Italy: Press campaign for tighter laws
01 January 1991
Italy: Press campaign for tighter laws
artdoc May=1993
The Italian government, having admitted that the Boniver law,
which allows for the immediate deportation of illegal immigrants,
is unconstitutional, is considering tightening up the Martelli
law so as to make deportations easier.*
The announcement comes in the wake of what Il Manifesto
describes as a press campaign against immigrants. Following the
release of figures, which suggest that by November 45,000
immigrants had entered Italy in 1992, the mainstream press
interpreted the figures as proof of an ongoing `invasion'. The
Indipendente called for new measures to make entry more difficult
and La Stampa argued for more deportations (Il Manifesto
20.11.92).
Meanwhile, the Italian Ecumenical organisation, the CEI, has
distanced itself from statements made by Father Bruno Mioli, a
founder member of the Migrantes foundation, concerned with the
social problems facing immigrants. Father Bruno Mioli's comments
on the failure of the Martelli law to regularise immigration and
the persistence of `clandestine and disorderly' immigration, has
been seized upon by right-wing groups and the press as ammunition
in their campaigns for tighter laws (Il Manifesto 11.11.92). *The
Martelli law of 1989 drastically tightened up the laws on the
entry and stay of immigrants, after an amnesty to irregular
workers (which most could not take up because their employers
would not co-operate, preferring to keep them illegal to avoid
pay, national insurance and health and safety obligations).
Attacks in Rome
A Palestinian student, Zuheir Sayed, was attacked by right
wingers after objecting to a swastika and anti-Semitic daubings
on a blackboard in the college where he was studying. When he was
set upon by the right-wing thugs, fellow students did nothing to
help (Jewish Chronicle 27.11.92).
Meanwhile, at the Architecture faculty at the University of
Rome, a group of fascists threatened to disrupt a student meeting
(Il Manifesto 16.11.92).
The discovery of bars, batons, knives and racist and nazi
materials near Rome's Olympic stadium (police believed the
weapons were to be used at the Lazio/Roma football match),
provided an impetus for the Italian Footballers' Day of Protest
against Violence and Racism organised by the Italian Players
Association (Il Manifesto 27.11.92, Independent on Sunday
13.12.92).
Proposal to strengthen incitement laws
The government says it is to strengthen existing laws against
racism. Draft proposals equate incitement to racial, religious
and ethnic hatred and violence to crimes committed by the mafia
and terrorists. A maximum five-year sentence for incitement to
racial hatred is proposed, as well as penalties for racist
chanting at sports stadiums (Jewish Chronicle 11.1.93).
Mafia harass immigrants
The Camorra mafia gang are believed to be involved in violence
against black people in Naples. In the latest incident, Ziadi
Mijid, a 34-year-old Moroccan, who was selling contraband
cigarettes, was violently beaten up by a Camorra gang who say
their aim was to `persuade' Ziadi to sell his cigarettes
elsewhere (Il Manifesto 26.11.92).
Far-Right calls for new alliances
Umberto Bossi, leader of the far-right Northern League has, in
a series of statements and an interview in the ex-Communist
newspaper Unita, said that the secession of the North from Italy
was no longer part of the League's programme. It seems that Mr.
Bossi, who warned of a `Yugoslav' break-up of Italy is, in
grasping `federalism', making overtures to other political
parties to join forces, as a united opposition will be the only
means of forcing the government out of power in elections due
this year. The ex-Communist PDS has said that they think the new
approach `sincere' (Guardian 2.1.93).
Mr. Bossi's statement came after impressive successes in
December local elections where its share of the national vote
rose from 10-16 per<