Killing of Nigerian refugee shows growing concern over intolerance in Italy

[Tennis]

https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/07/13/...kes-xenophobia

Emmanuel was a 36-year-old Nigerian who came to Italy last year with his wife after both their parents were killed when Boko Haram bombed their church. Emmanuel survived terrorism at home, violence in Libya, and the dangerous sea crossing to Italy. But last week he was beaten to death on the streets of Fermo, a mid-sized town in eastern Italy, in a fight that began when an Italian man called Emmanuel’s wife an “African monkey.”

Emmanuel’s senseless death and his wife’s suffering have prompted a debate about xenophobia and racism in Italy, a country with established immigrant communities that is also among the top five EU countries for asylum applications. The debate is hobbled in part by platitudes – “Italy is not a racist country” – and in part by a lack of reliable data on racist violence.

Yet Italy has a history of failing to respond adequately to hate crimes. Offensive racist language is also commonplace, including by elected officials. Everyone in Italy remembers the terrible occasion in 2013 when then vice president of the Italian senate, Roberto Calderoli, compared Cecile Kyenge, then Italy’s first (and to date, only) black minister, to an orangutan. The lawyer defending the man who fatally attacked Emmanuel complained that parliamentarians throw around the word ‘monkey’. “Surely if these politicians used more restrained language, people without much education wouldn’t feel free to use it”, he remarked.

Language matters because it is a powerful tool for manipulating and influencing perceptions, regardless of the facts. Italians tend to estimate that immigrants constitute about 30 percent of the population, when in fact it’s 8 percent. A recent survey found that 47 percent of Italians believe refugees are “more to blame for crime” than other groups, even though the limited data that does exist shows that between 2004 and 2013, criminal charges against Italians went up while charges against immigrants went down, at a time when the immigrant population more than doubled.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi spoke out quickly after Emmanuel’s murder to condemn xenophobia, and senior members of his government joined the vice president of the European Parliament at Emmanuel’s funeral. Laura Boldrini, president of the lower house of parliament, created a committee “on intolerance, xenophobia, racism and hate” in May

This is incredible troubling. Even in 2016 we still have murders like this just because of someone's race?
Serious action is needed. Like the article states failing to respond adequately is not acceptable. Time to give serious prison time for hate crimes.

[Jonnusthegreat]

It's definitely sad, but seems hardly newsworthy.

[Mister Cheese]

Oh here we fucking go...

Edit: So does this mean BLM is gonna go to Italy now?

[Triggered Fridgekin]

He isn't Syrian so no one will care. That's generally how things go around here anyway. When the Syrian crisis leaked in to the West everyone was all holier than thou while not giving a shit about Africans.

[Tennis]

It's definitely sad, but seems hardly newsworthy.

The murder of an innocent man because of a vicious hate crime isn't newsworthy? Read the article.

[Tempguy]

I think they should be more concerned with terrorists intolerance to their peoples lives.

Unless an Italian killing another is reason to be concerned with intolerance for Italians. Or a thief stealing something is reason to be concerned with intolerance to owned property.

/shrug

People are so fast to break their backs to defend outsiders nowadays but it takes an act of biblical proportions to get them to give lip service to their own populace.

- - - Updated - - -

The murder of an innocent man because of a vicious hate crime isn't newsworthy? Read the article.

It isn't. The only reason it's even reported is cause it was against a refugee. You think other hate crimes just didn't happen?

[Belize]

Wow, so one small group doing something means the entire country must be like that.

Tennis, stop being racist and generalizing an entire population. Gosh, you bigot.


[Infracted]

[Tennis]

Wow, so one small group doing something means the entire country must be like that.

Tennis, stop being racist and generalizing an entire population. Gosh, you bigot.

Nice try.
As the lawyer says " The lawyer defending the man who fatally attacked Emmanuel complained that parliamentarians throw around the word ‘monkey’. “Surely if these politicians used more restrained language, people without much education wouldn’t feel free to use it”, he remarked."

Change starts at the top. Time to expect better from politicians.

[Deleted]

People had enough of immigrants this is whats gonna happen if your lefties dont listen to us and use your brain for once.

There is nothing wrong with taking care of your own people first.


[Infracted]

[Jonnusthegreat]

The murder of an innocent man because of a vicious hate crime isn't newsworthy? Read the article.

I did, and it is filled with anti-free speech rhetoric, so it's not from a source I idolize.

[Tennis]

I did, and it is filled with anti-free speech rhetoric, so it's not from a source I idolize.

Regardless. Don't downplay a serious issue.
As the OP bolded "A recent survey found that 47 percent of Italians believe refugees are “more to blame for crime” than other groups, even though the limited data that does exist shows that between 2004 and 2013, criminal charges against Italians went up while charges against immigrants went down, at a time when the immigrant population more than doubled."

It's clearly much more than just one incident. Xenophobia is on the rise and we should all be worried.

[Techno-Druid]

People had enough of immigrants this is whats gonna happen if your lefties dont listen to us and use your brain for once.

There is nothing wrong with taking care of your own people first.

It was unnecessary beating that man to death. It had nothing even remotely to do with taking care of your countrymen first.

I would actually put more trust in a Nigerian than an Iraqi or Afghan migrant based on my own anecdotal experience with Nigerians and Nigerian-Americans, they tend to be a smarter group of people.

[Deleted]

If we Europeans don't isolate the extremist ideals that some fellow posters have shown and keep on showing so vividly, this is only going to be more frequent.

[Jonnusthegreat]

Regardless. Don't downplay a serious issue.
As the OP bolded "A recent survey found that 47 percent of Italians believe refugees are “more to blame for crime” than other groups, even though the limited data that does exist shows that between 2004 and 2013, criminal charges against Italians went up while charges against immigrants went down, at a time when the immigrant population more than doubled."

It's clearly much more than just one incident. Xenophobia is on the rise and we should all be worried.

I don't think that is xenophobia based on race. It's fear of the unknown. If 100 dudes of unknown background moved into your town it's totally normal to blame the "other" as opposed to "us."

[Serpha]

Fuck me, you can't say anything on these forums in fear of a mod being trigger happy.

[Khaza-R]

Do you seriously do nothing but fish the internet for articles that shine Canada in a good light and every other country in a bad one?

I seriously prefer to believe that you actually are someone devious who wants to make everyone hate Canadians, because the alternative is so incredibly pathetic.

[Deleted]

The murder of an innocent man because of a vicious hate crime isn't newsworthy? Read the article.

Do you plan on making a post about the hundrers that die everyday from famine and desease? Or is that not newsworthy?

[Tempguy]

Do you plan on making a post about the hundrers that die everyday from famine and desease? Or is that not newsworthy?

No, of course not. That doesnt give him the warm feeling in his undies as white knighting immigrants does right now. When the next big liberal agenda gets announced, he will swap over.

I'd personally be impressed if he reports other hate crimes/murders that do not involve a migrant being the victim of a western aggressor. That would be nice.

[GennGreymane]

@Tennisace

What do we need to do!?

[Belize]

@Tennisace

What do we need to do!?

Forcefully diversifying Italy is the only sensible solution!