INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Until then, Muslim residents in the Adriatic port town of Monfalcone had lived relatively peacefully for more than 20 years.Addressed to the
Such a positive demographic trend would ordinarily spell good news in a country grappling with a rapidly declining birthrate, but in
Monfalcone, where Cisint has been nurturing an anti-Islam agenda since winning her first mandate in 2016, the rise has not been welcomed.The
outsourcing labour over the past two decades led to a huge inflow of skilled foreign workers, mainly from Bangladesh
The cheaper immigrant workforce far outnumbers Italians, especially during peak periods in the construction of huge cruise
population, according to figures provided by Cisint during an interview with the Observer.Immigration has altered the makeup of the town
There is an array of foreign-owned shops and restaurants, and a network of cycle paths mostly used by Bangladeshis, whose bikes are their
Bullian, a leftwing councillor for thewider Friuli-Venezia Giulia region.View image in fullscreenAnna Maria Cisint Photograph:
right.One of her first policies was to remove the benches in the main square, allegedly because they were mainly used by immigrants
Cisint attempted to limit the number of foreign children in schools, while cricket, popular among Bangladeshis, was scrapped from the sports
lived in Italy for 40 years
Children came for after-school lessons
urban planning rules because the premises was designated for commercial use and not for worship
estimated 8,000 people have protested against the ban
Muslim prayer spaces that are not in mosques
regional administrative court
forced to wear face coverings and walk behind men
She accuses Muslims of not wanting to learn Italian, and if they do the main objective is to obtain citizenship.But at an Italian lesson run
by volunteers, a Muslim woman said it was hard to find places on the classes run by the authority
This article first appeared/also appeared in theguardian.com
