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Italy Passes Controversial New Rape Penalty Law

More news stories on Europe

Deutsche Welle (Bonn), February 20, 2009

Italy has introduced harsher penalties for rape and other sex crimes. Some say the measures, which also include the creation of civilian anti-crime patrols and longer detention for illegal immigrants, target foreigners.

The measures contained in a decree approved by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s cabinet on Friday, Feb. 20, come in the wake of several widely publicized rape cases, including three last weekend in Rome, Milan and Bologna.

They also follow rioting by Tunisian would-be immigrants protesting their repatriation from a detention center on the island in Lampedusa.

“The government is not acting on a wave of emotion,” Berlusconi, who has taken a hard line against illegal immigration, told reporters. He said his cabinet was working to keep the center-right’s April 2008 election promise to combat crime and curb illegal immigration.

Rape cases declined 10 percent in 2008, compared to the 2006-2007 period when Italy was governed by the center-left, Berlusconi said.

Criticism of “xenophobic” attitudes

Silvio Berlusconi casts his ballot in a polling station Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Berlusconi’s election promises to fight crime and illegal immigration helped him to victory

Romanian rights groups, however, on Friday issued a joint statement condemning recent “xenophobic attitudes and attacks” in Italy after a series of rapes were blamed on immigrants.

Earlier this week, four Romanians were attacked by masked assailants in a Rome restaurant, supposedly in response to allegations that the sex crimes had been committed by eastern European and northern African men.

In January, six Romanian men were convicted of arrested in the gang-rape of a woman.

Mandatory life sentences

The Italian decree, which goes into effect immediately but still has to be approved by both houses of parliament within 60 days, introduces mandatory life sentences for people convicted of gang-rape, sexual assault resulting in murder and violent sexual abuse of children.

Those charged with such crimes, as well as suspects “caught in the act” for child prostitution, child pornography and sex tourism crimes committed abroad, will also be kept in jail while awaiting trial, according to the decree.

Recent decisions by magistrates to issue house arrest instead of prison orders to several rape suspects have triggered public outcry in Italy.

Civilian anti-crime patrols

The decree also contains a controversial clause allowing mayors to recruit civilians to conduct anti-crime patrols in towns and city.

Italy’s opposition says the measure could lead civilians to take the law into their own hands and make them more likely to target immigrants.

Immigrants and Italian policemen face each other at Lampedusa detention center on Jan. 23, 2009Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Riots broke out in Lampedusa at the end of January

Interior Minister Roberto Maroni denied this, saying the patrols would ideally consist of retired policemen, off-duty soldiers and fire fighters.

“They will not carry weapons and will only be equipped with radio transmitters or mobile phones to alert police,” he said.

Longer detention for immigrants

Furthermore, the decree approved Friday increases from two to six months the period in which would-be immigrants may be held in detention centers.

Maroni said that this would allow for their proper identification and for arranging their repatriation with the authorities of their countries of origin.

Human rights activists, the Roman Catholic Church and much of Italy’s opposition have said this will lead to overcrowding at the detention centers and that health and security risks will result.

Maroni said the government plans to convert former army barracks into detention centers for illegal immigrants and make use of other structures that are located “away from urban centers and preferably close to airports,” in order to “ease swift repatriation.”

Original article

(Posted on February 23, 2009)

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Comments

1 — Anonymous wrote at 5:35 PM on February 23:

The Italian decree, which goes into effect immediately but still has to be approved by both houses of parliament within 60 days, introduces mandatory life sentences for people convicted of gang-rape, sexual assault resulting in murder and violent sexual abuse of children.

Ok, when can we introduce this here in the States?

2 — Anonymous wrote at 5:44 PM on February 23:

Well then the foreigners should stop raping!

3 — Anonymous wrote at 6:15 PM on February 23:

Why all of this concern with xenophobia?

What is the opposite of xenophobia?

Xenomania! Or excessive and pathological love of foreigners… .preferring foreigners over one’s own people!
The West’s immigration policies are xenomaniacal.


“Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder.”
Arnold J. Toynbee


“Of the twenty-two civilizations that have appeared in history, nineteen of them collapsed when they reached the moral state the United States is in now.”
Arnold J. Toynbee
Date of Death: October 22, 1975


“Those whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad.”
Anonymous ancient proverb, wrongly attributed to Euripides


4 — Civilized Neighbor wrote at 6:33 PM on February 23:

“Romanian rights groups, however, on Friday issued a joint statement condemning recent “xenophobic attitudes and attacks” in Italy after a series of rapes were blamed on immigrants.”

