Everyday intolerance : racist and xenophobic violence in Italy / [written by Judith Sunderland].

"Immigrants and Roma in Naples, Rome, and the southern Italian town of Rosarno are attacked by mobs. An Italian of Burkina Faso origin is bludgeoned to death on the street in Milan after a petty theft from a café. An Indian man outside Rome is beaten, doused with gasoline, and set on fire. A Chinese man in Rome is beaten as he waits for the bus. A Senegalese actor is stabbed in the stomach as he waits for a tram in Milan. These recent hate crimes in Italy did not occur in a vacuum. In a country that has seen a dramatic increase in immigration, a political discourse that links immigrants and Roma to crime has helped create an environment of intolerance. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said in 2009 that Italy should not become a multiethnic country. The reality is that Italy is already a mosaic of ethnicities, nationalities, and national origins. Without a more responsible approach from the Italian authorities, there is a real danger that Italy's growing diversity will be accompanied by rising intolerance and violence. Everyday Intolerance, based on dozens of interviews with victims of violence, government officials, and others, in cities across Italy, shows that the response of the Italian authorities to racist violence has been at best inadequate. Amendments to the criminal law should ensure that crimes motivated wholly or in part by hatred on grounds of race, or other protected grounds such as sexual orientation and gender identity, should be prosecuted and punished as such. Authorities should collect appropriate data, in order to analyze trends in racist and xenophobic violence and ensure an appropriate response. Officials at the highest levels should stop downplaying the problem, and instead consistently and forcefully condemn racist and xenophobic violence, including harassment and abuse by law enforcement officers against Roma and immigrants"--P. [4] of cover.

Also issued in print.

Description based on print version.