In the coastal town of Monfalcone, located in the north-east Italya decision of the mayor Anna Maria Cisint sparked a major controversy by banning the large Bangladeshi community cricketthe national sport of their home country.
This ban, which at first glance may seem simple sports problembrought to light tensions deeper linked to immigration, THE identify cultural and social values in a city that has undergone a demographic transformation over the past two decades.
Monfalcone, a city with a population of just over a little over 30,000 inhabitantsis a unique case in Italy. About a third of its inhabitants are foreigners, the majority of whom come from Bangladesh.
The arrival of these immigrants began in the 90s, when the shipyard Fincantieri, one of the largest in Europe, needed labor for the construction of cruise ships. Bangladeshis settled in the city, transforming its social and cultural landscape.
Today, the Bangladeshi community is not only essential to the local economy, but has also contributed to the cultural diversity of the place, with halal restaurants, shops. However, this increasing diversity has not been well received by everyone.
Anna Maria Cisintbelonging to the Italian far right and a member of the League party, was elected mayor in 2016 with a program focused on fighting immigration. Since coming to power, he has implemented several measures that, according to his critics, aim to reverse demographic and cultural change In Monfalcone, rather promoting a strong defense of “Christian values” and the Italian identity.
Cricket Ban
One of the most recent and visible examples of this tension has been the banning of cricket, a sport popular among the Bangladeshi community. According to the BBC, The mayor alleged that the city does not have the space or resources to build a field suitable for the sport and that Cricket balls pose safety risk in public parks.
However, members of the Bangladeshi community see the ban as discriminatory and another attempt to marginalise them.
Miah Bappythe captain of a local cricket team, said in statements to BBC: “They tell us that cricket is not for Italy, but the truth is that they don’t want foreigners to play it.” According to Bappy, his team and other players have been fined by the police for trying to play in public spaces. The situation is made worse because, filmed by security cameras, they have no way of escaping the fines.
Some of the Bengali Cricket Teams
For some time now, and under pressure, the Monfalcone cricket team and other teams in the area have started playing their matches on the Begliano sports field, which the Municipality of San Canzian d’Isonzo and the Asd Triestina Isontino have made twenty teams made up of available Bangladeshi players.
Deeper tensions
Cricket has become a symbol of the deepest tensions in Monfalcone. Mayor Cisint says immigration has endangered the town’s cultural identity and that the cricket is just one example of how Foreign customs supplant Italian traditions.
“Our history is being erased,” Cisint said, saying her mission is to protect Christian values and the Italian way of life. She sees the growth of the Bangladeshi community, which is predominantly Muslim, as a threat to those values.
In addition to banning cricket, Cisint implemented other controversial measures that affected the immigrant community. For example, he removed benches from the main square, a place where Bangladeshis used to gather.
Cisint also criticized the traditional clothing of Muslim women and restricted the use of such swimsuits that conform to Islamic religious norms.
For the Bangladeshi community, these decisions have been a hard blow. Even though many of them have been in Monfalcone for years and contribute to the local economy, they do not feel welcome.
According to the BBC, Miah Bappy, a shipyard worker who will soon obtain Italian citizenship, expressed his frustration: “We don’t cause problems. We pay taxes. But they don’t want us here.”
However, not all the population of Monfalcone agrees with the mayor’s position. Enrico Bullianleft-wing councilor of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, stressed that the city would face a serious demographic crisis without the contribution of the immigrant community. “Without the foreign community, Monfalcone would become a ghost town,” he warned.
Other controversies of Cisint
The cricket ban is not the mayor’s only controversial move. In November 2023, Cisint banned congregational prayers at the city’s two Islamic cultural centers, arguing that the premises were not intended for religious purposes and that the large numbers of people gathering there created security concerns.
Bou KonateThe president of one of the Islamic associations, said the ban not only affected the right to religious freedom, but also deprived the community of a space where people could meet, socialize and offer classes to children.
The decision, Konate said, was a “defining moment” for the community, which decided to appeal the ruling in court. Eventually, a regional court overturned the ban, allowing the community to resume collective prayers.
In addition, Cisint promoted a number of policies aimed at restricting the presence of immigrants in local schools and advocated limiting family reunification, a policy that allowed many Bangladeshis to bring their relatives to Monfalcone.
One of his first decisions as president of the city council was to impose a limit of 45% of foreign students in schools, leaving 76 children without classes. He claims to have sought to avoid the creation of “ghettos” and the migration of Italian families to other schools. The measure, supported by Matteo Salvinithen interior minister, sparked controversy because the education minister advocated inclusion.
An uncertain future
The tensions in the city reflect a wider debate across Europe over immigration, identify and the integration. In the case of Monfalcone, the future of the Bangladeshi community and the viability of the mayor’s policies will continue to be hot topics in the years to come.
With increasing media attention and support from far-right parties nationally and internationally, Cisint appears determined to broaden her campaign.
Recently elected to European ParliamentThe mayor promises to continue to fight against what she considers to be the “Islamization of Europe”Meanwhile, immigrant communities in Monfalcone, like those in Bangladesh, will continue to face a climate of growing hostility.
