Italy: Anti-Immigrant Sentiment Strong

Once a poor country that sent millions of its citizens abroad to find work, Italy now imports workers. The country has an aging population and low birth rate, and it depends on immigrant labor to maintain its economy and welfare benefits.

But despite the country's demand for laborers, Italians are extremely reluctant to welcome immigrants.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[AContrario]

Welcome to the reality of Europe in this 21st century.

An aging population who is holding desperately to its own bigotry and cover it
under the pretense of being culturally and morally superior. Immigrant populations have
been contributing to the very fabric of all these societies and could do more, if they
weren't held back by these "civilized" democracies. The truth is Europe is just decaying
slowly and they are just denying it.

The good thing is now America is on its way to the light and I wonder who is gonna be
Europe's scapegoat and excuse not to rejuvenate its vision of the world?

To be continued ....

[in4success]

"Immigrants Face Strong Xenophobia In Italy"

in brooklyn too.

[BeFairNow]

Europeans are the last people on the planet who should have issues with immigration. All this talk about 'maybe if they came more gradually we would get used to them' is nonsense. Tell that to all of the people who have been colonized...oh wait, quite a few of them don't even exist any more! Did their ancestors go to new lands 'gradually' so the people could get used to them? Did they even attempt to respect the local customs or pretend that they arrived with anything other than dominion and greed on their minds? Just how big were the Roman and British Empires again? Did they not between them affect most of the planet? Did Europeans really think that there would never be a reckoning for what they did? This is precisely why we must be so careful about what we do in this life and what we allow to be done in our names because it is our children and their children who will reap the consequences, good and bad. Europe should be welcoming or else kindly return all of the wealth they stole from the countries these people come from so that they can live reasonably dignified lives there, and they (Europeans) can be left in peace to carry on becoming extinct.

[SILLYME]

Jast and Jasel,

Thanks for the information, normally I have travel companions who speak the language, you can never be too careful though.

[SILLYME]

I always wanted to check out Russia at least they didn't exploit Africa.

[jast]

Russia is notorious for its xenophobia.

[Jasel]

Russia is arguably one of the most racist countries on the planet. ESPECIALLY for blacks. If you're of African descent I suggest you do NOT go there under ANY circumstances. I'm not exaggerating or trying to be funny. It seriously cares the sh*t out of me when I hear about blacks thinking about going to Russia.

[GravitonX]

The most bizarre thing I've ever read about Russia is the prevalence of neo-Nazi groups in Russia. Given that the war with Nazi Germany probably killed more Russians than all of their other national conflicts combined, and that Slavic people are generally thought of as a inferior race of slaves among Germanic peoples, one has to wonder what history is taught in Russian schools, if any. I would understand strong anti-Nazi Russian skinheads, but neo-Nazi Russian skinheads are as bizarre as a Black being a member of the Ku Klux Klan.

[v eyepete]

Well all this is a bit misleading. The Italians have many quirks and there are many people who we would call rednecks in Italy who barely understand their own history and some how perceive it as solely Italian, something it never was. The Italian peninsula was the first melting pot, with the city of Rome being the melting pot of the melting pot.

On the other hand you will see many mix raced couples on the streets of all the big cities in Italy. No one bats an eye. You will see these outsiders accepted by their Italian families and their children fawned over and goo-gooed at as only Italian grandmas and grandpas and the rest of the population can do. I think what the Italian really wants is the immigration to be legal. Huge numbers of people come in illegally. Many have a hard time, cause huge social problems, and refuse to honor the way the Italians like to do things. Some cause violent crime, which for the most part is not the Italian way. No one wants to lose their culture. You must remember that since the fall of the Roman Empire there have been many outsiders who came to Italy to take it all for themselves. Rejecting that and hanging on to what they have has become part of the Italian genetic structure.

[Jasel]

My sister lived in Italy for 5 months, she's African-American. This is a girl who has traveled to over 40 countries and generally has nothing but good things to say. The only places where she said she had serious problems with the racism were South Africa, Italy, South Korea, and a bit in China. But she said Italians could be particularly racist and obvious of their distaste of blacks.

I've heard maaannny accounts of racist Italians and racist Italians and authorities who seem to particularly look down on Blacks as well as East Asians (usually Chinese). The only country I've heard that seems to be almost as bad in Western Europe is Spain..

[GravitonX]

I would agree with the assessment of Italy, though I would strongly disagree on Spain. Spaniards seem to fall over themselves not to be seen as racist, perhaps because their country is a collection of autonomous ethnic enclaves. I would place France next to Italy on racism issues, especially with respect to persons from the Magreb.

[harriettubman]

That's too bad. Countries don't realize that how foreigners are treated is how word of mouth gets around. And people think racism is just a U.S. issue. NOT!

