68% of Italians want Gypsies expelled - poll

I really hate to think it impossible to stop humans from hating groups of other humans, but xenophobia is universal.

I've never been to a country which doesn't have "others" they just can't stand. And in each case, its always the same. They can't be trusted. They lie. They steal. They'll kidnap your children. They're lazy. They aren't smart (like us). They smell. They'll eat your dog.

Well, in some locations there's something to that last one. Keep Fido in the yard or you might never see him again.

Sixty-eight per cent of Italians, fuelled by often inflammatory attacks by the new rightwing government, want to see all of the country's 150,000 Gypsies, many of them Italian citizens, expelled, according to an opinion poll. The survey, published as mobs in Naples burned down Gypsy camps this week, revealed that the majority also wanted all Gypsy camps in Italy to be demolished . About 70,000 Gypsies in Italy hold Italian passports, including about 30,000 descended from 15th-century Gypsy settlers in the country. The remainder have arrived since, many fleeing the Balkans during the 1990s. Another 10,000 Gypsies came from Romania after it joined the European Union in January 2007, according to an Italian human rights organisation, EveryOne, part of the approximately half million Romanians believed to be in Italy.

Yep, that's a photo of cooked dog.

You might want to be careful the next time you eat out. The menu might give you a clue.



Note: Headline links to source.

Shorter Rep Mark Kirk (xenophobe - Ill)

"We just gotta stop them brown folk from breeding like rabbits."

Yes he's a Republican. And he's completely ignoring reality. Notice the bold faced emphasis below.

A U.S. congressman is pushing a not-so-quick fix in the debate over illegal immigrants from Mexico: free contraceptives.

"A slower rate of growth of Mexico's population would improve the economy of Mexico. It would also reduce the environmental pressure on Mexico's ecosystem. But a slower rate of growth would also reduce the long-term illegal immigration pressure on America's borders," reasoned Rep. Mark Kirk, who also supports stronger border security in the short-term.

In reality, fertility rates have plunged in Mexico since 1980, when an average couple would have five or more children. Now, the country's fertility rate has dropped to 2.5 children, compared to 2.1 for the United States, according to United Nations data. [emphasis mine]

The picture is of Mexicans in some sort of demonstration or art performance. Couldn't pass it up.

NOTE: ‘Shorter’ concept created by Daniel Davies and perfected by Elton Beard. (via Sadly! No)

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