(ANSA) Rome, February 11 - Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti
rebutted criticism Wednesday of a military recruiting campaign
using the English slogan "Be Cool, Join the Navy," saying it has
boosted the numbers joining Italy's senior service.
Pinotti was responding to an attack by right-wing Fratelli
d'Italia (FdI, Brothers of Italy) MP Fabio Rampelli who said the
minister should be suspended from office for 'wounding
patriotism" with the advertisement painted prominently on Rome
city buses.
"The campaign is effective and addresses itself to young
people who now compare each other on the Web all over the
world," she told the lower house.
Rampelli began his speech by saying "dear colleagues" in
English, adding that "if I continued like that the Speaker would
have stopped me speaking - I ask myself how it came into the
mind of the Italian Navy to launch, with our money, a campaign
in the English language to recruit young people - this is an
unacceptable slogan."
Pinotti said that applications to join the Naval academy
have increased by 20 %.
"The fact that the campaign is discussed also in parliament
is evidence of the effectiveness of the message showing the
capacity of the armed forces to renew themselves," she said.
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