of the attack prompted outrage from Poland’s Deputy Justice Minister Patryk Jaki, who took to Twitter to call for the four rapists to be given the death penalty, also noting that he would restore torture for what they did.

However, because both Italy and Poland abolished the death penalty, it’s unlikely that the four suspects will see anything other than lengthy prison sentences.

Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at @stillgray on Twitter and on Facebook.