When a TikTok account posted a video of Monica Poli confronting a thief in Venice, her cry of “attenzione pickpocket!” soon became a viral catchphrase. It was used as the soundtrack to thousands of other videos, remixed into a dance song, and repurposed to make fun of all manner of everyday extortions, from the price of London coffee to greedy politicians. 

Peli is a member of a group called Cittadini Non Distratti (‘undistracted citizens’), who for more than 30 years have patrolled the streets of Venice and shouted at anyone they suspect of theft. According to The Economist, the group is responsible for over a third of pick-pocketing arrests in the city.

Poli has been hailed as a guardian angel, compared to Batman, praised for serving “nonbinary tea” and last week became the subject of a flattering profile in the New York Times. But in a shocking twist, it turns out that this petty crime-obsessed vigilante is not as progressive as we had first thought. Like many overnight viral stars before her, Peli has been “milkshake ducked”. We regret to inform you that Poli is a councillor for Lega Nord – a conservative political party which was founded to promote northern Italian separatism, but has since become more heavily associated with far-right politics (the party’s hostility towards southern Italians, however, has endured.)

The party’s leader – Matteo Salvini – has become infamous for his attacks on Islam, the Roma community, gay marriage and migrants: in 2018, while acting as Italy’s interior minister, he drew international condemnation after turning away a boatload of 600 African refugees who were stranded at sea. Describing his political vision in 2015, he said, “For me, the problem is the thousands of illegal immigrants stealing, raping and dealing drugs.” Salvini helped to ferment the tide of racism and xenophobia which, earlier this year, culminated in the presidential victory of far-right politician Giorgia Meloni.

In light of all this, Poli’s crusade against pick-pockets starts to look a lot less charming. She does catch a lot of people red-handed, undeniably, and you could argue that she’s still doing something good even if her motives are suspect. But according to some commentators, she is really just waging a campaign of racist harassment against the Roma community – in other words, she’s going around shouting at people she doesn’t like the look of, and every once in a while she happens to be correct. 

Describing how she knows whether or not someone is a pickpocket, Poli told the NYT, “when I see them, I know they are pickpockets. It is so strange to say… I have something inside me and I recognise it immediately.” It doesn’t seem far-fetched to imagine this intangible sixth sense might be informed by her political commitments. If it is to mean anything at all, ACAB must include the Attenzione Pickpocket lady. 

Join Dazed Club and be part of our world! You get exclusive access to events, parties, festivals and our editors, as well as a free subscription to Dazed for a year. Join for £5/month today.