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Supporters of the far right Lega Nord party demonstrated outside the theater house. (IOL photo) |
ROME — Supporters of the far right Lega Nord party demonstrated outside Piacenza Municipal Theater House, one of the most prestigious theaters in Italy, late Wednesday, November 2, against a musical performance organized by the Doha-based Al-Jazeera news channel to marks its marks its 10th anniversary.
"No Dialogue with Bin Laden Media" and "We Don’t Want Terrorists Here," were but few of the banners flown by the far-rightists.
Protestors gathered outside the theater house in the city of Piacenza in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy chanting anti-Arab slogans.
Italian Philharmonic Orchestra & Choral Group of the municipality of Piacenza were playing "Sharq" (Orient), a musical piece by world-renowned Lebanese composer Marcel Khalifé.
Al-Jazeera tried to explain to the protesters that dialogue and music are two vital tools for bridging the gap between different cultures during times of political turmoil.
The maverick channel, which has changed the face of Arab television reporting by breaking taboos, began broadcasting in 1996 with staff largely drawn from the BBC's short-lived Arabic television,
Its second decade with the launch of the English-language Al-Jazeera International on November 15.
Speechless
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| Khalifé was recented named UNESCO Artist for Peace. (IOL photo) |
Many Arabs and Italians were shocked by the rightists demonstration.
"I really love getting imposed to different cultures and I really do believe that the Lega Nord has made a gaffe demonstrating in this manner," one of the Italians who watched the performance told IslamOnline.net.
"The music was peaceful, it filled me with pride," added another of the nearly 200-strong audience.
A Moroccan resident in Piacenza, a hotbed for the far right, had the same feeling.
"I hardly believed what happened by the Lega Nord. I am speechless. This is nothing but ignorance."
Lega Nord, the far-right political party in Italy, is against any and evrything related to Arabs, Muslims and immigrants.
It is currently spearheading a vicious campiagn against Naguib Mahfouz, a private bilingual elementary school in Milan which is run by both Italians and Arabs and open to Muslims and Christians.
Many Arabs were quite disappointed for not being able to attending the concert, which was only open to those invited by Al-Jazeer and holders of the theater memberships.
"We couldn’t find any tickets which was really frustrating," a Lebanese fan told IOL outside the theater house.
"It was a real shame not watching Khalifé," agreed a Palestinian who was waiting for Khalifé after the concert.
The concert was a symbol of peace featuring one aspect of Arab culture and giving many immigrants another reason to feel proud of their culture and history.
The United Nation Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESO) has recently named Khalifé UNESCO Artist for Peace.
Honoring Khalifé, UNESCO praised him as "the symbol of a whole generation, in the Middle East and all around the world, as well as a tireless promoter of peace and dialog between cultures through his music."
Khalifé has toured the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and the United States giving solo performances on the oud (the Arabic lute).
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