Rome: Arrivederci Roma

September 2008

And it would be with public support. The mood has changed markedly in the two years since we moved to Rome. The city’s newly elected rightwing mayor, Gianni Alemanno, is a former Fascist youth leader whose zero tolerance approach goes down well with voters. Most hostility here is directed at the city’s estimated 9,000 Roma people rather than Asians, but even Filipino cleaners and nannies, beloved of middle-class Romans, now worry about going out.

Alemanno says that of the 40,000 crimes carried out in Rome every year half are committed by non-Italians. Popular wisdom (and no longer only ranting taxi-drivers) has it that a hard core of unspecified “eastern Europeans” – including Bosnians, Serbians and Romanians as well as the Roma Gypsies – are responsible for most of the non-homegrown crime. Many live in squalid camps (there are about 85 around Rome alone) under railway arches and motorway flyovers or on the banks of the Tiber. They send their children not to school but out to steal, beg or play the accordion on the number 8 tram before passing round the hat. Current Italian wisdom has it that the Senegalese and Bangladeshis at least sell things people might want to buy – albeit fake Prada bags and fake Chanel sunglasses – and will take no for an answer. The Gypsies will just take your wallet.

Everyone has a tale of woe. Last year, Interpol contacted my husband after he was pickpocketed near Piazza Navona. Some villain had used his cards within half an hour to book into a five-star Rome hotel for the night (American Express), buy a £500 camcorder online (Visa) and order up a Chinese takeaway (MasterCard). Months later, a Romanian – possibly the original thief – was arrested on the Slovenian border, optimistically trying to re-enter Europe on an EU health card in the name of Fraser.

Their methods have changed little since the early 1990s when my wallet was snaffled by Roma girls in Florence, but their numbers have certainly swelled following the EU enlargements of 2004 and 2007.

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arkletten

September 22nd, 2008
2:09 AM

Hear, hear. I am glad to hear that the Italian government is taking a tough line on immigration and echo Liz's thoughts that you can't get to criticise the policy of multiculturalism. Scots respresent 10% of the population of the UK but how many do you see as broadcasters? Asians are barely 3% but are at least 30% of Newsnight. I am tired of this argument that nobody wants the jobs that immigrants take. Firstly, I am sceptical; and secondly, IF we did need immigrants it is better we are in control of seeking them.

Liz Gibson

September 5th, 2008
11:09 AM

Whilst Topaz Amoor's article does highlight the negative attitute of Italians to immigrants, I feel that perhaps she should also address the problems that arise from mass immigration. As a Scot residing in Guildford, Surrey there are times when I feel that it is I who is the ethnic minority. We in Britian cannot criticise, even constructively, for fear of being labelled racist. However, we, the indiginous population have to remain silent when accused of racism for fear of the racist slur. It is about time that the immigration problem is addressed openly by all without being accused of bias toward to those who are not indiginous to this country. Of course the majority of immigrants are highly skilled and many are hard working thus contributing positively to our economy but we should not ignore the other side of the coin. There are those who abuse our benefits system and are a strain on our NHS and schools.

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