Rhitu Miah, one of seven candidates from the Bangladeshi-Italian community standing in Venice’s local election, is used to brushing off racist or sexist comments. But she was taken aback by the virulence of the negative comments online when she announced she would run for the council – potentially making her one of the first people of Bangladeshi origin ever elected in the lagoon city’s administration.
“There were hateful messages – one person told me to get on a camel and go back to my own country,” says Miah, an Italian citizen who moved to Venice with her family at three years old, through her father’s job at the Fincantieri shipyard, a huge importer of labour from Bangladesh. “I tried to let it be and reply with a smile … but it was difficult not to cry. This is also a reason why I’m running [to combat these prejudices].”
