cafebabel.com

Multiculturalism in Piazza Vittorio, Rome

('Sebastian Baciu',) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 18:30:51 -0000

Rome's Piazza Vittorio Emanuele was once a prime example of integration, but today some residents claim that the area has since become overrun by 'Chinese trash culture'. The good news is that there are efforts to unite the district's inhabitants through art

Second generation Romans in multicultural Italy

('Anj',) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 12:58:29 -0000

The facts point out that they are important for the country’s economic growth, but they are still stigmatised by the ruling class and forgotten by the law - what do young Romans Puia, Fatou, Queenia and Franck say?

Multiculturalism in Italy: emigration and exodus

('Sophie Inge',) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:02:55 -0000

Not only are Italy's privileged leaving their country as fast as immigrants are arriving in Italy, but when they do move abroad their perception of their own national identity naturally changes. A new open-minded multi-cultural sensibility contrasts with the mindset of their parent's generation, but will they stay attached to their homeland?

Contentious Guéant circular rejects work visas in France

('Annie Rutherford',) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 10:07:12 -0000

France’s governmental memo on employment for their residing non-European students caused quite a commotion, and we’re not talking Jerry Maguire style. Graduates like Nabil Sebti are taking a stand against what could either turn into a long-term policy of sealing France off or be a strategy to gain votes in 2012 elections

Liv Holm Andersen: 'Danes like to lose their sense of security'

('Elina Makri',) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 13:02:04 -0000

She talks and laughs with Mediterranean hand gestures and speaks a bit of Greek, but don't be fooled. The 24-year-old is actually one of Denmark’s youngest politicians, a candidate for the Scandinavian’s country’s second smallest party Radikale Venstre in elections on 15 September. In Athens, we talk Europe, the Balkans and learning from Spain

Skopje’s ‘Albanian neighbourhood’ in Old Bazaar, Çarshia

('Anisa Ymeri',) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 12:03:26 -0000

There are essential traces of the history of Albanians and Macedonians, evidence of survival and revival after the Balkan or world wars. Skopje’s ‘Albanian neighbourhood’ is in a corner where the çarshia (bazaar) lies below the citadel, says Anisa Ymeri

Student duelling clubs in Europe: no Harry Potter magic in Germany

('Annie Rutherford',) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 12:03:54 -0000

In mid-June the Alte Breslauer duelling club in Bonn petitioned its national umbrella organisation to stipulate German descent as a criterium for accepting the currently 1, 300 students into these legendary student societies. In June, a society in Mannheim allowed a German of Chinese descent to join. The case drags the just over 100 German duelling clubs, which are accused of harbouring extreme right-wing ideologies, into a negative rather than magical light

Street integration test: German Youtube hit Tedros Teclebrhan

('hkeet',) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 12:00:00 -0000

He hasn’t hit his wife for more than two months now, has never heard of the fall of a certain wall and thinks the chancellor before ‘Angelo Merte’ was Hitler... Within two weeks, the video of the man with the blond mustache became a German web hit. Over 5.5 million people have already clicked on it the promotional video, thinking the actor was a real migrant and thus not noticing the mirror being held up to German integration policy

Meeting 4 of 500, 000 'Almanci' German Turks who returned 'home' over last 30 years

('hkeet',) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 12:00:00 -0000

After growing up in Germany these men have chosen to turn their backs on their native country to return to their homeland, Turkey. In Istanbul the 'Almanci' as they are called - with slightly negative connotations - are Hasan, Cengiz, Hazar and Cigdem. They tell us the story of their return to the banks of the Istanbul Strait

Identikit of a pure, indigenous European

('Aatish Pattni',) — Thu, 26 May 2011 12:30:00 -0000

The True Finns are the third largest political party in Finland. Are these nationalists and eurosceptics an exception to the rule in their Nordic region? Alongside the new leader of the National Front party in France, Marine Le Pen, the collection of ‘Indigenous Britons’ in the UK and Italy's Northern League, Europe has never been more inhabited by so-called ‘pure’ Europeans. There are fewer than they would have us believe; at the risk of scaring those who wish it to stay that way

Discrimination in Germany? Well go to Korea then

('Carol Howard',) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 12:03:37 -0000

Germany has long been legendary as an immigrant’s paradise. For several years now, more people have been leaving the country than are actually entering it. Among them are some of the most highly educated young Germans who are turning their backs on the country because of discrimination

Cameron vs. multiculturalism: British, Belgian, Spanish, Romanian press react

('euro topics',) — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 13:25:53 -0000

In a call for ‘muscular liberalism’ at the Munich security conference, the British prime minister blames multiculturalism for exacerbating Britain's problems with radical islamists. While cautiously commending Cameron's objectives, Europe’s press criticises his methods on the grounds that they play into the hands of the extreme right

Building a mosque in Warsaw: is it all trouble and strife?

