When we think of Christmas, some turn to the image of a ‘pure’ and white Jesus with flowing glowing robes of goodness and hope…(we said some) while others argue that history indicates that it was more likely that he had a darker skin colour. The latter sentiment was expressed by chief Public Prosecutor Mario Giulio Schinaia with a nativity scene put on display in a Verona courthouse in Italy which featured a dark-skinned baby Jesus lying in a manger, dressed in a red shirt along with Mary and Joseph. This has, needless to say, received mixed reactions as this coincides with Italy’s anti-immigration Northern League party’s controversial operation “White Christmas,” which is a two-month sweep of foreigners without permits in Coccaglio, a small town outside Milan, ending on Christmas Day.
Northern League farm minister Luca Zaia responds, “It is a useless act of provocation, just like the suggestion not to have a nativity scene at all, in order not to offend Muslims. Magistrates have other problems to deal with. I hope they spend as much time thinking about lawsuits and trials,” making reference to proposals that would bar shops and town halls from displaying nativity scenes.
The league have been attempting to find ways to ‘solve’ these problems by creating proposals ranging from separate buses and trains for immigrants to banning new mosques and forbidding the serving of Chinese food and kebabs in towns under its control!
Seems extreme, however it seems illegal immigration is a very hot button issue so we don’t really know what to say except segregation sounds wrong!
Though Schinaia defends his display saying, “There shouldn’t be a white or black Christmas, only a merry Christmas for everyone, of every skin color, ethnic background and nationality.”
That sounds nice and very merry indeed!
But we do think that the issue of foreigners needs to be resolved toute de suite!
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