As tens of thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Italians prepared to demonstrate yesterday against a string of homophobic attacks, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s government announced a ground-breaking 2 million euro (US$2.95 million) media campaign against discrimination.
After meeting representatives of more than 20 gay rights associations, the equal opportunities minister, Mara Carfagna, said Italy’s rightwing government would make “an unprecedented commitment to get across our message.”
The money would pay for TV commercials, newspaper advertisements and posters to be put up on billboards and in buses and trains.
Her announcement was welcomed by homosexual rights groups. Imma Battaglia, the president of Gay Project, said: “I believe we are at a turning point in the struggle against homophobia.”
Figures from the association Arcigay show there were eight gay-hate killings and 52 non-lethal attacks in Italy in the first nine months of this year, compared with nine killings and 45 other attacks last year.
Aurelio Mancuso, Arcigay president, said the increase went back three to four years and speculated it had been caused by factors such as the election of a new pope.
“Benedict is fighting a cultural battle against the rights of women and homosexuals,” said Mancuso.
He also noted “an increase in the readiness of Italian gays to report beatings to the police.”
He added: “Those who seek to carry out these attacks feel legitimized by the attitude of the present government, which is not giving clear signs of respect.”
The outlook of the governing majority, which includes former neo-fascists, has often seemed ambivalent. Hours before Carfagna’s announcement, her party colleagues on the justice commission of the lower house of parliament abstained in a vote on a billfor tougher penalties for gay-hate crimes.
In Florence last month a barman was savagely beaten by two men after leaving a gay pub. The victim was set upon hours after a torchlight procession through the city in support of tolerance for gay people. Like many Italian gays, the 26-year-old had concealed his sexual orientation from his father. In an effort to cover up what had happened, he resisted going to hospital for almost 24 hours, despite having a broken jaw, nose and a cheekbone.
There has been a spate of attacks in Rome, which two years ago elected a formerly neo-fascist mayor. Within a week in August, a gay disco was set alight and two men were attacked after being seen kissing near the venue of a gay and lesbian festival.
A 40-year-old man with a criminal record was arrested and charged with attempted murder, but released by magistrates on the grounds that he was not a threat to public safety. The mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno, who has repeatedly deplored homophobic attacks, called the decision “debatable and inopportune.”
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