Italian town in turmoil after far-right mayor bans Muslim prayers
Bangladeshi residents and others in Monfalcone say decisions to prohibit worship at cultural centres and banning burkinis at the beach is part of anti-Islam agenda
The envelope containing two partially burned pages of the Qur’an came as a shock. Until then, Muslim residents in the Adriatic port town of Monfalcone had lived relatively peacefully for more than 20 years.
Addressed to the Darus Salaam Muslim cultural association on Via Duca d’Aosta, the envelope was received soon after Monfalcone’s far-right mayor, Anna Maria Cisint, banned prayers on the premises.
“It was hurtful, a serious insult we never expected,” said Bou Konate, the association’s president. “But it was not a coincidence. The letter was a threat, generated by a campaign of hate that has stoked toxicity.”
Monfalcone’s population recently passed 30,000. Such a positive demographic trend would ordinarily spell good news in a country grappling with a rapidly declining birthrate, but in Monfalcone, where Cisint has been nurturing an anti-Islam agenda since winning her first mandate in 2016, the rise has not been welcomed.
As an Italian, I would say that's not the case, not "a lot of Italians are racist". I've had interactions with a few racist people of older generations, but I would say that they are the exception, thankfully.
Frankly, that's kind of hard to believe when your country has an openly fascist government
Fascism is not exclusively about racism. It’s a government style were the first victims are the citizens themselves. Racism is a component of it.
Damn, you must not live there, even in the south, were people are mostly ignorant, all I hear is complains about giorgia meloni and how shitty her government is 🥶🙏
But why did she win if not because of the majority of voting Italians wanted her? (which could be just half+1, I concede)
This is why Trump won in 2016. Complacency. "Everyone in my state hates his guts. He must not be popular, then. I don't even need to vote since Clinton will clearly win!"
Replied to the other person about this!
I don't live in Italy, that's correct. But if nobody likes the fascists, who voted for them, then?
The most likely reason is that most of the young people did not vote, leaving the vote to old people and middle aged ones.
Though, by living in the south, I may have a different view of it, as most politicians hate our southern asses, including the meloni
Edit: so, excluding most younger people, it leaves most of the northerns individuals ( who usually have more money invested in their infrastructure by governments ) and old people who are likely to vote for her. But it is still weird as literally anyone I talk to, not friends, just random people,vsay that they have not voted for her, even including some oldies that I know personally
Edit 2: no but like seriously, literally no one likes her, especially after the shitshow she has been making with the bonuses
You don't have votes the way you do without endemic racism. Football still has a massive problem too.
Would you say Italian football fans would be considered "a lot of Italians?"
How about Serie A itself?
Or Fratelli d'Italia party members and voters?
Sometimes I think racism is nutrients for a lot of italians because they can not and will not stop with it