A gang of at least three young
Italian men allegedly beat up non-EU migrants in the Sicilian
city of Marsala purely out of racial hatred, police said after
arresting the three on Thursday.
The gang, members of Marsala soccer team's 'ultra' hardcore fans
called "the street boys, rebel nucleus", carried out their
"raids" at the weekend in the historic centre of Marsala, police
said.
The three who were arrested were named as Salvatore Crimi, 18,
Antony Licari, 24, and Natale Salvatore Licari, 34.
Police said they and other gang members used blunt objects to
beat black migrants, acting "with cruelty and without mercy, out
of discrimination or racial and ethnic hatred".
The attacks took place in Marsala over the summer, police said.
They were, police said, "full-blown punitive raids against
harmless non-EU citizens who were subjected, without any
apparent reason, to verbal and physical violence by the criminal
gang".
The alleged racist thugs hit their victims with kicks, punches
and knees and used weapons including wooden chairs, tables,
glass bottles and various other items of furniture, police said.
The alleged gang was "blinded by bestial, unmotivated rage, made
all the more deplorable by phrases hailing race hatred like
'you're sh**y Africans', 'you can't speak because you're
coloured', and 'we're going to kill you, you have no right to be
here'," police said.
On one occasion the gang also attacked a local shopkeeper who
had tried to protect migrants from their wrath, police said.
Their victims were so afraid of the gang's ferocity that they
did not report the attacks and often did not even get medical
care for their injuries, police said.
The three have already been served DASPO stadium bans for their
hooligan acts, police said.
A search of Crimi's home turned up a semi-automatic pistol, and
10 cartridges.
Police are looking for the other members of the gang.
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