10088 Are we all part of the problem?

the state of emergencey is aimed at the constant flow of boats into the southern islands of Italy with overloaded old wooden fishing boats in general bringing not huge quantities of immigrants from the poorer African areas via libya...again in general...

by declaring a state of emergencey you can look at it in two ways in my mind... one the often quoted xenophobia ... easy label...attached to the new Berlusconi government...because of its Lega coalition or... could be that they are trying to generate funding to try and alleviate or combat the problem...

essentially of the thousands that reach Italy...often being rescued from sinking and overloaded craft by the Italian coast guard ... there are most probably far more that do not reach any destination apart from a sea grave... often being thrown out by unscrupulous body transporters... or being on craft that once the glue dissolves fall to bits....

so if Italy highlights this situation in this way to my mind it is maybe...reiterate maybe going to go a little way to putting pressure on many of these northern African states to take control of the situation and to try at least to put a stop to this continuous assassination of people with little hope and less money who pay vast sums to achieve that dream of arriving in a European destination...

it might also allow the government to put more resources into trying to resolve a tragic humanitarian situation...

Italy is not alone with these problems... i remember before i left the UK many problems with the "dastardely french" allowing the channel ports to become a free for all in regards getting rid of their undesirable immigrants... Spain has at least the same if not worse problems...and are far more vigorous in turning boats back...and some of the med island nations take a very hard stance against letting anyone land at all... just they are not so news worthy,,...

so no i do not see this as us all being part of a problem...nor do i take the view that Italy is a country that does not take its responsibilities seriously in this respect ...but each week seeing bodies of men women and children being landed by coast guard rescue boats and being lined up on the harbour under blankets, skinny feet often poking out the ends of the covers suggest to me that there is an emergencey and something should be done differently

As always, it is the illegal immigrants who are the cause of the problem which is not limited to Italy. France and Spain have a similar situation and nobody knows what to do. IIlegal immigrants are an easy prey for the maffias operating in African ports. These poor people are not only Africans, we can find Chinese, Pakistanis.... many other nationalities who risk their lives to attain the EU dream, and many times, they die miserably in the attempt. A solution?... I don´t think there is an easy one, at least at the moment. I have always advocated that rich nations should help the less fortunate ones to attain decent standards of living so that their nationals will not need to leave their own countries. At least not in huge numbers and in those dreadful conditions....

No of course I wouldn't expect anyone here to [I]admit[/I] to being an illegal alien.

Nor would I expect anyone here to think they were anything other than welcome in Italy.

But if real xenophobia gets a hold, we may well find that the Italians are sick of all immigrants including those from other parts of Europe and the USA.

I wonder if any black British or Americans have sensed a change, or is it all Government posturing and media hype?

I feel very uncomfortable discussing this but in answer to Nielo's question, there was quite a disturbing thread on another forum this summer where an African/American woman described a recent trip to Tuscany. She claims she was openly discrimated against and an one occasion even verbally insulted. The forum has a massive following and a frightening number of respondents posted that they too had had very unpleasant experiences in various parts of Italy, which they were convinced was due to their colour. (I'll see if I can find the link and post it.)
On a lighter note, unless you're born and bred in place you live, you're quite likely to be regarded as a stranieri anyway. I was in the butcher's in Pienza once and the boys behind the counter were having a joke with some old fellow. They made some jokey reference to him being a "foreigner" so I asked cheekily, "you mean he comes from Montepulciano?" And they both chorused, "no Monticchiello!". Monticchiello is a little village about 7/8 km away... And my friends who run a local, ailing business are convinced it's due in no small part to the fact that local people refuse to buy from them. And that their reluctance is because they too are "stranieri". They're from Genoa...

Not perhaps the best thread to post this in - but not worth a thread of its own! This zenophobic diatribe is from today's Times, by Matthew Parris.

[I]"Are Italians the rudest people on the planet? Three times this year, trying to alight from a Tube train, I've been shoved back by stylishly dressed people pushing in to board before the alighting passengers are off: and every time they've been yabbering in Italian. How do we reconcile modern Italy - consumerism, junk television, brand addiction and mindless celebrity worship - with the Italy of Venice, da Vinci, Verdi and the Medicis? Say what you like about our rowdy, beer-swilling English mob but, tattoos and all, they'd have seen through Berlusconi in an instant."[/I]

To take up Violettas post, my 70year old brother in law came to stay earlier this year, he is Asian the family origionally from India. He had the most positive praise for the Italian people ,for their kindness and friendliness to him. From the guard on the train down from Ancona who sat and chatted to him (and did not fine him for not having his ticket stamped), to the people who helped him with his heavy luggage, he is very slight and has a foot brace.
He travelled on public transport up to Urbino, across to Lucca and finally back to Rome.
I am not denying other peoples experiences, but addressing the balance, he met with nothing other than kindness from all the Italians he met.
A

I can only add to what Angie has said. I have always found the Italians very kind and helpful.