Tuesday, lunchtime, aboard the bus from Cremona to Spinadesco: a holiday for some, the third day of fasting in Ramadan for Muslims. However, the atmosphere becomes tense when a fight breaks out between three young girls at the back of the bus. The reason? A sandwich. Nothing unusual, except that two of them, minors and Muslims, ask the third to stop eating: ‘We don’t eat, it’s Ramadan.’ The young woman refused to obey, and amid insults and heated arguments, the situation escalated. Words turned into physical violence. A blow was struck, the passengers became agitated and the driver intervened.
The 52-year-old bus driver knows the route well, but not the cause of the incident. He parked the bus, opened the doors and asked the three people to get off. But that’s not the end of the story. The two Muslim women didn’t like being disturbed and attacked him violently. They scratched him, broke his glasses, mocked him and then fled. ‘It all started at 1:20 p.m.,’ says the driver, “when these three started arguing in the back of the bus. I opened the doors and called the police. I asked them to get off, but it was as if I didn’t exist: they kept shouting and pushing each other, all because of this sandwich. This was followed by the assault, which left him with physical and other lasting effects. Visibly exhausted, the man finished his shift, but back at the depot, he decided to seek treatment at the hospital and file a complaint.
The driver is blunt: ‘It’s always the same people, minors and nationals from non-EU countries.’ The emergency report is clear: ‘Post-traumatic facial pain, five-day prognosis and two days’ sick leave.’ This incident is yet another part of the broader debate on integration and cultural friction, which is creating increasing tension.