Sheriff of Treviso Outlaws Kaftans
New campaign by Northern League’s deputy mayor.“Muslims must wear jackets and trousers or police will intervene”.
http://www.corriere.it/english/articoli/2005/08_Agosto/08/treviso.shtmlLast Wednesday, he celebrated his 77th birthday at Ca’ Sugana, amid barbecues, sandwiches and plates of baby octopus. Considerate councillors gave him presents of socks, shoe polish (“his shoes are always dirty from all the building site inspections he has to do”) and a very nice overcoat (“to protect him from the elements”). Giancarlo Gentilini, deputy mayor of Treviso, is particularly proud of the waterproof overcoat “because it is a product of our culture”. Not like those “big shirts” or whatever they call them, “those things that look like lab coats” which are in fact kaftans, traditional tunics worn by Arabs, and not very often either.
If you want to be picky, you have to admit that an Italian-made overcoat can also conceal a would-be terrorist but the Sheriff of Treviso is in no mood for jokes. “What’s at stake here is the security of Italians. The person in the street next to you could be a suicide bomber”. The flowing tunic with its deep sleeves is far from the innocent article of clothing some claim it to be. “There could be a terrorist under every kaftan. All attempts to make fools of us have to be thwarted”. Mr Gentilini has no intention of being made to look a fool, least of all by Arabs. A former soldier in the Alpino mountain troops and a down-to-earth type as far removed as it is possible to be from an old-style political hot-air merchant, Mr Gentilini has announced that if he comes across one of the walking lab coats, he will intervene personally. “I’ll stop them and tell themto lift up the smock”. What if the Arab concerned should demur?The deputy mayor has an answer ready. “I’ve already given orders for municipal police to intervene, and to take anyone who refuses to produce ID to the police station”. In other words, Mr Gentilini is leaving nothing to chance.
He has also drawn up instructions to combat the tentacular influence of Islam. It includes rules for security as well as a code of behaviour for non-EC citizens who are “guests” in the Treviso area.
There are bans, such as the prohibition of burqas, chadors and the insidious smock, but there is also positive advice. “Muslims should circulate wearing jacket and tie”. There is no further advice on matching colours, or whether sports jackets are permissible, but the concept is clear. Besides, Mr Gentilini has noted that “I have never seen an Italian citizen wandering around in one of those lab coats”. The only conclusion to draw is that wearing them is inadmissible.
Anyone strolling through Treviso’s Piazza dei Signori will have to comply with a precise dress code. Elegance and good humour are required. “We want the faces of people who tread Italian soil to be as clear as the sun. I don’t want burqas, chadors or masks. I want to be able to look fellow residents in the eye”. At most, an exception might be made for the outsize wrap-around eyewear currently popular with locals.There is also a problem of sexual identity. “There could be a man, not a woman, under a chadorbecause lots of men look like women”. There can be no doubt that Mr Gentilini’s anti-immigrant outbursts are sincere, and not dictated by electoral manoeuvres. There is plenty of evidence in the initiatives he has promoted over the years, starting with the removal of the benches from the railway station. “So that lot can’t plant their backsides on them”.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
