A town in northern Italy has banned cricket. The decision initiated by its mayor who perceives the sport and the Bangladeshi immigrants playing it as foreign and incompatible with local culture.
According to a report by the BBC Monfalcone has officially prohibited the sport and imposed fines of up to €100 for those found playing cricket within the town’s limits. This ban has emerged as a representation of the broader ethnic tensions in Monfalcone.
With a population of approximately 30,000 which is nearly a third of Monfalcone’s residents are foreigners primarily Bangladeshi Muslims who arrived in the late 1990s to work at a major shipyard.
The cultural landscape of the town has been transformed by Bangladeshi restaurants, halal shops and a series of cycle paths frequented by the South Asian community.
Mayor Anna Maria Cisint, affiliated with former Prime Minister Matteo Salvini’s far-right Lega party, has campaigned on an anti-immigration platform and aims to “protect local culture” and “Christian values.”
“Our history is being erased,” she expressed to the BBC.
Miah Bappy, a Bangladeshi migrant worker at Italy’s largest shipyard, Fincantieri, shared with the BBC that he and his fellow countrymen are compelled to play cricket on the outskirts of the city.
Bappy noted that playing within Monfalcone would lead to immediate police intervention. He recounted a recent incident where Bengali teenagers were fined after being caught on security cameras while playing in a local park.
However the cricket ban represents only a fragment of a larger anti-immigrant crackdown spearheaded by the mayor. Throughout her two terms, Cisint has removed benches from the town square and criticized the attire of Muslim women at the beach.
Tensions intensified when Cisint allegedly banned collective prayer at the town’s two Islamic centers, citing urban planning issues. She has also accused the Bangladeshi community of encouraging Islamic fundamentalism.
Regarding the cricket ban, Cisint told the BBC that the Bangladeshi community has made no contributions to the city and should play elsewhere. She contended that there is no space or funds to create a cricket pitch and raised safety concerns over cricket balls.
