Italy

They come in boats that sink

Immigration to Italy – Media Scares

Thanks to the power of the right wing media, most Italians are completely freaked out about immigration. Boatloads of Africans and Arabs are arriving clandestinely every night off the coast of Sicily and the newspapers report every day about the thefts, murders and rapes committed by the newcomers. Italians worry about losing their jobs and it doesn’t help that a new law allows all those who have been in the country for 5 years to apply for citizenship.

It’s also complete hypocrisy of course as new arrivals are made to work in Italy’s agriculture in the south in conditions of slavery and landlords take advantage of them to charge extortionate rents for decrepit apartments. The immigrants rarely insist upon their rights as they’re terrified of being deported and having to attempt the dangerous journey again. Boats sink all the time around Sicily.

The immigrants that you see on the street are very often Senegalese, men and women so black they shine and they’re usually to be found selling clothes, watches, sun glasses and fake Louis Vitton bags on the street. They’re cool, collected and stick together in large groups wherever they set up pitch.

There are also large numbers of Indians who are finding their way into Italy’s economy, also selling on the street or running internet/phone centers on a tight margin. There are also many Moroccans and Arabs from North Africa but in contrast to somewhere like Spain, they seem to be mixing a good deal more with the locals and it’s not uncommon to see mixed Italian/Arab couples.

To the East of the country can be found Albanians and other East European immigrants. These get the worst rap of all, suffering the ill fame of their country for exporting gangsters and crooks.

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