On Sunday Italy will go to the polls, at the end of a bitter and at times violent election campaign dominated by the issue of immigration.  Migrants, refugees and asylum seekers have frequently been the scapegoats of a society facing a prolonged period of economic discontent post financial crisis, with poor job opportunities especially for young people.

As we have seen in other European countries, an increased hostility to migrants was fed by public discourse, politicians’ statements and media representation.