Yes, they are always ‘blamed on’ immigrants because immigrants never really commit these rapes in the mind of the ‘rights’ groups and left-wing journalists. Notice how the writer’s style changes when discussing anti-crime Italians (condemning, absolutist tone to try to sow hostility in the mind of readers) versus the minority rapes (noncommital, obfuscating tone to instill doubt in the reader that the rapes even took place).

Well, I say Good for the Italians! I hope the rest of Europe follows suit. The feelings of minorities and immigrants MUST ALWAYS take backseat to the physical safety and security of white women.

5 — Tony Soprano wrote at 7:12 PM on February 23:

To me it is racist against italians to pick on them for trying to protect their women.Of course no one knows that for centuries the people of Italy have been victimized by pirates from north africa who would drag off their men women and children and sell them into slavery.

6 — Anonymous wrote at 7:52 PM on February 23:

“Human rights activists, the Roman Catholic Church and much of Italy’s opposition have said this will lead to overcrowding at the detention centers and that health and security risks will result.”


There you have it: Immigrants = security risks.

Although this equation is hardly news to AmRen readers, please note that this time the equation is being admitted BY PRO-IMMIGRATION FORCES! They KNOW these people are dangerous and have a high potential for violence and mayhem — yet they still insist upon letting them in! Insanity!

Bravo, Signor Berlusconi! How I wish we had a man like you running America instead of You Know Who.

7 — Jill wrote at 7:55 PM on February 23:

FYI: “Romanian” = Gypsies. The liberal news media in Italy is afraid to acknowledge the growing Gypsy problem, so they refer to them as Romanians to cover up…


8 — Grob Hahn wrote at 9:05 PM on February 23:

Rapists should be executed, they can’t be “cured”.
Grob

9 — Bobby wrote at 10:25 PM on February 23:

“Critics say tough penalties aimed at immigrants”

The “critics” are full of s..t, because who cares who the penalties are aimed at? I am sure that these same critics will penalize the native population just the same as the “immigrants” if they are caught raping. Who knows, the “critics” may even penalize the native population more than the “immigrants”. That happens all across the U.S. now, where illegal aliens often get off with a slap on the wrist, such as in eight time drunk driving offenses, where Americans often go to jail on the 3rd offense.

10 — Anonymous wrote at 12:00 AM on February 24:

I would like very much to know the actual ethnic and racial backgrounds of those so-called “Romanians”? Are they true European descendents of the Dacians? Or are these “Romanians” really the Roma Gypsy?

11 — Tom S wrote at 12:20 AM on February 24:

I’m sure a life sentence in an Italian prison STILL beats living in their home countries so it won’t deter any rapes. In fact it might INCREASE rapes because they would know they would never have to return to their hell-hole countries and be guaranteed free room and board for life. Just think how much that will cost the taxpayers of Italy! And whats with this “arranging their repatriation with the authorities of their countries of orgin”. Just kick them out already! Did they “arrange” their ARRIVAL into Italy? They found their way there, they’ll find their way back.

12 — nokangaroos wrote at 1:23 AM on February 24:

“Romanian rights groups?” Holy Miron of Schkrepkoutz. To call these - things - Romanian is an insult to every European.
- As for these “reforms”, they sound reasonable enough. However, I will believe them when I see them (remember, they are not ratified - they can promise you anything unless it´s law).
For many years, Italy has taken the easy route - simply processing the “refugees” and then moving them on to Austria (EU-wide, only Spain is a worse offender in this respect).

13 — GenX in Oz wrote at 1:45 AM on February 24:

If you complain that penalties for gang rape are racist, doesn’t that mean you’re admitting that certain groups gang rape more than others?

Surely this is the sort of thing that no decent person could complain about.

A victim of a gang rape is never the same person again.

14 — Anonymous wrote at 4:11 AM on February 24:

“Italy has introduced harsher penalties for rape and other sex crimes. Some say the measures, which also include the creation of civilian anti-crime patrols and longer detention for illegal immigrants, target foreigners.”

Glad to see the left admitting they know who’s responsible for a disproportionate amount of rapes.

15 — Anonymous wrote at 6:55 AM on February 24:

“Romanian rights groups….”
now we know who is doing the rapes!

16 — Michael C. Scott wrote at 4:04 PM on February 24:

Does this mean laws against rape and murder should be repealed because they have a “disparate effect” on nonwhites?

If that is what these advocacy groups are suggesting, then Political Correctness has finally advanced from the merely ridiculuous to the surreal.

17 — Fight the Racists wrote at 6:07 PM on March 2:

The bottom line is this: liberals always take the side of criminals over victims. Every time. This situation is no different.


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