Category Archives: gypsies

Osama, Mladic, Berlusconi: rough winds do shake

Posted on June 2, 2011 by hnbjr

May ended up being a very bad month for the intolerant: first Osama bin Laden, then Ratko Mladic, and now Silvio Berlusconi, whose coalition was dealt a serious blow in run-off mayoral elections all over Italy this past week. Of … Continue reading →

Posted in electoral crisis, gypsies, human rights, humor, il cav, immigration, italy, lega nord, roma, the italian left, the italian right | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Magdi Allam’s Politics of Fear

Posted on May 9, 2011 by hnbjr

Some readers have criticized my use of the word “nutjob” to describe Magdi Allam. That is admittedly an imprecise description of a journalist-turned-demagogue whose views are nativist at best and racist at worst. Like Oriana Fallaci before him, Allam has … Continue reading →

Posted in Bossi, Chinese, gypsies, human rights, il cav, immigration, italy, lega nord, roma, the italian left, the italian right, the right in europe, Via Sarpi | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Life among the Lowly

Posted on May 8, 2011 by hnbjr

Journalist-cum-politican Magdi Cristiano Allam loves Italy, he tells us. The Egyptian-born Italian, who made a publicized conversion to Catholicism, seems quick to absorb Italian values — if rampant, no-holds-barred race baiting is an Italian value.  Going far beyond provocative and … Continue reading →

Posted in Bossi, Chinatown, Chinese, fini, gypsies, human rights, il cav, immigration, italy, lega nord, maroni, roma, the italian right, the right in europe, Via Sarpi | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

More on the Roma Debate

Posted on September 17, 2010 by hnbjr

Berlusconi comes out with Sarkozy against criticism on France’s treatment of Roma. Quoted in Le Figaro yesterday, “[EU Citizen’s Rights Commissioner] Reding would have done better to treat the subject in private with French leaders before speaking publicly as she … Continue reading →

Posted in eu, france, gypsies, immigration, italy, lega nord, roma, romania, sarkozy, the right in europe | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

More on the EU and the Roma

Posted on August 22, 2010 by hnbjr

In response to reader Scott, who raises some good points on my last post: Romania is near to being the most impoverished country in Europe, and if there are no jobs in Romania workers will go where the jobs are. … Continue reading →

Posted in eu, france, gypsies, immigration, italy, lega nord, maroni, roma, romania, sarkozy | 6 Comments

Expelled: l’intelligence, n’est pas permis

Posted on August 22, 2010 by hnbjr

When I first came to live in Italy in late 2007, a debate about immigration that had been simmering for years finally began to boil over. As the Prodi government staggered and fell, a coalition government, led by Berlusconi’s newly-branded … Continue reading →

Posted in gypsies, immigration, italy, maroni, roma | 3 Comments