‘Italy first’ fine, but Indians ‘are needed’

Sabauda (Italy), May 24

Indian migrants working near Rome say Italy’s far-right politicians may talk about curbing immigration, but the European nation cannot manage without their cheap labour. “Politicians in order to win votes keep saying things like ‘We Italians’, ‘Italians first’, ‘Our people’,” said Gurmukh Singh, 47, head of the Indian Community Association.

“If our people go away, if everyone goes back to India, can the Italians work in these fields for 4 euros, 3.50 or 2.90 euros?” he asks. 

The far-right League, led by Deputy PM Matteo Salvini, is expected to emerge as Italy’s leading party in Sunday’s European parliamentary elections, campaigning under the “Italy first” slogan. Salvini has promised to deport more illegal migrants from Italy.  He has often blamed immigrants for crime.

Rights groups accuse Salvini of fanning racism and intolerance. They question threats to enact mass deportations, saying he has not done so during his first 12 months in office. 

As many as 30,000 Indians, mostly Sikhs from Punjab, live in the Pontine Marshes region, where agriculture expanded after the area was drained in the 1930s. Some of the workers do not have official documentation.

Many cycle long distances from cramped accommodations to pick fruit and vegetables for up to 13 hours a day, earning $3.30-$5.50 an hour, well below the  minimum wage. An activist says he hopes the anti-migrant sentiment will wane. — Reuters