This article comes from the Global Desk, a collaboration between The Gazelle, WSN and On Century Avenue. Read more by searching ‘global.’ FLORENCE, Italy — Prior to beginning her semester abroad in Italy, NYU Florence freshman Erica Paige inquired about race relations in Italy, concerned that she would be singled out because of the color of her skin. A Florentine told Paige, “Italy is not that racist compared to how it gets in other European countries.” However, Paige found that race discrimination is still present in the gaze of some locals. “People will stare at dark-skinned people with mild aversion with the thought that they might be in the presence of an African refugee,” said Paige. “I haven’t seen dislike for immigrants escalate to any form of physical action; people just glower at them or say something out of ignorance.” At the Inside American Politics conference at NYU Florence, U.S. ambassador to Italy John Phillips responded to concerns about the protection of immigrants in Italy. “Twelve to thirteen million dollars are spent a month to save these people. And many are not staying in Italy,” said Phillips. Kathryn Lum, a research fellow at the Migration Policy Centre of the European Institute, suggested that Italy is struggling to form an identity due to the results of globalization and immigration. “As Italy's foreign-born population has grown, so too has resistance to these new Italians and the idea of Italy as a culturally diverse nation. Many Italians are fearful of immigrants,” said Lum. “... only a portion of these refugees actually remain in Italy, with many preferring to apply for refugee status in other European countries. The recent violent protests on the outskirts of Rome against a refugee shelter for minors, shows that a significant number of Italians link immigration to crime, insecurity and incivility.” Unification came late for the Italians. Since the fall of the Roman Empire, Italy was sectioned into either city-states or foreign-ruled territories. The Risorgimento, in which the different states unified to become the Kingdom of Italy in 1861, nationalism and an imperialistic spirit that ushered in the Fascist party following World War I. The Second World War brought destruction to the country; entire cities were leveled with the Allies’ trek up Italy, the boot of Europe. Southern Italy and Sicily, already struggling, faced much of the destruction. Northern Italy is known for its industrialism, while the South is much more rural, which tends to create an economic imbalance and the damage from the fighting forced the southern economy into a recession. To this day, there is a major inequality between the two regions. This relationship has made it difficult for the two areas to identify as a unified state. With this background of disunity, Italy is further challenged by immigration. Since the dawn of the 21st century, many immigrants have crossed the Mediterranean to come to Italy, from regions ranging from North Africa to the Horn, Asia and Eastern Europe. Around 5 million migrants reside Italy, making up over 7 percent of the country’s total population, according to the International Organization for Migration. Unrest in the Middle East and the Arab Spring has caused thousands to seek asylum in Italy, but this pursuit has become deadly. Many attempt the journey across the Mediterranean Sea in small boats that often capsize. In October 2013, a dinghy carrying close to 500 people from nations across Africa overturned near the Italian island of Lampedusa, resulting in over 350 deaths. Since then, the Italian government has implemented Operation Mare Nostrum, now discontinued, a government initiative aimed at patrolling the Mediterranean sea lanes between the Italian and African coasts and combating illegal activities like human trafficking. Immigrants from Asia also make up a large portion of the recent wave of migration to Italy, with many seeking jobs in Italy’s garment industry. The textile industry is based in the northern city of Prato, where Asian immigrants, particularly those of Chinese origin, make up about 15 percent of the population. With cheap labor forcing many Italians out of Prato’s garment business as well as those suffering in the hard-hitting recession, the growing Asian population is often seen with contempt. In 2007, a minor dispute between a Chinese street merchant and an Italian traffic warden in Milan resulted in a full-blown riot through Chinatown over Italian discrimination. NYU freshman and Italian citizen from Milan, Alice Centamore, said that from her personal experience, the problem does not necessarily lie with the older generation. “Unlike what you might think though, young Italians are the ones having trouble accepting immigrants and praising diversity,” said Centamore. Several students of Asian descent at NYU Florence reported that they have been jeered at by locals, often accompanied by the assumption that the students were Chinese. While these occurrences did not involve profanity, the students felt personally offended that people would assume their ethnicity based on their outward appearance. “Xenophobia has grown due to rising numbers of migrants and refugees. Both political parties and the Italian press have contributed to rising levels of xenophobia,” said Lum. According to Lum, one of these political parties is the Liga Nord. “[Liga Nord’s] main electoral platform is anti-immigrant and xenophobic… keeping immigration on the political agenda, organising anti-immigration rallies, and consistently promoting the message that immigration is a threat to local, regional identities, and often incompatible, in the case of Muslim migration, with the Italian way of life,” said Lum. Mario Balotelli, an Italian born to Ghanaian parents who is the newest addition to Liverpool, emerged in recent years as a rising star in Italian football. However, he has endured racism from his own countrymen as well as other nations. Many now hope that Liverpool will be a new start for Balotelli. Piara Powar, the director of Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE), stated that if Balotelli is successful in Liverpool, he “could change Italy or significantly contribute to changing Italy single-handedly.” Given the state at which Italy is in now, he has a lot of work to do. This past month, Carlo Tavecchio, the President of the Italian Football Federation, was banned for six months due to racist comments he made in July. Berlusconi, Italy’s previous prime minister, urged by the Liga Nord party, pushed for the passage of several anti immigration laws. The most notable of these known as the Pacchetto Sicurezza, or the Security Package, passed in 2009. “[The Pacchetto Sicurezza makes] illegal entry into Italy a penal crime, punishable with a fine from 5000 to 10000 Euro, and introduced tougher rules on irregular migrants and those who deal with them, such as landlords and money transfer services. It also extended the length of time that migrants could be detained in a CIE [Centri di Identificazione e Espulsione], up to a period of eighteen months,” said Lum. Matteo Renzi, Italy’s new prime minister, has promised that immigration is a top priority under his administration, and he has proposed a common policy towards those seeking asylum throughout the European Union. At NYU Florence’s Inside American Politics conference, U.S. ambassador Phillips suggested that immigration and racism in Italy should be addressed by wider Europe. “Europe has not stepped up to recognize this as a European problem by providing resources. Europe needs to step up. And I think they will,” said Phillips. Besides the Mare Nostrum program, Lum said that, “Renzi has also proposed introducing a modified form of ius soli or citizenship based on birth, to the Italian-born children of migrants who have completed at least two cycles of school in Italy- primary and middle school. Italy´s current citizenship law obliges Italian-born children of foreign extraction to wait until their 18th birthday before then can apply for naturalisation. Although there is strong resistance to changing the law from the Lega and NCD [Nuovo CentroDestra], as well as ambiguity in the Cinque Stelle party, Berlusconi has indicated that he is willing to support this proposal.” With immigrants making up 7.4% of the Italian population as of this year and more coming everyday, the Italian government has been ramping up efforts to accommodate this modern exodus, yet it is unclear whether the Italian public is ready to move forward as well. This article was written by Gabriella Butler. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Kaitlyn Morrell