I... I can't... What the fuck is this shit?
So, most of you know this but for those I'm half-Italian on my mom's side. She was born in Cosenza, in Calabria, which is hard by your Sicily. It's the top of the foot of the Boot of Italy, if you will.
Like all the affiliations in my life, I'm extremely proud to be Italian, but this? This is ridiculous. For those of you who don't want to read, allow me to sum up;
The Northern League - the ruling Centre-Right party in Italy and a major opponent of anything 'foreign' (read; not French, Swiss, Austrian or Peninsular Italian)* - has supported a ban on 'ethnic food' being sold in a village called Lucca. From Lucca, this ban has spread across Lombardy, all the way to Milan. Restaurants which sell 'ethnic' food - Kebab, Donair, etc. - cannot be opened in the region because of these laws. There is confusion, however, over what is meant by ethnic; a representative on the Lucca council said that French restaurants would be allowed, but was unsure about Sicilian food, as it was influenced by Arabs during the conquest in the 10th and 11th Centuries.
Let that one sink in, for a bit, if you will.
While you do, I'll provide some quotes from the article:
"Luca Zaia, the Minister of Agriculture and a member of the Northern League from the Veneto region, applauded the authorities in Lucca and Milan for cracking down on non-Italian food."
"Davide Boni, a councillor in Milan for the Northern League, which also opposes the building of mosques in Italian cities, said that kebab shop owners were prepared to work long hours, which was unfair competition."
Yeah, you read those right.
Now, I'm going to say something that I've never said before and I never thought that I would ever say, but this? This stupid, racist, reactionary horse shit? This makes me ashamed to be an Italian. Hugely ashamed.
*Now, for those of you wondering why the French, Swiss and Austrians gets special treatment and why Peninsular Italians are mentioned specifically, allow me to explain. Il Lega Nord claims that they represent Northern and Central Italy, which is pretty much everything north of Campania and Apulia (the ankle and heel of the Boot). These parts were, at various times, owned by the French and Austrians. The Swiss, by virtue of bordering Lombardy, are also a huge influence on Lombard culture. ILN got it's start in Lombardy, so they're cool with the foreign influences of Italy's northern neighbours, but not the southern ones.
Like all the affiliations in my life, I'm extremely proud to be Italian, but this? This is ridiculous. For those of you who don't want to read, allow me to sum up;
The Northern League - the ruling Centre-Right party in Italy and a major opponent of anything 'foreign' (read; not French, Swiss, Austrian or Peninsular Italian)* - has supported a ban on 'ethnic food' being sold in a village called Lucca. From Lucca, this ban has spread across Lombardy, all the way to Milan. Restaurants which sell 'ethnic' food - Kebab, Donair, etc. - cannot be opened in the region because of these laws. There is confusion, however, over what is meant by ethnic; a representative on the Lucca council said that French restaurants would be allowed, but was unsure about Sicilian food, as it was influenced by Arabs during the conquest in the 10th and 11th Centuries.
Let that one sink in, for a bit, if you will.
While you do, I'll provide some quotes from the article:
"Luca Zaia, the Minister of Agriculture and a member of the Northern League from the Veneto region, applauded the authorities in Lucca and Milan for cracking down on non-Italian food."
"Davide Boni, a councillor in Milan for the Northern League, which also opposes the building of mosques in Italian cities, said that kebab shop owners were prepared to work long hours, which was unfair competition."
Yeah, you read those right.
Now, I'm going to say something that I've never said before and I never thought that I would ever say, but this? This stupid, racist, reactionary horse shit? This makes me ashamed to be an Italian. Hugely ashamed.
*Now, for those of you wondering why the French, Swiss and Austrians gets special treatment and why Peninsular Italians are mentioned specifically, allow me to explain. Il Lega Nord claims that they represent Northern and Central Italy, which is pretty much everything north of Campania and Apulia (the ankle and heel of the Boot). These parts were, at various times, owned by the French and Austrians. The Swiss, by virtue of bordering Lombardy, are also a huge influence on Lombard culture. ILN got it's start in Lombardy, so they're cool with the foreign influences of Italy's northern neighbours, but not the southern ones.