Italy: Racist attacks
01 January 1991
Italy: Racist attacks
artdoc April=1995
Focus on Rome
The Vatican daily newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano has warned of
`worrying intolerance among groups of young people' following a
spate of racially motivated attacks in and around Rome.
In Latina, 40 miles south of Rome, police arrested four neo-
nazis for beating up the town's imam. They have been charged with
racially motivated assault. Detectives investigating a fire in
Rome's market believe it was started deliberately and racially
motivated. The market's big covered spaces have become popular
with homeless immigrants seeking a place for the night. Police
arrested twelve men after two Senegalese street vendors were
attacked in a metro station and a student from the Congo was
beaten up on a train in the suburbs (Guardian 9.6.94).
Fascists in Rome have also targeted squats and anarchist centres
for attack. In one incident, shots were fired at a centre. Twelve
fascists armed with sticks and chains attacked three young men
from the Pirateria Di Porto social centre. Nazis are also
occupying an area on the outskirts of the city to prevent the
setting up of a travellers camp (Il Manifesto 16.6, 19.7.94 ).
World cup euphoria leads to racist attacks
Two immigrants were attacked following Italy's World Cup victory
over Nigeria. A young Tunisian was knifed in Bologna and a non-EC
citizen was beaten up in Prato, a small town near Florence (Il
Manifesto 7.7.94).
Pakistani tenants shot by Italian landlord
A landlord from Campolongo has been charged with multiple
attempted homicide after shooting at four Pakistani tenants who
told him they could not afford to pay the rent increase he
demanded.
All four Pakistanis were wounded, one of them, Hussain Mureed,
seriously. Police say that the real motive for the crime remains
unclear (Il Manifesto 15.7.94).
IRR European Race Audit, Bulletin no 10, September 1994. Contact:
Liz Fekete, Institute of Race Relations, 2-6 Leeke Street, London
WC1X 9HS. Tel: 0171 837 0041
<