An Immigration Incident

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Immigrants from a certain country had to confront a wave of virulent prejudice and nativist hostility.
As immigration from that region of the world increased to its highest level, anti-immigrant feeling increased along with it. There was an economic crisis, and immigrants were accused of taking jobs. At the same time, newspapers circulated theories alleging that people from that region were genetically inferior. Drawings and songs that portrayed the new immigrants as infantile, criminal, or subhuman became very common. One cartoon claimed that “If immigration was properly restricted, you would never be troubled with anarchism, and problems like that!”
Attacks on those immigrants were not limited to the words, however. Anti-immigrant movements appeared around the country. Religious buildings were vandalised and burned, and people were attacked by mobs. In one decade, more than 20 of them were killed by large mobs.
One of the bloodiest episodes took place in a large city. When the chief of police was found shot to death on the street one night, the mayor blamed immigrants from a certain country and arrested more than 100 of them. Eventually, almost 20 of them were put on trial and were found not guilty for lack of evidence. Before they could be freed, however, a mob of 10,000 people, including many of the city’s most prominent citizens, broke into the jail. They dragged more than 10 people from their cells and killed them, including two men jailed on other offences. Some people protested but the main journalists of that time generally approved of the action.
Anti-immigrant sentiment continued for a long time, when severe restrictions on immigration were put into place by the government. When this legislation was approved, the immigration from that country decreased greatly.
Questions to discuss with your partner
·         Which country do you think the immigrants are from in this story?
·         Which country do you think they went to?
·         During which decade (period of ten years) do you think this happened?


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