Double standards in attacks on Roma

The attacks against Roma in Naples leads Misha Glenny to examine the role of the Camorra and point to "the failure of successive Italian governments to confront the local mafia. ... A mob attacked the camp, driving away 1,000 Gypsies living in and around railway arches. According to witnesses, members of the local Camorra family encouraged local people to join in the mayhem. ... The depiction of the Roma as the wellspring of crime has proved a useful diversionary tactic for the Camorra in advance of today's cabinet meeting. It has deflected attention from the real source of social chaos in the city: the Camorra itself. ... The European Commission is currently weighing up draconian penalties against Bulgaria for its failure to deal with organised crime and the influence it wields over public life. But when it comes to Italy, Brussels has always applied double standards."

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