Centre-right leader Silvio
Berlusconi on Monday reiterated his warning over the numbers of
migrants in Italy after Saturday's racist shooting of six
migrants in Macerata as revenge for the murder of an Italian
woman.
Berlusconi described the shooting by rightist militant Luca
Traini as an isolated act of non-political madness but appeared
to stand by his call for 600,000 migrants to be deported after
the shooting in the sleepy provincial city that shocked Italy
and gained international headlines.
Traini, a 28-year-old militant for the anti-migrant
League, shot and wounded six migrants in a drive-by shooting
spree in the Marche city days after the discovery there of the
body of an 18-year-old Italian woman allegedly killed and
dismembered by a Nigerian immigrant.
"600,000 migrants are a social bomb that risks exploding,"
said Berlusconi on Sunday, echoing League leader Matteo Salvini
who said "those who fill us with migrants instigate violence"
like Traini's.
Salvini's critics have accused him with his incessant
anti-migrant invective of "morally arming" Traini, who is now
being held in the same jail as Innocent Oseghale, the alleged
drug pusher who allegedly killed recovering drug addict Pamela
Mastropietro before stuffing her hacked-up body into two
suitcases and dumping them near Macerata.
Apparently revising his deportation stance, Berlusconi said
Monday Traini's action was "madness".
The three-time ex-premier and media magnate said "it's
something incomprehensible: only an unbalanced person could do
something like that, I don't see anything political because
politics doesn't lead to these follies".
But then he said that the centre left was to blame for the
630,000 migrants he said were now in Italy.
The former premier and billionaire mogul said that
immigration dropped sharply under his last government and then
spiked under successive centre-left governments leading to a
"vertical drop in security".
"The centre right in government was able to stop
immigration," he said, referring to a deal with former Libyan
leader Muammar Gheddafi.
"In 2010 only 4,400 illegal immigrants arrived, the same as
one weekend last year.
"Because of the centre-left governments we now have 630,000
illegals, with a vertical drop in security".
It is a good idea to scrub the term 'race' from the Italian
Constitution, Berlusconi went on.
"Italians are not racists, we are hospitable," he said on
Italian TV.
"There is not a general climate of hatred but some people who
are out of their heads, like the gentleman in Macerata, who
wallow in this atmosphere".
Article 3 of the Constitution says all citizens are equal
without distinction of gender, race, language, religion,
political opinions and personal and social conditions.
Centre-right Lombardy governor candidate Attilio Fontana, of
the League, recently defended himself in a row over his
assertion that Italy's "white race is at risk" due to
migration, saying that "the Italian Constitution itself speaks
about race".
Meanwhile Salvini said Monday being described as a "bad
teacher" for allegedly fomenting Traini's racist hatred "recalls
the (Red Brigades) BR".
"I'm getting a lot of insults," said Salvini.
"I would be careful about using such words (as bad teachers).
"Evoking that period is not intelligent, it's better
to comment with your head than your mouth".
Gunmen can't ensure security, Democratic Party (PD) leader
Matteo Renzi said.
"Gunmen can't guarantee security in Italy," said the
ex-premier of League militant Traini.
"We must invest in Carabinieri and policemen".
He said "we propose hiring 10,000 men because those who wink
at gunmen today blocked (police) hirings," referring to the
centre right.
"Above all there is Italy, the defence of Italy and the
Italians and you defend them are the forces of order, not gunmen
who fire wildly".
Renzi responded to Berlusconi's calling migrants a "social
bomb" by saying the three-time ex-premier had signed the Dublin
Regulation in 2003 mandating that migrants be processed in their
country of arrival.
"So Berlusconi says that migrants in Italy are a social bomb?
But immigration derives from two factors: with the Dublin
treaties each country has to manage immigration alone, and the
he signed the accords he now contests in 2003.
"And if migrants are arriving in Italy it's because someone
waged war in Libya, and the premier (at that time) was
Berlusconi."
Anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) leader Luigi Di
Maio agreed, saying "here's a message for the forgetful
Berlusconi...he forgets that the main culprit for the social
bomb of immigration was himself."
Accusing Berlusconi of "betraying the homeland", Di Maio said
"Berlusconi created the social bomb by bombing Libya".
Italian Bishops' Conference (CEI) President Cardinal
Gualtiero Bassetti said Monday "we must say no to xenophobia,
social rancour and the 'entrepreneurs of fear'" amid migrant
fears.
"We must unite Italy, 'reknit' our communities," said the CEI
chief.
"In the name of God we invoke sobriety, peace and dialogue",
he said.
A copy of Mein Kampf as well as far-right insignia were found
at Traini's home.
Traini told police Monday he shot the migrants to avenge
Mastropietro.
"I wanted to avenge Pamela (Mastropietro), because the
phenomenon of illegal immigration must be stopped," said
Traini, according to police sources.
Traini told police he had initially wanted to go to court and
kill Innocent Oseghale.
Traini said he changed his mind "at the last minute" and
decided to target African migrants in the streets of the Marche
city.
Traini told police he had not meant to hit a Nigerian woman.
"How is the girl, I didn't mean to hit her," said Traini, who
is being held for multiple attempted murder aggravated by racial
hatred.
The young woman, Jennifer, was hit in the back near Macerat's
railway station.
Sources said police would request the confirmation of his
arrest later today.
A hearing for the arrest confirmation will be held tomorrow,
they said.
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