I've lived in Germany and Japan and have nothing but wonderful memories. I enmeshed myself in the cultures. I visited other countries with no problems either.

I knew Italy had some huge racial issues when they showed this old Italian woman on the news after the search for a new Pope. She said if a black were chosen it "would be the end of the world". I'm like WTH?!!!

However, I will give some of these countries the benefit of the doubt, a little, if many of these people are illegal. Look at the problems we're having in the U.S. with illegal immigration. Also, look at how Houston, TX and Atlanta, GA had an increase in crime after some Katrina victims relocated there. Many of the thugs just carried their behavior with them.

Many of these countries don't know a d*mn thing about other cultures but what they've seen on TV or in a movie and that may have been ALL negative.

[Motorinstructor]

One of the problems mentioned in the article was that the Italians have a low birthrate. This is true of mostly all of the western European countries. Why aren't families having more children in Europe? Don' t they realize that if they don't procreate, they will eventually disappear?
European governments need to encourage their populations to have more children. This is the only assurance that will insure that the various cultures stay intact. Bottom line - you can't blame foreigners from coming to your country to do your work while you insist on becoming extinct.

[Shieldmaiden]

Italy is a depressing place. My best friend is half Italian and half Chinese American. He went to art school in Italy for a few years and he was treated badly. Even his own Italian relatives were r.acist to him. Needless to say he is grateful to be back home.

[klburke]

I know we as a country have many problems, but man am I so happy my parents decided to come here from India and not somewhere else. I have had racial slurs said to me as a kid, but as a whole, my experiences as an immigrant have been great. It is nice to live in a country where your talents are more worthy than the color of your skin. When countires have colonies and take everything they have, they seem at a lost when their former colonists come to inhabit the country they were forced to accomidate. You sow what you reap I guess.

[AContrario]

well said

[dadumdee]

Colonialist countries always leave out the fact that they invaded Africa, exploited the people, stole the natural resources, and made themselves rich. Then, when African's decide to follow the stolen resources, it's a problem. Fate is not without a sense of irony in that way. Its kind of like how all of the historic sexual taboo of interracial sex leads to curiousity which leads to more and more interracial sex. Or like how White flight and suburban sprawl was the American dream until gas hit 3$ a gallon and the 'hood was the place to be. Wait until the former colonial powers' polution and subsequent climate crisises makes only 3rd world countries inhabitable. We'll see how 'anti-immigration' Italy is when Europe is flooded and everybody's boat is sailing from the boot to areas with livable climates. Don't take my word for it....take the CIA's.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2004/feb/22/usnews.theobserver

[GravitonX]

Brilliant.

[akena]

As an African, I am fed up that this argument is continued to be used to this day so long after the end of colonialism. The fact is that Italy is a second world European country with high unemployment and economic and social problems of it's own. I can not smoothly absorb all these desperate, unskilled illegal migrants. The root of the problem is that the current breed of African kleptocracy is bad at good governance and good at that klepto business. They are badly FAILING & SHAMING us. We are the richest continent and the poorest people and after all the resources have been extracted, there will be no development, no progress, nothing to show for it all. It sickens me with despair.

[AContrario]

Well let me see, the IMF and the WB encourage these africans countries to privatize
their economies and lend them money to invest but a big chunk of this money is used
to pay back interests on past debts. What is left to invest?Next to nothing.
So we get a dysfunctional economic system in these countries.

In the meantime,IMFWB's backers(i.e european countries) sell weapons and other
military services to countries with vast natural resources to protects,indirectly their
real investments such as oil and mining companies(BP,Total,etc..)
Although make sure that the rulers get peanuts from the bounty to keep them happy
and make them understand that they need to keep the system running.

So now we have the middle men who are getting any share of the bounty and with
families to feed but who happen to have a bit of authority or weapons.
Well let's ransom the rest of population to get something to eat.

Now if you are at the bottom of the pyramid,with no connections what are your
options? Go abroad so please don't give me this self-righteous BS because you
are now out this system by living in Europe or any other western countries.

[cashaww]

O the irony. Italians, and many Western European countries wanted to divide and conquer Africa. All they did was to exploit Africa, and the Africans for European benefit. Where do you think people are going to go when they migrate? To the wealthier places, which are Western European countries, which exploited them at the start. What is even funnier, is the fact the Italians were never able to conquer ANY African country, but won the right to represent Africans to Europeans. Since the fall of Rome, an Italian Army has not conquered a damn thing. The US is having the same problem. We went in a destroyed, and now the chickens are coming home to roost, to use a phrase.

[SlithyTove]

Actually, they did occupy Ethiopia and Libya for a time in the last century.

