The party success in recent elections in Italy has been largely due to its demonising foreigners, and rolled out a decree for a crackdown to that effect. In fact the champion of that crusade Matteo Salvini, in his populist agenda talks and dream immigration in his sleep everyday. He even created in his head what he now refers to as “Mafia Nigeriani!” (Nigerian Mafias) as part of this agenda.
Foreigners in Italy are now used to the antics of Salvini and his clan of anti-immigration so much little or no attention is paid to their grandstanding, mudsling and often times racial diatribes.
However, the macabre dance of the clan took a bizarre tone recently when one of their own in local police uniform (Polizia Municipale) slapped €350 fine on a Nigerian who daily sweeps the town of Venezia Metre to keep it clean.
The Police who issued the fine to the 29-year-old Nigerian by the name Monday accused him of “flagrantly cleaning the area without council authorisation.”
It was the intervention of a local lawyer, Matteo D’Angelo, who launched an appeal online to help pay the fine that extricated Monday from the jaws of the authorities in Venezia Mestre.
Mr D’Angelo said that punishing Monday for keeping the streets clean was absurd. “It’s an injustice, this man was doing a civic duty. He deserves encouragement, not punishment.”
On Facebook, Mr D’Angelo wrote that Monday had swept up “leaves that block the drains every time it rains, cigarette butts and all the rubbish that we civilised citizens throw on the ground, and the dog s— that owners fail to clear up. Woe betide a poor chap who tries to integrate himself.”
Following D’Angelo’s intervention, there was an outcry which prompted the municipal authorities to quickly withdraw the fine. How low can this persecution of migrants get – is Italy back to the F…. era?
