Why has a tiny town in Italy banned cricket?

A tiny town in Italy has banned cricket.

That’s right. Cricket.

The far-right mayor of the town of Monfalcone claims she has done so to protect the culture of the area and that immigrants offer ‘nothing in return.’

But what happened?

Let’s take a closer look:

Cricket has been banned by the town of Monfalcone off Italy’s Adriatic coast, as per BBC.

The town, which has a population of just over 30,000 has seen its make-up change over the past few decades.

Since the 1990s, many immigrants, most of them Bangladeshi Muslims, have flocked to Monfalcone in search of work.

The town, home to the state-owned firm Fincantieri, is known for being a hub for building giant cruise ships, as per The Guardian.

The firm is known for employing skilled foreign workers particularly from Bangladesh.

As a result of the influx, almost a third of the town are foreigners.

Which, according to Mayor Anna Maria Cisint, is a problem.

“Our history is being erased,” Cisint told BBC. “It’s like it doesn’t matter anymore. Everything is changing for the worse.”

But what does cricket have to do with anything?

Cisint has said the town does not have the funds to build a new cricket pitch.

She argues that cricket balls are a danger to the public.

As per WION, those found playing cricket can be fined as much as $111.

Miah Bappy, a shipyard worker and captain of a team that has taken to playing on the outskirts of the city, told _BBC, “_If we were playing inside Monfalcone, the police would have already got here to stop us.”

But scratch the surface and other reasons emerge.

‘Offer nothing in return’

Cisint in 2022 won reelection on an anti-immigration platform.

As pe_r The Guardian_, she is backed by Matteo Salvini’s League party, and by Brothers of Italy led by the Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni.

She claims she is on a mission to “protect” her town and defend Christian values.

Cisint also told BBC the migrants offer “nothing in return”.

“They’ve given nothing to this city, to our community. Zero,” Cisint said. “They are free to go and play cricket anywhere else… outside of Monfalcone.”

Cisint is taking things even further.

She told BBC she believes the Bangladeshi Muslims are “incompatible” with Italians.

Cisint previously banned collective prayer at the town’s two Islamic centres.

“People from the town started sending me shocking photos and videos which showed a huge number of people praying in the two Islamic centres: as many as 1,900 in just one building,” she claimed.

“There are so many bikes left on the pavement, and loud prayers five times a day – even at night.”

Cisint has also removed the benches in the town square the immigrants would sit on.

She also railed against the attire donned by Muslim women at the beach.

Bou Konate, president of the Daarus Salaam Muslim cultural association, told The Guardian Cisint’s campaign has had ‘an enormous impact’

“We had been praying peacefully here for over 20 years. But this was not only a place for prayer – people came to meet, chat. Children came for after-school lessons. There are many Islamic cultural centres across Europe where you can pray, and nobody prevents it,” Konate added.

But Cisint defended herself.

“I didn’t say ‘close down and you must not pray’,” Cisint told the Observer. “The space was being used in a distorted way – it was a mosque. They need to respect the laws.”

‘They don’t want us here’

The Bangladeshis say they are being targeted.

“The mayor thinks that Bengalis are trying to Islamify Italy – but we are just minding our own business,” 19-year-old Meheli, told BBC.

Bappy told the outlet “it would take the shipyard five years to build a single ship” if the community leaves.

“We don’t cause any trouble. We pay taxes,” Bappy added.

“But they don’t want us here.”

Cinzia Benussi, a resident, told The Guardian, “It seems that everything is done to make life difficult for Bangladeshi residents.”

Monfalcone isn’t alone.

In 2017, the mayor of Bolzano banned cricket in public parks after a two-year-old on a balcony was struck by a cricket ball, as per Hindustan Times.

Mayor Renzo Caramaschi of the town in northern Italy did so after a complaint from the boy’s parents.

The boy suffered a concussion but soon recovered.

In 2009, Brescia, another northern city, also banned cricket in public, as per Italian daily Corriere della Sera.

With inputs from agencies