In Italy Indian Immigrant Set On Fire: Police

ROME — Italian police have arrested three young men for allegedly beating and setting on fire an Indian immigrant who was sleeping on a train station bench in a seaside town near Rome, investigators said Monday.

The attack on the 35-year-old man in Nettuno sparked outrage in Italy and fueled a debate on attitudes toward immigrants.

Carabinieri paramilitary police said the three poured gasoline on the man early Sunday, then set him on fire.

The man has severe burns over 40 percent of his body, said Dr. Paolo Palombo, an official of Sant'Eugenio hospital in Rome, where the immigrant was taken for treatment. Palombo told SKY TG24 TV that the patient would undergo skin grafts Friday to help fight the danger of infection.

The mood among some citizens has turned ugly in recent years following the arrest of immigrants as suspects in several high-profile crimes, including the slaying of an Italian admiral's wife in suburban Rome and the rape of a young Italian woman in the countryside near Rome.

Italian President Giorgio Napolitano warned in a statement against "any display and risk of xenophobia, racism and violence."

Police said the suspects in the Nettuno attack include a 16-year-old and a 19-year-old. The third suspect is 29.

Investigators said the suspects apparently had been using drugs and alcohol.

"We can exclude racism as a motive because they were so high," Carabinieri Maj. Emanuele Gaeta told SKY TG24 TV.

Premier Silvio Berlusconi's conservative government has been cracking down on illegal immigration in Italy, which surveys show many citizens link to crime.

His top security official, Interior Minister Roberto Maroni, told reporters the Nettuno violence "isn't a racist attack. It's something worse," he said, a lack of fundamental values in society.

Comments

[JakeRedd]

Seems like trickle-down values emanating from Berlusconi himself.

[gageeandbaba]

and I was only scared of Germans

[Halter]

History repeats itself-the great depression nudged some european countries (and some notable americans and Brits) towards fascism, paving the way for WWII. Italy is showing some disturbing tendencies. Vigilence is warranted.

[harriettubman]

Italy should be ashamed of itself. How many rac*ist stories do we need to read coming out of that fil*thy country? They aren't better than anyone. Naples has young beggar children running in the streets to wash your car windows for some pennies. Other parts of the country have young, male prost*it*utes.

Itally needs to offer a country wide diversity training.

[Veman]

Lets take the plank of wood out of our own eye before we go bashing italians - last I checked a few weeks ago an unarmed black teenager was shoot dead on a train platform in Oakland - by a BART officer - for no good reason (cuz the cop freaked out and pulled the wrong trigger on a (rhymes with "trigger").

[gsc 99]

Your logic doesn't make sense. Are you saying there is racism in America, yes in some places, no doubt. America just swore in an Afican American as President. Show me similar success of immigrants in Italy

Last year there were wide spread riots in France because of lack of integration of immigrants into mainstream society.

Gree had riots recentl.

Europe is a dry keg for social unrest. Economy is just the catalyst

[Rianna]

Shouldn't the good Pope show outrage over this incident?

[Freenation]

Nice global coverage...

[thepoliticalcat]

Yes, we can attribute this stupid act to racism. After all, they did not seek out a fellow Italian to set on fire, but someone who looked different from them. Ugh. Disgusting.

[celticsoul]

Oh no, they were too high! I've been pretty stoned before and I never lit anyone on fire.

[blogattelle]

"lack of foundamental values in society" mainly comes from belusconi maroni & c play politics; right center or left italian politicians think to be pope borgia or valentinois, machiavelli or lorenzo the magnificent, garibaldi or mazzini too but they are the same bad persons

[PlaceboStudman]

I'm glad to see HuffPo relating stories of things happening abroad that are happening similarly here in the USA. All countries have pretty much the same problems as every other countries, but the American mindset is built to believe that we are unique and special and that the problems that exist in the rest of the world don't affect us or aren't our problem

[AmandaBC]

The US, Italy, Poland and a few other countries are the exception, not the rule.