('Peter Robbins',) — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 17:00:00 -0000

Muslims in Poland go back several centuries, beginning with the arrival of tatar settlers in the eastern reaches of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The muslim community in Poland has only recently begun attracting attention, with the building of a mosque financed by a Saudi sponsor in the Warsaw district of Ochota. Not everyone is happy

Lemon half moon cake for Danish far right party

('Thomas Gam Nielsen',) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 14:28:08 -0000

In Denmark, the people’s 2010 revolution is lemon. The popular ‘citronhalvmåne’ cake is being sent in the tens to the offices of the far right Danish party, in protest of their immigration policies. Ironically, the crescent shape of the ‘lemon half-moon’ is also a muslim symbol – a perfect gift on the eve of Ramadan?

Older migrants of Europe: forgotten until when?

('Monica Mircescu',) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 11:30:00 -0000

They came to work and in the end they stayed. Today the migrants of the 1960s are growing old in the cities of western Europe often in isolation and insecurity. Their discretion has turned them into an invisible generation. Portrait of retired immigrants whom everybody wants already buried

Angela Merkel: 'multiculti' German society failed, but islam 'has a place'

('euro topics',) — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 12:06:17 -0000

The German chancellor's statements on 16 October have provoked the Slovakian, British, Dutch and Polish media - both immigrants and host societies have to work on integration, or the extreme right will win. Press review

Voices: ‘Beurgeois’ behind French halal meat phenomenon

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 10:00:00 -0000

The French phenomenon comes courtesy of a class of young Frenchmen, northern African in origin and an example of a successful immigration model - in business

Citizenship exams: spotlight western Europe

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 11:21:13 -0000

There's no European-wide citizenship test - it's obligatory by law in national governments only. The Brits and French started in 2005, followed by the Netherlands in 2006 and Germany in 2008, though Italy and Spain don't command it by law. Overview

Berlin launch: Anti-islam book by German bank exec Thilo Sarrazin

('eurotopics',) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:25:08 -0000

The former politician launched his book 'Deutschland schafft sich ab' ('Germany abolishes itself' on 30 August in Berlin. Criticism of Germany's immigration policy is legitimate, writes the Italian, German and Austrian press, but don't attack muslims. Translated European press review selection

Summer of riots: French of 'foreign origin' to lose citizenship, president warns

('Sarah Truesdale',) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 16:30:00 -0000

'French nationality should be stripped from anybody who has threatened the life of a police officer or anybody involved in public policing,' announced Nicolas Sarkozy on 30 July. A Frenchman looks at how the European media react

Racism and discrimination for Brussels migrant workers

('Monica Mircescu',) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:00:00 -0000

In the region of Brussels-Capital, discrimination in recruitment practices is a daily reality. At a time of economic stagnation, ethnic diversity is no longer a priority for businesses, which in turn makes integration in Belgium harder still

Melancholy in Berlin: views of three foreign writer residents

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:43:59 -0000

Very loosely, a 19-year-old Klaus Mann saw 1920s Berlin as 'seductive, gray, scabby, peeling, yet vibrant vitality, nervous, shimmering, phosphorescent, animated, full of tensions and promises.' Italian, Croatian and French writers Gianluca Falanga, Maksim Cristan and Maia Mazaurette give us their noughties take

Irish artists in Berlin, a city 'always and never in crisis'

('M\xc3\xa9abh Mc Mahon',) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 14:45:00 -0000

Whilst Irish artists like Paul Diamond and You're Only Massive become better known in Berlin, stages in Irish bars remain empty. With less people investing in upcoming Irish talent, the young generation will continue to migrate to artistic-friendly places like Berlin to follow their musical dream

University: German students cross the Austrian border

('Joana Cansado Carvalho',) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 10:54:23 -0000

It fills up pages in both Austrian and German newspapers. The EU’s court of justice has taken a stand on the subject. In some classrooms some say that there is no cause for concern, while others warn that tension is in the air. What is really going on?

