As Vremya Novostey writes, the problem of immigrants is acute in Italy. On the island of Lampedusa alone, located halfway between the southern coasts of Sicily and Tunisia, more than 22,000 immigrants arrived in 2008. They crossed the Mediterranean Sea on flimsy boats, abandoned to fate and the elements, without food or water, without warm clothing. Many of these unfortunates, fleeing poverty and war, die at sea, and those who make it to shore, according to Italian law, should be promptly returned to their country of origin.
But this is not easy because many illegal immigrants have no documents, and establishing their citizenship is difficult. Therefore, in 2008, only 6,553 illegal immigrants were expelled from Italy's 58 million population, which is still 28.1% more than in 2007. While awaiting deportation, illegal immigrants are placed in 'temporary stay centers' or 'identification and expulsion centers,' essentially prison camps, one of which is on Lampedusa. According to Dario Franceschini, a parliamentarian from the opposition Democratic Party who visited this 'center,' it 'violates human rights.'
However, Interior Minister Roberto Maroni intends to deal harshly with illegal immigrants, and in particular to build a second 'temporary stay center' on Lampedusa. This has already led to strong protests from the local population. Roberto Maroni, a prominent figure in the Northern League party, which is part of Berlusconi's government and is known for open xenophobia, especially towards Muslims, called those who advocate humane treatment of migrants 'naive goody-goodies.' Calls for humanity also come, in particular, from Maroni's predecessor in the ministerial post, Giuseppe Pisanu of Berlusconi's People of Freedom party. Maroni's words were also criticized by the opposition and the Catholic Church.
Despite all the efforts of the government and the Interior Ministry, many illegal immigrants somehow remain in Italy. Some even manage to find work and housing, while others eke out a miserable existence in dugouts and shacks on the outskirts of cities. Many turn to crime. According to the Interior Ministry, as of mid-2007, there were 760,000 undocumented immigrants in Italy. The immigration law passed by the Senate provides for a number of 'tough' measures, including very controversial ones. Among them is a rule requiring doctors to report illegal immigrants who seek their treatment to law enforcement agencies. This has provoked resistance from doctors, who consider such a proposal incompatible with professional ethics and do not want to become 'informants.' The Catholic Church again opposed this rule, primarily the Archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi.
In Italy, the number of violent crimes, particularly rapes, has increased noticeably, raising the question of a link between this alarming phenomenon and the rise in the number of immigrants. Recently, a case of gang rape in the town of Guidonia near Rome caused a great uproar. A group of young men from Romania attacked a couple in a car, beat them, locked the man in the trunk, and raped the woman in turn. Police barely prevented an angry mob from lynching the arrested criminals.
Immigrants are also victims of acts of violence. There was a case where a group of Moroccans raped a Romanian immigrant woman. Violence is not only sexual: on February 1, in another town near Rome, Nettuno, three Italian hooligans beat, doused with gasoline, and set on fire a 35-year-old Indian homeless man sleeping on a bench at the station. The Indian ended up in the hospital with severe burns, and the arrested criminals, aged 16, 19, and 29, said they wanted to 'have fun.' 'This is not a racist attack, it's worse,' Roberto Maroni commented on the incident and attributed its cause to 'a lack of fundamental values in society.' The mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno, formerly from the pro-fascist National Alliance, promised to take 'decisive' measures against violence, but the forecasts are grim.
A wave of xenophobia is also growing in Italy, taking on bizarre forms in some places. In the Tuscan city of Lucca, the local municipal council (with a center-right majority) banned 'ethnic restaurants' with non-Italian cuisine in the city center on the mayor's proposal. Shawarma, pilaf, Serbian ćevapi, and Indian biryani have been outlawed.