ATTENZIONE TIKTOKERS, Italy’s Batman AKA Monica Poli, who gained virality by shaming pickpocketers, is unfortunately associated with a conservative political party with far-right politics. Or, to put it shortly, she’s been “milkshake ducked“.
ICYMI: The TikToker (@cittadininondistratti2) became somewhat of a celebrity after her videos went viral, mainly for her screaming the absolute piazza down to scare away nimble-fingered thieves. She’s received heaps of praise online for her vids and has recently been given a gorgeous profile piece in The New York Times.
And I must say I was in love with Poli’s videos. I would often catch myself yelling her catchy phrase around the house for no reason. But unfortunately, it has come to light that this icon is a councillor for Lega Nord, as per Dazed.
Essentially, she’s been milkshake ducked — which means “a person who is initially viewed positively by the media but is discovered to have something questionable about them”, according to Macquarie Dictionary.
FKN YIKES.
The Bridge Initiative by Georgetown University explains that Lega Nord (AKA Northern League) is a far-right political party that is anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim and anti-LGBTQIA+.
Matteo Salvini, the party’s leader, has previously been embroiled in controversy for his anti-LGBTQIA+ and anti-migration stance. During Salvini’s time as interior minister for Italy, The Guardian reported that he turned away a boat carrying more than 600 African refugees. Dazed also said that Salvini “helped to ferment the tide of racism and xenophobia” in Italy, which led far-right political Giorgia Meloni to presidential victory.
As Poli’s political relations surface alongside her TikTok fame, netizens have come forward and have expressed their disappointment.
In her interview, Poli explained to The New York Times that she has a sort of spidey sense when it comes to identifying the local scoundrels.
“When I see them, I know they are pickpockets,” she said, thwarting concern that someday she may wrongly call someone out. “I have something inside me and I recognise immediately.
“I have a sixth sense.”
However, one Twitter (or Xer, whatever you wanna call it) user alleges that she said this to fuel a “campaign of racist harassment” against Roma people.
In her interview, the 57-year-old Venetian woman said she’s part of a group known as the Cittadini Non Distratti (the undistracted citizens) that has spent over 30 years patrolling the city in an attempt to stop pickpockets from nicking passports, cash and other valuable items.
The group, which Poli says currently consists of “about 50 persons”, was reportedly responsible for a third of all pickpocket arrests in Venice, per The Economist in 2019.
Apparently, the tell-tale signs of a pickpocket are in “the way they look at people [and] bags”.
Recalling a recent sighting, Poli said: “This morning, I was on the bus to Venice. From the bus, I see two men and one woman in the street. I had never seen them before.
“I went out from the bus and I caught them. I look at the woman and she has a bag open. There were two police, and I say, ‘Stop them!’
“They were pickpockets. In one minute, they stole wallets from three families.”
There was “an episode about five years ago” when four girls “fought [her]”.
“People stopped to see the scene. I was alone. People stopped to see the action and never helped,” she recalled.
“It was terrible. I had a neck collar for 20 days.”
Although Poli did not touch on her political relations or beliefs in her interview, the surfaced information grosses me out.
We honestly can’t have anything nice. Not even attenzione pickpocket.
Image Source: YouTube Shorts / @ambersworldph