Popping into Chinatown in Manchester

('Ana D',) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 15:13:09 -0000

Known as a Chinese village of north England, the neighbourhood is one of the most peculiar in Manchester, being the second largest tourist spot of England after London. One of the odd distinguishing factors of multiculturalism is the local community enclosed in its borders

Anything but lethargic: multi-faceted life of a German in Lisbon

('Annie Rutherford',) — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 12:00:00 -0000

Casa Pound Italia: Neo-fascists on the rise

('sarhanh',) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 17:27:35 -0000

Casa Pound Italia is at the heart of the Italian Neo-fascist movement. 'We will build the world that we want!' cry the militants across the website of the group, inspired by a poet, and dedicated to action. Meanwhile there is no shortage of complaint, between accusations of violence, and questions being raised in parliament. A look at a movement inspired by fascism, but that refuses the label of 'extreme right'

Paris suburbs: cliche piled upon cliche

('James Friscia',) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 10:17:48 -0000

It's a common European stereotype to define the French suburbs by their one-time violent rioting. But those events took place five years ago. On a visit to the 'banlieue' of Paris today we meet three residents who tell their story - a father-of-three, a social worker and a budding regional election hopeful

Zaher Rezai: dead after eight kilometres of illegal immigration

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:48:04 -0000

In December 2008, the 13-year-old died under the wheels of a lorry after trying to evade Italian immigration officials. A year on, artist Gianluca Constantini's cartoon strip tells the story

Niang Mor: story of a Senegalese 'near-extradition' from Italy

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:45:00 -0000

You'd hardly believe that he was 57 if you saw his papers. Mor moved to France in 1982, then Germany four years later, to finally settle in Ravenna in 1990. He has a regular trading licence, has always been in work and has never had any trouble with the law. The story of his incredible 'near- extradition'

Anderlecht, Molenbeek, Schaarbeek: spot the crime in Brussels

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:21:47 -0000

Petty crime and unemployment rates (17.6%) are high in inner city Brussels, which registers a low violent crime rate in Europe. Nevertheless, police arrested 12 Belgian Albanians linked to a crime gang on 15 February*, whilst certain districts remain dangerous. Is this down to the crisis?

Polish migrants post-crisis in Ireland: is there no place like home?

('Angela Steen',) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:47:11 -0000

EU enlargement in 2004 meant that the Poles made the most indelible imprint on Irish society - and surprise, they're happy in their new home, despite the fact that both countries have experienced polar fortunes in the recent recession

From Calais to Rosarno: Europe's 'immigrant jungles'

('Jude Lister',) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 11:45:41 -0000

Patras, Athens, Bari, Seville ... a tour of Europe's recent troubled hotspots ends in southern Italy, where 7.2% of the population are illegal immigrants - the EU average is 6.2%

Italy fails in integrating migrants

('euro topics',) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 13:09:06 -0000

The clashes between african harvest workers and locals in the southern Italian city of Rosarno have unleashed a debate on the treatment of immigrants in the country. Italy has done far too little to integrate foreign migrants, commentators argue. The French, Italian and Greek press react

EU citizenship: when Bulgarian in Italy, marry an Italian

('Aatish Pattni',) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:13:36 -0000

In a country where lemons are grown, it’s also immigrants that are put under the squeeze. In order to get Italian citizenship you have to contend with old-fashioned bureaucracy and having to go through the same processes over and over again, which adds to the associated difficulties and costs. Ljubomir’s family have decided to take the long way round it

Italian 'White Christmas' gift campaign: if you're an immigrant in Coccaglio, get out

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 11:00:00 -0000

A cleaning operation will have to be completed by 25 December in Coccaglio, a small town in the province of Brescia. It does not involve getting the house in order for christmas dinner, but to evict all immigrants who cannot renew their residence permits by that date. A really nice Christmas present christened 'White Christmas' by the Brescia council

Magyd Cherfi: 'identity and national is a collusion that I don’t get'

('Susannah Readett-Bayley',) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:10:00 -0000

Singing about these issues in concert is something of a déjà vu that the French singer and militant can do without, he says. Interview

In 20 years, immigrant number in the Netherlands triples

('Cristina Rojo',) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:41:25 -0000

