In This World Can’t Tear Me Down, the arrival of 35 migrants in Zero’s neighborhood sparks tension and leads to a riot.
There are anti-migrant posters everywhere in Zero’s neighborhood, and Zero cannot stand them. He rips these posters every chance he gets because he is one of those who want the migrants to stay here.
Unlike Zero, there are so many others who do not welcome the migrants and want them gone from this neighborhood. Zero calls these people the Nazis, and Zero’s old friend, Cesare, is one of them.
Why are the migrants sent to Zero’s neighborhood?
35 people leave their country, Libya, and come to Italy. These men, women, and children are sent to live in a neighborhood that Zero calls Dicksville. However, they are not welcome there.
The Nazis there keep convincing the residents of the neighborhood that the migrants are up to no good. Zero believes that people are always angry and dissatisfied with something or the other, and when they get prodded like this, it leads to genocide.
Something similar happens in Dicksville. The Nazis gather everyone around to get rid of the migrants. However, they face opposition from those who want the migrants to stay.
The two sides clash, and some people, including harmless people who just wanted to protect the migrants, are sent to prison. The authorities realize that this is a messy situation and decide to relocate the migrants. They are then sent to a shelter in Zero’s neighborhood.
What happens to the migrants?
It is difficult for people to think of these migrants as human beings when they never see them or know anything about their lives. Additionally, everything around them contributes to a hostile environment.
With the Nazis going around telling people that these migrants are making their neighborhood unsafe and that it is because of them that parents are not sending their children to the school near the shelter, it becomes too easy for the people to believe the lies.
Zero is asked not to speak in favor of the people who tried to defend the migrants and were arrested in Dicksville, as the general public is currently angry at them, and if Zero supports them, he will also fall from favor.
Meanwhile, the Nazis want the city council meeting to be held outside the shelter because they can gather there in large numbers to give the impression that the residents are against the migrants living in this neighborhood.
The Nazis propose an agenda regarding the same, and despite the opposition from those who disagree with the Nazis, the agenda is passed. The council vote regarding the closing of the migrant shelter is set to be held outside the shelter.
The Nazis and their opponents gather outside the shelter when the day comes, which results in a riot. Some people are injured and some are questioned by the police, but the migrant problem remains unsolved.
When Zero speaks to one of the migrants, he realizes that the migrants are capable of defending themselves, but the issue is that they walked for nearly 100 kilometers without water, faced the dangers of the sea, and even lost some of their companions in their journey to get to this country, only to realize that they are not wanted here either.
Also Read: Cesare: This World Can’t Tear Me Down character explained
