Italy

Naples police release chilling footage of murder in bid to break law of silence

Team Observers — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:15:35 +0100

CCTV footage of this killing carried out in the street in broad daylight was posted on the Internet by Naples police in the hope that someone would step forward and help identify the murderer.

Warning: These images may be found disturbing.

The scene occurred on May 11 in the neighbourhood of Sanità, in central Naples. The images were filmed by a surveillance camera and made public by Naples’ public prosecutor. The victim, Mariano Bacio Terracino,53, was listed as a known thief in police files. His murder may have been ordered by the notorious Neapolitan mafia, the Camorra.

Rock band Muse gets back at Italian TV with hillarious prank

Team Observers — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:49:32 +0200

The rock group Muse was invited to perform on Italian TV channel Rai 2 to promote its latest album "The Resistance"on Sunday, September 20.

The show's producers "Quelli che il Calcio" forced them to give a playback performance. Furious, the band came up with a hillarious revenge: the band's lead singer, Matthew Bellamy, swapped places with the drummer, and didn't even pretend to stay on beat. The show's female presenter didn't notice a thing, and if the audience did they never said a word. But web users weren't fooled...

Women-only beach “an oasis of calm”

Sophie Team Observers — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:11:20 +0200

Ladies, are you dreaming of a beach void of men? Well dream no more. Just make your way to Pedocin, Italy.

Are you for or against mixed gender beaches? Give your opinion.

Entomo, a real-life “superhero” in Naples

Sophie Team Observers — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:02:29 +0200

In classic superhero style, citizens around the world are taking it upon themselves to fight crime. Just like their illustrated icons, "real-life superheroes" create a second identity and patrol the streets in the dark of the night.

Children in hunting ads - shocking?

Sophie Team Observers — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 18:01:20 +0200

Our Observer Alberto Celani alerted us to this PR campaign from Italian hunting association Federcaccia. Not everyone is delighted with the idea - should we be encouraging children to hunt, and even worse, use guns?

"Go die elsewhere, I've got a train to catch"

Julien — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:05:54 +0200

He was 33, he was a Roma gypsy, and he played the organ in Naples's metro. He was shot dead on May 27, caught in mafia crossfire. The scene, caught on several security cameras, shocked many Italians: while one man died at their feet, onlookers continued to pass the metro turnstiles.

Our Observer Alberto Celani alerted us on this story.

Petru Birladenu was apparently in the wrong place at the wrong time. That day, eight members of the Sarno di Ponticelli clan, one of Naples's Camorra families, drove down a street in the Spanish quarter, the city's most dangerous neighbourhood, riding motorcycles and armed with machine guns. They opened fire as they drove past the Monsanto metro station, shooting wildly.

Some believe that the Sarno clan's intention was to mark its territory after Mariano, the boss of a rival Camorra clan, began trying to regain control of the Spanish quarter when he was released from prison.

Other Italian media explained, after studying the video in detail, that Mariano himself was probably in the area and may have been the target of the attack. The roma musician and his wife were heading towards the metro when the shots erupted. Shot in the arm, Petru tried to take cover in the metro before collapsing in front of the turnstiles. Onlookers hurried past him without a second glance. Italian Web users discuss the incident on this website: some believe that no one reacted because the victim was a gypsy. Others are irritated what they see as unfair finger-pointing:

I don't know if all the people who blame the onlookers have any idea what it means to find oneself in the middle of eight people who suddenly open fire. How brave would they be then, would they rush to help an unknown person who for all they know may have been the target of the attack, and may be targeted again? It has nothing to do with racist reactions. Who could have know he was just a poor Roma and not a dangerous gang member like the killers themselves? Do you have any idea of the terror those who live in mafia-controlled neighbourhoods live with? Then get off your high horses!!

Neo-fascists want to patrol Italy’s streets

Sophie Team Observers — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:55:39 +0200

A neo-fascist group has been disqualified from patrolling the Italian streets after showcasing their uniform — strikingly similar to that of Benito Mussolini's Black Shirts — at a press conference on Saturday.

The Italian National Guards was one of the groups which planned to take up the Italian authorities' offer of patrolling the streets in order to lessen crime. The proposed legislation, which is currently in its final stages of parliament, would allow local authorities to authorise civilian groups to patrol the streets. The volunteers would not be armed and could do little more than alert the police to suspected activity. But since the Italian National Guards turned up belted and booted with eagle-emblazoned headgear and Red Sun arm bands, the initiative has come under fire, both in Italy and abroad.

Our Observer Alberto Celani alerted us to this story.

Boat people: the story of one who made it, and many who didn’t

Team Observers — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:23:20 +0200

This video, filmed on camera phone by a people smuggler, shows a group of Africans boarding an inflatable boat off a beach in Libya. They're hoping to reach the southern Italian island of Lampedusa. But just after pushing off, the police arrive.

Footage shot between the end of March and the beginning of April. Source: La Repubblica.

The video was published on Italian daily La Repubblica's website. The journalist who got hold of the footage, Frencesco Viviano, condemns the corruption of the local police forces. He says that the police officers which we see arriving and intervening in the migration attempt, are, in reality, often in collaboration with the smugglers. In order to leave without bother, the officers charge a fee to the stowaways. If they can't afford it, then they're made to work for the officers for free, often for months at a time.

On Thursday Libya announced that it would accept boat people, most of whom originate from northern African countries such as Somalia, Ethiopia and Nigeria, who were picked up by Italian vessels. The Italian government has recently toughened up on stowaways, revoking the obligation that sees immigrants allowed to disembark in Lampedusa. Now they can simply accompany the boats back to Libyan shores.

Berlusconi's macho image helps him win elections

Julien — Tue, 05 May 2009 09:42:43 +0200

One would think Silvio Berlusconi's wife's decision to leave him has put the Italian prime minister in a tight spot only weeks before the European elections. But our Italian Observer Alberto Celani says that the criticism is actually helping reinforce his "compassionate" and "macho" image.

The cover of the Italian magazine Oggi reads: "Berlusconi's harem". The photos of Berlusconi's villa were taken with a zoom lens. The Italian premier sued the magazine and said that he was with "friends".

Veronica Lario did not appreciate her husband's decision to add beautiful but politically inexperienced women to his party list for the European elections, but once again she swallowed the bitter pill.

But when Berlusconi attended an 18-year-old female friend's birthday, it was the last straw for Italy's First Lady.

In turn, the not-so-chivalrous Cavaliere demanded an apology from his wife, accusing her of "playing a joke on him in the middle of an electoral campaign" — for the third time.

Rugby heroes dig among the ruins of L'Aquila

Julien — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:41:21 +0200

All catastrophes breed their heroes and martyrs. The rugby team of L'Aquila, where a devastating earthquake killed at least 200 people on Monday, has both.

The medieval city of L’Aquila, in central Italy, has long been the heartland of Italian rugby. After a devastating earthquake reduced much of the city and neighbouring areas to rubble, the celebrated local rugby team is once again in the spotlight. One of them, 20-year-old Lorenzo Sebastiani, is among the more than 200 victims counted so far and many of his teammates have played a central part in the recue operations, at the risk of their own lives. We spoke to two “Bersaglieri” or “Sharpshooters”, as L’Aquila’s rugby players are known.

This post was made with the help of our Observer in Italy, Alberto Celani, for whom the heroism of L'Aquila's rugby players is hardly a surprise. As he told us, "L'Aquila is known in Italy to be a club of tough and strong-minded players, who never give up".

You may also read this post in Italian.