The Rosarno Revolt: Toward Political Mobilization for Immigrants?

Abstract

Volume 26 (2011): Issue 1 (Sep 2011): Much Ado about Nothing? Guest Editors: Elisabetta Gualmini and Eleonora Pasotti "Rosarno: Immigrant revolt, hundreds of cars damaged" was the alarming headline in La Repubblica on 7 January 2010. An immigrant protest and ensuing episodes of violence in the small town of Rosarno in Calabria in southern Italy were followed with intense interest by the national and international media and prompted a heated public debate in Italy. Upcoming regional elections and shared political responsibility for immigration resulted in politicians blaming their opponents for the disorder. Minister of the Interior Roberto Maroni's immediate response was to maintain that the events were the result of too much tolerance toward undocumented immigrants. Following the discovery that the majority of migrants involved were legally resident in Italy, the government subsequently emphasized the role of inadequate labor market controls and organized crime. Declarations regarding the necessity to better implement the existing immigration control legislation and the signing of further agreements with sub-Saharan African migrant-sending states in February 2010 suggest continuity in the Italian approach to immigration control, which has focused on border control and international cooperation for the past decade. Furthermore, while highly publicized initiatives that were aimed at calling attention to illegal work (particularly seasonal farm labor) initially appeared to constitute a new approach to Notes for this chapter begin on page 236.