Chronicles of Ordinary Racism

Chronicles of Ordinary Racism Third White Paper on Racism in Italy Edited by Lunaria 2014 1 English version of Cronache di ordinario razzismo. Terzo libro bianco sul razzismo in Italia, edited by Lunaria, 2014. English translation by Clara Marshall. The book and its English translation have been realized thanks to the support of Fondazione Charlemagne and Open Society Foundations. Chronicles of Ordinary Racism. Third White Paper on Racism in Italy is the result of the collective work realized for Lunaria by Paola Andrisani, Sergio Bontempelli, Guido Caldiron, Serena Chiodo, Daniela Consoli, Giuseppe Faso, Grazia Naletto, Sara Nunzi, Enrico Pugliese, Annamaria Rivera, Maurizia Russo Spena, Duccio Zola. Lunaria is an Italian Association for Social Promotion. It was created in 1992, and since then it is a non governmental body, autonomous from religious and political affiliations and not-profit. Our activities focus on research and action research, training and communication on several social issues such as fair economy, the development of third sector, anti-racism and the study of migration flows, the links between democracy and participation, the importance of informal and non formal education through the promotion of international voluntary service activities. We test new forms of active citizenship and non-violent social change inspired by the principles of justice, solidarity, democracy and, nationally and internationally, the respect of human rights for all. Information and contact: Lunaria, via Buonarroti 39, 00185 Rome, Italy Tel. + 39 06 8841880 Fax +39 06 8841859 [email protected], [email protected] www.lunaria.org, www.cronachediordinariorazzismo.org 2 Table of contents Introduction 5 Setion 1. The political and cultural context 7 A political and moral crisis. Italy caught between national preference 8 and the return of “race” Annamaria Rivera More than Eurosceptic. As Europe feels the crisis, xenophobia takes the polls 21 Guido Caldiron Migration, conflicts and culpable omission 28 Grazia Naletto The crisis, immigrants and the labour market 34 Enrico Pugliese “Migrant” Islam at home. From “differential inclusion” 42 processed to “normative” integration and overt criminalisation Maurizia Russo Spena Roma and Sinti: the everydayness of racism. 56 The “Roma question” after the approval of the National Inclusion Strategy Sergio Bontempelli More of the same. Citizens of Chinese origin in the media’s blind spot. 71 Prato and environs. Giuseppe Faso Discrimination and the law 79 Daniela Consoli Section 2. Migrants and media 88 Media and immigrants: sensationalism or unbiased reporting 89 Serena Chiodo The perverse intermingling of virtual and “viral” hatred 97 Paola Andrisani Continassa: violence feigned and violence suffered 103 Paola Andrisani Fabricated and/or manipulated data 107 Grazia Naletto Kaur and the blue pyjamas 110 Paola Andrisani 3 la Repubblica’s learned hearsay 114 Giuseppe Faso The Pope goes to Lampedusa 117 Duccio Zola Maria and the Roma baby-snatchers 121 Serena Chiodo Cie and beyond: a legitimate uprising 124 Grazia Naletto Section 3. Chronicles of ordinary racism 129 Racism in official statistics 130 Lunaria Chronicles of ordinary racism data 132 Lunaria Racism’s many, endless settings 134 Grazia Naletto The roots of racist imagery 153 Guido Caldiron The Florence massacre 160 Duccio Zola (Un)civil Service 165 Serena Chiodo Alina and the mystery of the Precinct of horrors 169 Paola Andrisani Minister and scapegoat: the case of Cécile Kyenge 172 Duccio Zola The 3 October tragedy 178 Serena Chiodo Education: from “quotas” to “ghetto classes” 182 Serena Chiodo 4 Introduction Almost three years down the line, we have gone back to telling the Tales of everyday racism that define public and social life in our country. We have done so, this time, by casting our sights towards Europe, where last spring’s elections revealed a growing tide of nationalist, xenophobic and populist sentiment. This sentiment has been expertly hijacked by right-wing movements old and new and has also provided inspiration for factions and parties presenting themselves as more cautiously conservative, centre, or free from political alliance. It has gathered momentum effortlessly, thanks largely to the protracted economic, social and democratic crisis that shows no sign of abating. It feeds on the frailty of shortsighted institutional policies towards migrants, refugees and Roma. It becomes entangled in a cultural model – shaped by decades of neoliberal hegemony – based on individualism, competition and the scientific destruction of all collective antibodies that are seen to deviate from the dominant ideology. It frequently conceals class conflict and social inequality, penetrating the where and when of everyday