BBCA group of Bangladeshi friends are practicing their baseball skills on a small piece of masonry while the sun is scorching on the Adriatic coast of Italy.
They are playing on the fringes of Monfalcone, near to Trieste Airport, because the president has in effect forbid them from doing so in the city itself.
They say those who try can face fines of up to €100 ( £84 ).
” If we were playing inside Monfalcone, the officers would have already got around to stop us”, says staff captain Miah Bappy.
He mentions a group of Bengali teenagers who were” caught” playing their country’s national sport in a nearby park. Their game was ended by a police patrol who fined them because they were n’t aware that security cameras were being used to record them.
” They say bowling is not for Italy. But I’ll tell you the truth: it’s because we are europeans”, Miah says.
The restrictions on baseball serves as a metaphor for the deep seated conflicts that are roiling in Monfalcone.
The city has an cultural make-up distinct in Italy: of a population of just over 30, 000, almost a third are immigrants. The majority of them are Muslims from Bangladesh who started building massive cruise ships in the late 1990s.
In effect, according to president Anna Maria Cisint, who is a member of the far-right League group, the social nature of Monfalcone is in risk.
She seized the opportunity to “protect” her city and uphold Christian values after winning the election for president due to anti-immigration attitude.
” Our story is being erased”, she tells me. ” It’s like it does n’t matter anymore. All is deteriorating in a negative way.
Italians in American clothing interact with Bangladeshis wearing shalwar kameez and veils in Monfalcone. A network of cycle paths, which are mostly used by the South Eastern society, is present, along with Bangladeshi restaurants and kosher stores.
Ms. Cisint has rebuffed what Muslim women wearing at the beach and removed the seats in the village square where Bangladeshis used to relax during her two terms in office.
” There’s a very powerful method of Islamic fundamentalism around”, she says. ” A society where people oppress and treat people badly.”
The president claims there is no money or space to create a new ball and that cricket balls pose a threat when it comes to her restrictions on cricket.
She claimed that Bangladeshis are denied the right to execute their country’s national sport and that they offer “nothing in return.”
” They’ve given nothing to this town, to our society. Zero”, she says. ” They are free to go and play cricket anywhere else … outside of Monfalcone”.
The president has received death threats because of her opinions on Muslims- and that’s why she’s then under 24-hour police security.
Miah Bappy and his brother batsmen have relocated to Italy to construct boats at the Fincantieri factory, which is one of the largest in the world and one of the biggest in Europe.
The mayor accuses the business of “wage dumping,” which is the practice of paying wages lower than the market, frequently to foreign workers, while claiming that because the company’s salaries are so small no Roman may want to do the same amount of work for the same amount of money.
However, the shipyard’s director, Cristiano Bazzarra, insists that the company’s and its architects ‘ salaries are in compliance with Roman law.
” We are not able to get trained staff. He claims that it’s very hard for young people in Europe to operate in shipyards.
Italy has one of the lowest birth rates in Europe. Last year just 379, 000 babies were born in Italy with an average of 1.2 children per woman.
Italy is also experiencing labor shortfalls, and according to experts, it will need 280, 000 overseas staff annually until 2050 to make up for a declining labor force.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who leads the far-right Brothers of Italy, has increased the number of grants for non-EU staff despite previously saying she wanted to reduce emigration.
But Anna Maria Cisint firmly believes that the way of living of the Bangladeshi Muslim community is “incompatible” with the existence of native-born Italians.
The tensions in Monfalcone reached a brain when the president in effect forbade group prayer at the two Islamist centers in the city.
The president claims that” a large number of folks are praying in the two Islamist centers in just one building” after “people from the city started sending me stunning photos and videos.
” There are so many scooters left on the road, and loud prayers five days a moment- even at day”.
Mayor Cisint claims that this was cruel to the area’s residents and that the city’s ban on social prayer is related to industrial planning regulations. She claims it’s certainly her job to provide the Muslim centers because they are not intended for religious worship.
Due to the difficulty of constructing places of worship, Islam is not one of the 13 official religions that are recognized by European law.
Bangladeshis in Monfalcone claim that the president’s choice has had a significant influence on the Sunni population.
” The president thinks that Bengalis are trying to Islamify Italy- but we are really minding our own company”, says 19-year-old Meheli. She was born and raised in Dhaka, Bangladesh, but raised in Italy and grew up in Western clothing. She speaks Italian fluently.
She claims that her Bengali identity has caused her to face harassment and swear swearing in public.
Miah Bappy is hopeful that his Roman card will be issued this year, but he is unsure whether he will stay in Monfalcone.
” We do n’t cause any trouble. We pay fees”, says the port employee. ” But they do n’t want us here”.
The president believes the way of living of the Bangladeshi area is “incompatible” with the existence of local born Italians.
However, Miah Bappy points out that if they all left their respective countries tomorrow, “it would consider the port five years to build a second ship.”
A local court overturned the town council’s decision to forbid shared prayer over the summer.
But Monfalcone’s president has vowed to continue her campaign against what she calls” the Islamisation of Europe” beyond Italy.
She has now been chosen to represent the EU in a debate in Brussels.
Bob Howard provided further monitoring.