No punishment for hooligans?

On the first day of Italy's top league football matches supporters of the SSC Naples football club went on a rampage, causing 500,000 euros in damage to property. In the daily Corriere della Sera writer Claudio Magris criticises the release of the accused football fans from custody. "Why do not gangs of terrorists, thieves and gypsies attack public transport, beating up the passengers and causing damage to property? ... And why do football fans do this on a regular basis? Because the former would be punished while the latter get away scot-free. These criminals dressed up as football fans know that in times when the stadium has taken the place of the church as a refuge for criminals, they will go unpunished. ... Much has been said about deploying soldiers to combat crime. ... If the acts of violence in football continue - and they will - this is above all because strangely enough the state authorities who are responsible for protecting the citizens have decided to turn a blind eye in this case."

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