Since the far-right coalition came to power in Italy, some immigrants and Muslim communities in Italy are feeling anxious and anticipatory, wondering if the racist discourses raised by these parties will turn into policies and measures, or whether they will remain just campaign slogans. consumption, and focus their work on economic and political priorities.
The far-right coalition, which includes the Brothers of Italy, the League and Fort Italia, achieved historic results in Sunday’s elections with 44.1 percent of the vote, most of which went to Fratelli d’Italia. The party is led by Georgia Meloni, who is expected to become the country’s new prime minister.
The vote count showed that Meloni’s party received 26 percent of the vote, the League led by Matteo Salvini 9 percent, and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forward Italia party won the confidence of 8.3 percent of voters.
Some members of Muslim communities are very apprehensive about the rise to power of right-wing parties in Italy, given their positions, which are described as “racist and hostile” and which they express on issues related to Islam, immigration and asylum.
Positions of the extremist alliance
Although the intensity of her statements on these issues decreased during the election campaign, Muslims in Italy recall with dismay the words of the candidate for prime minister to her supporters in October 2019 in Rome, when she said: “We will fight the Islamization of Europe, because we do not intend to become a Muslim continent.
Meloni added: “If you have been offended by the cross, you should not live here. The world is vast and full of Islamic countries where you will not find a cross because Christians are being persecuted and churches are being destroyed. protect these symbols and we will protect our identity. We will defend God and the homeland. And family.. Make decisions”, – referring to the Muslim communities in Italy.
In turn, Salvini, the head of the League of the North, who wants to return to maintaining an internal portfolio, takes an equally tough stance towards the Muslim communities of his country, as he previously stated that “Islam is incompatible with European values”, calling on the EU countries to reconsider their immigration policy.
Data from the Italian National Statistical Office for 2022 shows that the number of foreigners in a European country is 5.2 million, including a significant proportion of Muslims, and this number is 8.3 percent of the total population of a European country, which includes 59 people . million people.
Italy’s official figures show that since 2013 more than 690,000 migrants have arrived by boat, most of them Africans, only a few have managed to obtain residence or asylum documents, while a large number are still undocumented.
The same figures indicate that 500,000 people are living in Italy illegally, including those who have been denied asylum and people with expired visas.
During the current year and until the end of last month, 26,000 people arrived on the island of Lampedusa, as the island represents a gateway for trans-Mediterranean people on their way to the “European dream”.
With a right-wing coalition in power and a comfortable majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate, the fears of migrants and refugees wanting to enter Italy seem legitimate as the number of people is expected to decrease after three parties pledged during their election campaigns to tighten restrictions on immigration policy in Italy and close Italian coasts to migrant ships in the Mediterranean.
A report in the British newspaper The Times earlier said that the victory of the hard-line Brothers of Italy party “would be a nightmare for migrants who dream of reaching Europe via the Mediterranean.”
While Meloni talks about “imposing a naval blockade,” Salvini, who is expected to become Interior Minister, vowed to prevent boats carrying migrants from reaching Italy, as he did earlier when he held the same position between 2018 and for 2019. “I’ve done it before and can’t wait to do it again,” the head of the League says at a rally in Rome, according to the Times.
Fear and expectation
Khaled Shauki, a former member of the Italian parliament and director of the Italian Diplomacy Network, says that Muslim communities lived ahead of the elections under the influence of anticipation and fear of the far right coming to power in Italy, especially in Georgia. Meloni’s party, which has long called for a stricter policy of accepting refugees and immigrants, as a general.
In a statement to the Al-Hurra website, Shawki said Muslim communities and minorities in Italy doubt that populist and discriminatory slogans put forward by the far right will translate into new laws that encourage racial discrimination and disrespect for religious rights. as he put it.
And the former Italian parliamentarian continues that immigrants and Muslims in Italy are waiting for what the coming days will bring, because only they can reveal the extent of the desire of the ruling extreme right to carry out their actions on the ground, pointing out that this issue also remains up to the ministers whom Meloni will elect in the next government.
In this context, he elaborates that the names that will be chosen when forming the government will reveal its further directions, as to whether it will focus on its populist rhetoric or other priorities related to the economic crisis, relations with the European Union and Russia. war in Ukraine.