life. Growing inequality among “national citizens”, against an international background of war and instability, seems to make the fight against discrimination and racism increasingly complex. Italy is no exception. Since September 2011, we have witnessed three governments come and go, one general election, a number of political figures caught up in internal crises, others – more recent arrivals – swiftly monopolizing public debate. Since Mario Monti took over, institutional discourse is no longer unashamedly riddled with racist rhetoric, as was the case when the Northern League was part of the government. This said, some incredibly tragic events have taken place in the last three years. Events such as the fire in the Continassa in Turin, the killings in Florence in December 2011 or the burning of the Poggioreale Roma camp in March 2014. On 16 April 2012, Alina Bonar Diachuk somehow managed to commit suicide in a police station in Villa Opicina. On 30 April 2014, Abdel Majid El Kodra died after eight months of agony. He had fallen off the roof of the Cie (identification and expulsion camp) in Gradisca, in as of yet unexplained circumstances, during a detainee protest that was violently suppressed by the police. Images of the anti-scabies treatment that “guests” of the Cpsa (first aid and reception centre) in Lampedusa are subjected to were broadcast around the world in December 2013. Cécile Kyenge experienced racism in its coarsest, most vulgar form. Her only crime? Being the first “black” Minister of the Republic, at a time when xenophobic and racist propaganda had found renewed popularity and distribution on the web and on social networks. Organs of the press who have chosen to completely ignore the most basic rules of professional ethics have been allowed to continue unhindered, save for isolated condemnation from a handful of organisations. 5 Meanwhile, the Mediterranean continues to claim bodies. And it is hard (at least for us) not to attribute this in large part to the choices of national and European institutions. Long- awaited new laws regulating entry and residency in our country failed to materialise after the end of the Berlusconi government. Not even a proposed law on citizenship, which recieved substantial support from civil society. Physical and verbal aggression, hate speech and damage to the symbolic places or property of migrants, regularly registered foreign citizens, refugees and Roma are still everyday occurrences. Anti-semitic and anti-Muslim sentiment inspires violence and acts of vandalism, and is often picked up by widely respected authorities. In the following chapters, we will discuss these and other topics. This study is the result of the daily monitoring, reporting, information and awareness-raising work that Lunaria undertakes on the www.cronachediordinariorazzismo.org blog. Our contributions to this publication are based on 2566 cases of discrimination and racially motivated violence recorded on an online database between 1 September 2011 and 31 July 2014, and on daily analysis of the public, institutional and media debate. 6 Section 1 The political and cultural context 7 A political and moral crisis. Italy caught between national preference and the return of “race” Annamaria Rivera In memory of Walter Peruzzi incisive, obstinate and farsighted critic of false myths and of the inanity of the “left wing’s rib” Racism and the economic crisis It has become common practice to refer to the current protracted cycle of economic and financial crisis to explain the growing incidence of racism in many European countries. This is certainly not an unfounded assumption, as clearly a large portion of the continent, affected by a structural crisis, is witnessing an expansion in what can euphemistically be termed the area of intolerance. Equally evident is the fact that this expansion has encouraged the advent or success of political movements with platforms that are xenophobic, racist, identity-based, nationalist and/or broadly populist, which in turn has served to legitimise and enhance many different forms of intolerance. There are other factors, however, which conspire to produce this effect. For instance, the fact that the European Union encourages a sort of armed nationalism in defence of its external borders has led to the death of a horrifying number of refugees and migrants and has also indirectly contributed to the rise of “patriotic” or ethnic nationalism, and consequently of right wing movements. It should therefore come as no surprise that, across the continent, instances of hatred and rejection are most commonly directed at Roma, Sinti and Camminanti communities, populations that represent the highest embodiment, symbolically at least, of the refusal to aknowledge borders and frontiers.

Load more