[GravitonX]

In their first attempt, the Italians were defeated by a bunch of "spear-throwing" Ethiopians. In the next attempt, they won (for a brief time) but they had to use chemical weapons. Doesn't say much for Italian military prowess. I've always considered their inclusion with the "Great" western nations as somewhat of a token prize for having such a long role in European history, but their time passed many, many centuries ago.

[papapj]

Ethiopia is the only African nation not to have been conquered and colonised..

[Takae]

The photo is rather misleading. :/

[ramal]

Obviously the Italians can look at the Netherlands, France and Belgium and see the problems that wait down the road.

[Dolmance]

I can't understand why Europe would have invited an enormous population of people from a civilization that is diametrically opposed and hostile to everything Europeans stand for. Especially when they could have invited people in need of work from Latin America. Then they'd have had people coming in who worked during the week and spent Saturdays and Sundays frolicking around on the beach wearing string bikinis and contributing greatly to the cultural scene.

Nearly all of Europe's history for the past thousand years has been the story of the West's efforts to keep from being overrun by Saracens and Turks and other Muslims. And now a bunch of leftist hacks in government, when the Western World has experienced it's greatest security ever - have turned those efforts to naught.

[vote-obama]

hypocrites

[montecarlo408]

As a black woman, these kinds of stories depress me. It's like there is nowhere on earth black people can go to feel totally accepted. I would say Africa, but most native Africans hate African-Americans.

[Takae]

I'm not sure about that.

I mean, from what I see of Europe (anecdotally), it's Algerians who bore the brunt of anti-immigrant sentiments in France; Asians (South Asians) in Italy and Spain, and East Asians in Poland and Italy. I know there are more, but those are what I have personally witnessed.

It seems to me black people are a minority, when comparing with those groups. There are black Algerians, of course (a friend of mine is a black French-Algerian), but other Algerians of other ethnicities in France seem to have it worse.

I'm not good at explaining, but it's way different from how it is in the US and Africa as a whole.

[GravitonX]

In the brief period that I was in France, racism against people from the Magreb is incredibly thick. In Germany, it's heavy against the Turks. In Spain, it's, again, heavy towards Morrocans (Magreb), though these people were once part of a group that conquered Spain for several hundred years. In Italy, it's (more Germanic looking) Northern Italy vs. (more Mediterranean looking) Southern Italy, divided more or less as Rome, and strong against Africans, Romanians, Roma, and Arabs.

[Trogenhorse]

Then I would say you are reading the world much too literally. Italians are Europeans and the history of Europe with out siders has not changed. France developed a minister of culture to avoid being "diluted" by American culture! Come on.
The issue seems to be a mix of race and "illegal" something we are dealing with in this country. I dare say we are not in a position to question or condem Italy when we don't have all the answers either.

I think people should spend some time reading about the culture and civilization of these countries first. I would predict that your take will be much less visceral. The Europeans like their CULTURE and the long, long, long. history they have.
In respect to the treatment of the immigrants, I don't think ANYONE should be treated badly. However, I will point out that some states have passed laws very similar to those in the article. My question is why go to Itally? If you are not welcomed why go?

[naturallight]

How bout Atlanta? Detroit? Harlem? North Philly? South Central LA? South Houston? Lower 9th Ward N.O.? Chi-town South Side? Oakland? Jackson Mississippi? and on and on and on...

give it a break would ya. racism stinks, in all colors.

[papapj]

Yeah, and there are chapters of the Black KKK and Blacks only gated communities in all of the cities you cite.

GIVE ME A BREAK, Whites do not know racism, unless they are projecting or practicing it, like you evidently are.

It's about power, otherwise it's prejudice...get it?

[MagisterLudi]

Montecarlo. Two presents for you. You can learn more from these two stories than years of sitting thu' Sunday sermons.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nan-in a Japanese master received a university professor who came to ask about nature of reality.
Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor's cup full, and then kept on pouring.
The professor watched the overflow tea until he no longer could restrain himself. "It is overfull. No more will go in!"
"Like this cup," Nan-in said, "you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you true reality unless you first empty your cup?"
______________________________________________________________________________
Two men were arguing about a flag flapping in the wind.
"It's the wind that is really moving," yelled the first one.
"No, it is the flag that is moving," screamed the second.
A Zen master, who happened to be walking by, overheard the debate and interrupted them. "Neither the flag nor the wind is moving," he said, "It is your MINDS that are moving."

[PuddingPop]

No, most native Africans don't hate Afr-Americans. They look up to them. You've been given false info.

[GravitonX]

Don't believe the hype. America (white) has been spreading contempt for AfricanAmericans (in movies and in personal contact) for nearly a century, unfortunately, with some success, even some AfricanAmericans have come to believe these images about themselves. Fortunately, many see through the plan.