THE WASHINGTON POST: ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's open rejection of the vision of a multi-ethnic Italy sparked sharp debate Sunday, winning praise from far-right allies and accusations of racism from the left.
Berlusconi's conservative government has won public favor by cracking down on illegal immigration, allowing the premier to go a step further as he defended Saturday a new policy to deport migrants to Libya before they arrive on Italian shores.
"The left's idea is of a multi-ethnic Italy," Berlusconi told a news conference. "That's not our idea, ours is to welcome only those who meet the conditions for political asylum."
Long a country of emigrants, Italy in recent years has been grappling with an influx of poor African migrants arriving on its shores and Eastern Europeans seeking work, sparking fears over crime and a loss of national identity.
Opposition lawmakers denounced the premier's comments as racist and told him to accept Italy would inevitably become multi-cultural whether Italians liked it or not. >>> By Deepa Babington, Reuters | Sunday, May 10, 2009
