Montegrotto

In the picture above, the message of the major of Montegrotto (Veneto) to his townsmen: "My fellow citizens, emigrate! You will live better abroad than in your own city!".

Veneto is among the richest regions in Italy, one of the few places in Europe with a de facto full employment condition. The GDP is here 20% higher than the European Union average. Montegrotto is as well famous for the spas treatment, which attract both Italians and foreign tourists.

The major of Montegrotto - not the first to take actions against immigrants in the region - thinks that the situation in his municipality is not that bright. "In Italy illegal immigrants have more rights than Italians", he declared to "La Repubblica", "and they live far better than locals". The invasion of immigrants is unstoppable, because the majors "do not have the instruments to mantain the order and security".

The major of Cittadella, "the first town in Italy to lay down who may not live in it: namely the poor, the unemployed and the homeless", opened couple of weeks ago the season of xenophobic attacks against immigrants in Veneto, spelling out "that foreigners coming from within the EU have the right to live in Cittadella only if they had no criminal record, were in regular work with an income per family member of at least €5,000 (£3,600) per year, and had a home conforming to standards set down by the town" (Independent).

These two cases are just the follow-up of the bigger and more serious issue related to Romanians in Italy after the death of an Italian woman in Rome. In the case, "the Italian authorities fail to keep the notion of the case linked only to the eventual perpetrator and not allowing it to blow into aggressive racist campaign against Roma in Italy" stated the European Roma Information Office (ERIO), adding that "the unexpected developments of violent xenophobic situation fuelled by the Italian media put the authorities in a panic situation. In order to find a quick solution they adopted a decree which gives local authorities and the interior ministry, the power to expel citizens of other EU countries. In this format it is not in conformity with the EU human rights principles and other international human rights standards. The most worrying aspect of the decree is that it is aimed so openly at Romanians as well as the fact that its application has been primarily if not exclusively aimed at Roma". (ERIO).

PS: a sarcastic, but true comment on the issue is given by Leonardo: "the major of Montegrotto faced the problem in a finally outspoken manner. There are too many morons in Veneto. It is necessary to "devenetize" the region. I wish to all morons from Veneto a pleasant exodus, and to be treated in UK or Germany in the same nice as they treated Romanians in their former hometowns".