Massimiliano Martigli Jiang stood blindfolded in the middle of Florence with a sign reading “I AM NOT VIRUS”.
His sign also said: “I am a human being, free me from prejudice”.
Jiang is Italian-Chinese later uploaded a video of his quiet protest onto Facebook and got more than 10,000 shares.
Not many when you consider a dog on a trampoline can get millions … but in its own way his video spoke volumes.
The video showed Jiang standing, masked and blindfolded, with some of Florence’s most recognisable landmarks in the background. Passers-by stopped and took selfies with him.
Jiang said: “I made this video because I felt compelled to convey the meaning of the words I had written on the sign. I was very surprised by the reaction.”
Of course his quiet protest was aimed directly as the racists and xenophobes in the
Western world who have been targeting Chinese people in Italy following the outbreak of coronavirus.
The sad thing is that there are almost half a million Chinese people living in Italy. Waves of migration, often from the coastal city of Wenzhou in the coastal Zhejiang province, have resulted in large Chinese populations in cities including Milan and Prato, Northwest of Florence.
Examples of local xenophobia recently reported in Italian media include two Chinese tourists being spat at by a group of children in Venice, and two Asian people being verbally abused by a passer-by in Florence who called them “disgusting” and “filthy”.
At a bar beside the Trevi fountain, a notice was put up banning customers from China.
These incidents inspired Jiang, aged 29, to make his video. It was publicised by UGIC, an Italian-Chinese youth association, of which he is a member.
“Recently, there has been a lot more racism in Italy, but it has always been present,” said Jiang, who immigrated to Italy from Wenzhou with his parents when he was seven years old and now lives in Florence. “I used to notice it in passing when going out with my friends.
“The coronavirus problem is a worldwide problem. I hope they will find the remedy for this virus as soon as possible.”
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So, why have people across Italy – and indeed the rest of the world – blamed the Chinese community involved in their fashion industry for the spreading coronavirus?
The answer lies in the connection between northern Italy and Wuhan, China. Two very seemingly distant geographies are actually extremely tied together.
Let’s not forget, Italy was the first country to offer direct flights from Europe to China 50 years ago and was also the first G-7 country to embrace China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Today there are now more than 300,000 Chinese nationals living in Italy, according to Fortune Magazine, and over 90pc of them work in Italy’s garment industry.
Italy was the first country to offer direct flights from Europe to China 50 years ago and was also the first G-7 country to embrace China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Northern Italy has a very prosperous fashion and apparel industry.
Many of the most famous brands around the world from Gucci to Prada originated in the region.
As China has offered cheaper manufacturing for their apparel factories, more and more Italian fashion houses have outsourced work to China, and specifically to Wuhan.