Five years after a Dutch man of Moroccan origins murdered Theo van Gogh in a fanatical attack, the word ’immigration’ is still hot on national lips. A focus taking in the Zuidoost immigrant neighbourhood through to the Schiphol airport detention centre

European bloggers describe their Berlin walls

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:20:11 -0000

Monday is 9 November, the day when the Berlin wall was brought down. To reflect on this iconic modern historical event for the eurogeneration, citizen journalists from five cafebabel.com local teams - Sofia, Budapest, Turin, Strasbourg and Istanbul - simultaneously blogged one day about the walls they see in their cities

Zanko: the 'White Arab' Italian rapper who would perform for the Lega Nord

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:30:38 -0000

In English slang, the word 'Zanko' is someone who is a social and cultural pioneer. Like this 28-year-old Syrian Italian, who gigs in unique political hotspots such as Zingonia and Lampedusa, has 'fought' for hip hop and would happily show the far-right Italian party what he's made of

Afghan asylum seekers: refugees everywhere, human beings nowhere

('Alexandra Baxter',) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:00:00 -0000

They cross Iran, Turkey, the sea, and then Greece and Italy with the hope of finally reaching an EU member state. But because of the terms of the Dublin Convention II, they find themselves stuck in Italy, hostages of the right to asylum. Report

Finding Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Russian Facebook

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0000

Since early September, the German opposition candidate has had a profile on the Russian e-community network Odnoklassniki.ru, which translates to ‘classmates.ru’. The social democrats are looking for the Russian vote in Germany, which mainly voted for the incumbent CDU party in the 2005 elections

Italian far-right on Facebook: 'kill them all in Zingonia'

("naomi o'leary",) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 23:45:00 -0000

On Facebook, the group ‘Let’s invade Zingonia and kill them all’ has gathered 700 members. Volunteer teacher Miriam talks about how spiralling anti-immigrant rhetoric is making life difficult for Italy’s new arrivals

Facebooking Afghani refugee children in Italy

('Alexandra Baxter',) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:15:00 -0000

‘In December 2008 I met four young Afghani children on a bus. I was struck by their smiles, the commotion they caused and the racism of other passengers on the bus. They had arrived that very evening, on foot, the night that the Tiber flooded. I took them with me that evening, but things didn’t turn out as expected...'

Nicolai Lilin talks tattoos, Bulgarians and Transdniestria

('Fiona Herdman Smith',) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:45:00 -0000

From Russia to Italy via Transdniestria. Siberian Education, the literary debut of Nicolai Lilin, tells the life story of a young man who, in spite of changing country and culture, has never forgotten the historic traditions of his original community. Interview with the 29 year-old writer and tattoo artist

Giovanni di Lorenzo: 'why all middle-class initiatives fail in Berlin'

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0000

The Italian was born in Sweden and has become a renowned German journalist as editor of Die Zeit and a famous television face. We talk German pseudonyms, languages and Berlin versus London

15.5% unemployment, diaspora: Lithuanians try luck elsewhere

('Darren Thompson',) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:13:39 -0000

Whilst Vilnius welcomes visitors from around the world because of its status as the European capital of culture 2009, countless are leaving the country in an attempt to escape widespread unemployment and salaries which are under the European average for the most part

Backstage: story of a Senegalese street vendor in Rome

('Alexandra Baxter',) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:25:14 -0000

‘La petite vendeuse de soleil’ is a moving film first shown at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival in the 'director's fortnight' category. It tells the story of a young Senegalese girl who is a street vendor for the newspaper ‘Soleil’, a common job for immigrants living in European cities. Off the cinema screens, we meet Ndjogou Thiongane in Rome, who accompanies us on a visit to the great mosque, and tells us his own story

Fake Oddity: ‘relations will change after July’s Turkish cultural season in France’

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 10:21:25 -0000

The Lyon-based group talk about their participation in an event introducing 'Turkish culture' in France from 1 July 2009 til March 2010. But on 11 June, the Turkish PM warned it could be postponed because of opposition to the Turkish EU membership bid, according to the Hurriyet daily

Lost in Europe: the long story of Dublin II, national laws and EU immigrants

('Helen Swain',) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:15:00 -0000

Clandestine immigrants, regular immigrants, asylum seekers, refugees or repatriates; these many types of status all boil own to just one condition, that of immigrants faced with a legislative system that is constantly being redefined to be European. They come from so many different places, but in the majority of cases, the only destination awaiting them is temporary detention centres