Italian councillor takes aim at Rosa Parks’ legacy
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In a piece of news from Italy last week, Milan town councillor, Matteo Salvini, suggested that public transport seats in Milan should be reserved for Italians only. I would not usually give this type of story any attention, other than to ridicule it for the short-sighted, unworkable and frankly racist policy that it clearly is. However the policy’s nature draws such incredible parallels to an incident that shaped civil rights that it becomes hard to ignore.
I am referring, of course, to the action of Rosa Parks, who, in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1942, refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. And of course, the rest is history, sparking a civil rights movement that culminated in last year’s historic election of Barack Obama as the country’s first African-American President.
One wonders if Salvini considered this before making his ludicrous announcement. There are a few key elements people need to consider when making extreme right-wing policies. Firstly, tap into people’s fears - the potential evil that comes with the strange and unknown. Secondly, create a siege mentality - the implication that ‘we’ are being overrun by a foreign enemy. And thirdly, and perhaps crucially, cite precedent - where things have gone wrong in the past.
Unfortunately for Salvini, he got this third point rather muddled. When citing precedent, whatever you do, DON’T use the example of the most successful and evocative equal rights move in history.
Since his statement, Salvini’s plan has been slated as “racist”, “odious” and compared to the laws of former fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini. Perhaps not the reaction he would’ve wanted.
The reaction reflects that the world will no longer stand for this type of segregation. While it may sadden her that these views still exist, Rosa Parks must be looking down on the world and smiling that this type of policy will never again be allowed to pass.
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