Immigrants are criminals, immigrants increase the crime, immigration must be stopped, the immigrants are dangerous. These phrases have become common now in Italy and Europe and many people believe them, as well as being the flagships of all the European Right. And are based on a colossal lie.
There is no statistically significant correlation between increased immigration and crime. That has been demonstrated beyond any doubt by some Italian researchers who have simply compared the data of immigration with those of crime from 1990 to 2003. In 1990, immigrants in Italy were about 600,000 in 2003 almost 4 million. On the basis of what most of the media and many Italian politicians say one would expect a dramatic increase in crime with the increase of immigrants. Instead in 1990, the Italian crime rate was 4.4% (we could say that slightly more than 4 people in 100 have been victims of some crime, 90% theft of various kinds). In 2003, however, was 4.3%, virtually identical. Even a report by the Ministry of Interior in 2007, when he was Minister Giuliano Amato, had revealed through a long period of investigation, crime in Italy from 1968 to 2006, that immigration has no significant impact on the overall performance of crime.
But we know that the percentage of foreign prisoners in Italian jails is much increased. In 1990 were approximately 16%, now are about 39%. But the thefts are not really rising, so what does that mean? It simply means that, on average, Italians have become richer and the poorer sections of society are now partly occupied by immigrants, to a greater extent than before, and it means that some of the poor, as always happened in history, use theft in order to achieve the social welfare that they dont' believe to be able to achieve in a legal manner. But it alsosimply means that foreigners are checked and arrested much more often than Italian, more often end up in jail for minor offenses and usually if they don't have a stable home cannot take advantage of house arrest.
Indeed, the proportion of robberies committed by foreigners is not the 39%, but just over 20% of the total. Immigration has an absolute minimal impact on the number of murders in Italy, more immigrants are victims than those who are guilty of murder. Has minimal impact even on rapes, predominantly committed by partners and acquaintances of victims. Has a low impact also on thefts, which are the vast majority of crimes, because in no way increased their total number over the years.The problem of theft, which for the individual beyond the political propaganda isn't different if the thief is Italian or foreigner, is a question of social injustice, or also of the efficiency of justice and police. The issue of security is an issue of general public interest and should not be a matter of electoral propaganda, but a problem to be addressed in a serious manner to find effective and real solutions. The so despises first republic politicians knew it well and in fact avoided the propaganda on this issue. But the advent to power of Berlusconi and the Northern League has removed every trace of seriousness in Italian politics, even though they know perfectly well that they cannot solve the problem of theft with propaganda. They are only pretending.
So instead of addressing the real problems of the country they prefer to invent false solutions to problems that they don't know how to solve. But if the Italians would hadn't undergo constant television brainwashing to become obsessed by security, which in truth is no more threatened now than it was twenty years ago, they could begin to think about other things. To what banks and large financial groups have done. To work, systematically inadequate for young people, qualified and less qualified. To mafia and its links with national and local politics. To whom really gains from public works presumed of public interest like nuclear, the incinerators, the new railways. To many things that they shouln't think about.
The stranger is the perfect scapegoat to create a war between the poor while power do what it wants. This requires that the Italian main problem is the increase in crime due to immigration, a colossal lie, but so wonderfully helpful.
Francesco Defferrari
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