samuel l. jackson and magic johnson mistaken for ‘lazy migrants’ in italy

Anti-Blackness is global. Actor Samuel L Jackson and basketball legend Magic Johnson experienced this first hand last week while on holiday in Tuscany, Italy. On Wednesday, Johnson shared a picture on Twitter of the duo sitting on a bench with luxury shopping bags like Louis Vuitton and Prada, along with the caption: “Sam and I chilling out on a bench yesterday in Forte dei Marmi, Italy. The fans started lining up to take pictures with us.”

Sam & I chilling out on a bench yesterday in Forte dei Marmi, Italy. The fans started lining up to take pictures with us. pic.twitter.com/uzXx698PiN

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) August 16, 2017

You would think the fact that fans were shown surrounding the two might tip people off that these weren’t just randoms with Prada bags, but then you would be underestimating anti-Blackness. Common sense didn’t stopped some locals who saw the viral picture from assuming the pair were “migrants” who used money from the state for an undeserved and lavish shopping spree.

Italian comedian Luca Bottura even turned the picture into a meme for a “social experiment,” captioning it with: “Boldrini’s resources in Forte dei Marmi shop at Prada with our €35. Share this picture if you are outraged.”

As The Independent notes, “This was a reference to Laura Boldrini, President of the Chamber of Deputies of Italy, who has drawn fierce criticism for her progressive open migration policy.” €35 is the amount given to organizations who take care of the shelter, food, and small amenities of migrants.

This only further prompted users to express their disgust at the two “migrants” and their shopping spree, with one local model claiming that misusing “our 35 Euros” was “too much.”

This just goes to show how irrational and ridiculous these anti-immigrant, nationalistic sentiments are.