Italy's new interior minister wants to re-impose border controls for travellers from Europe's passport-free Schengen zone as part of security measures to crack down on crime and immigration. The package drawn up by Roberto Maroni, a member of the anti-immigration Northern League, would make illegal immigration a crime punishable by up to four years' imprisonment, according to details published by newspapers on Sunday. The package will be presented at a cabinet meeting this week. It is expected to be one of the first decrees approved by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's new conservative government, which was sworn in on Thursday. One of the most controversial measures favored by Maroni is negotiating a suspension of Italy's obligations under the European Union's Schengen scheme. The accord, between 24 of the 27 member states, lets travellers cross national boundaries without checks. The move is aimed mainly against Romanian immigrants and eastern European Roma people, who have been blamed for crimes in Italy.
The package drawn up by Roberto Maroni, a member of the anti-immigration Northern League, would make illegal immigration a crime punishable by up to four years' imprisonment, according to details published by newspapers on Sunday.
The package will be presented at a cabinet meeting this week. It is expected to be one of the first decrees approved by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's new conservative government, which was sworn in on Thursday.
One of the most controversial measures favored by Maroni is negotiating a suspension of Italy's obligations under the European Union's Schengen scheme. The accord, between 24 of the 27 member states, lets travellers cross national boundaries without checks.
The move is aimed mainly against Romanian immigrants and eastern European Roma people, who have been blamed for crimes in Italy.
One of the most controversial measures favored by Maroni is negotiating a suspension of Italy's obligations under the European Union's Schengen scheme. The accord, between 24 of the 27 member states, lets travellers cross national boundaries without checks. The move is aimed mainly against Romanian immigrants and eastern European Roma people, who have been blamed for crimes in Italy.
The thing that Maroni doesn't seem to understand is that Schengen or no Schengen, Italy cannot really turn away a Romanian citizen because of the freedom of movement for all European citizens. When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes
By the way, border checks at the Brennero train station have been taking place, on and off, for years, anyway.
The idea is that Crime is a national emergency. It isn't. Just as In Wales reported a few weeks ago on England, crime is at an all time low. Italy presently has the lowest homicide rate in the Union and crime statistics for foreigners indicate that it's on par with the Italian population.
So Berlusconi's strategy can be construed as two phases: pass a harsh law which will be thrown out eventually by the Italian supreme court as violating European law. The law will also be challenged in European courts. In the meantime Berlusconi will see to it that his media empire stops talking about crimes committed by Romanians, Bulgarians, Albanians and Rom. Once his news outlets stop splashing crimes all over the front page as they've done for the past two years, the echo effect in the rest of the press will cease. No news, no perception of crime.
And there you go! Berlusconi comes off as a highly effective law and order man. Not bad for a government that works in harmony with the Mafias. (But then they're both in the same racket: private protection.)
The financial daily Sole24Ore did several reports the past week on crime in Italy with a focus on foreigners based on police and ISTAT (Italian National Stats Board) statistics. The conclusion is as above.
It's just whitewashed racism.
The interview is just plain reality check with a couple of well-placed "insults." Travaglio said simply that news in Italy is run by politicians. If there's a noteworthy news item, forty politicians will release declarations so that the day after the political reaction to the news will be frontpaged.
Naturally, Travaglio proved his point today. His interview prompted the "forty political statements" and occupies up to three pages (Repubblica 1-3; la Stampa 1, 4-5; Corriere 1, 5-6).
The Crime? After denigrating Renato Schifani, president of the Senate, Travaglio returned on the well-known facts for those of us who actually read books and trial transcripts, that Renato Schifani and his associate, Senator Enrico La Loggia, were partners in a broker firm with the mafia boss Nino Mandela and had sought to condition the urban regulatory plans of Villabate to advantage the mafia.
So long as it's written in books (or mentioned in blogs as I've done) it doesn't matter. But when it's said on primetime, all hell breaks loose. But what is of note is that no one contests the facts. It's all a symphony of indignation and personal attacks- criminal usage of the media, as B would put it.
The trial transcripts are a great read, especially Mandella's contemptous remarks on what a bawl-baby Enrico La Loggia is.
But, hell, does this sort of shit go down elswhere? If a prominent Senator in the States was linked in no uncertain detail to a mafia boss and an attempted crime that was thwarted by authorities, would he be then elected to a key position in the government without a single word not appearing in the press or on TV? Is it just Italy?
If a prominent Senator in the States was linked in no uncertain detail to a mafia boss and an attempted crime that was thwarted by authorities, would he be then elected to a key position in the government without a single word not appearing in the press or on TV?
See Charles Pasqua in France. Even Chirac, it could be argued, was elected despite being a known crook. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
