Italy - Salvini Calls For ‘Gypsy’ Census So He Can Deport Non-Italians

Mr Matteo Salvini, Italy's new Interior Minister and the country's de facto leader have launched another plan after his success of refusing entry to a boat carrying 629 immigrants last week.

Appearing on an Italian television show where the presenter asked him what he would do next to take care of Italy’s immigration issue, the Lega Nord leader stated he had plans to conduct a census of the Roma community, essentially gypsies living in Eastern Europe, the Balkans and Italy and would then proceed to kick anyone out of the country residing there illegally.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Italy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Italy</a> Interior minister and LEAGUE leader Salvini: &quot;I&#39;ve asked for a census of the Roma community living in Italy. The irregular ones will be deported. However, we&#39;ll have to keep&quot; in Italy &quot;the Romas with Italian citizenship, unfortunately&quot; (ANSA agency) <a href="https://t.co/6MrC0ZsLMK">pic.twitter.com/6MrC0ZsLMK</a></p>&mdash; Antonello Guerrera (@antoguerrera) <a href="https://twitter.com/antoguerrera/status/1008726533832429568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2018</a></blockquote>

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The interior minister said that he had asked his interior ministry officials to "prepare a dossier on the Roma question in Italy at the ministry because nothing has been done since (former minister Roberto) Maroni and it's chaos."

According to Mr Salvini, Italy could organize a survey to see "who they are, how they live and how many of them there are, re-doing what was called the census."

"We'll have a register."

Related coverage: https://thegoldwater.com/news/28867-Italy-Salvini-Refuses-2-More-Migrant-Ships-To-Dock-In-Ports

In the end, the gypsies that have no right to stay in Italy would then be deported but "as for the Italian Roma, unfortunately you have to keep them at home."

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Salvini is ramping up deportations of Roma people, one of the most widely despised minorities in Italy. <a href="https://t.co/07HbnibAJo">pic.twitter.com/07HbnibAJo</a></p>&mdash; Leonardo Carella (@leonardocarella) <a href="https://twitter.com/leonardocarella/status/1008743811797962752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2018</a></blockquote>

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

During election rallies, Mr Salvini had promised to come up with plans to deport some 500,000 migrants if he would win.

However, this time round it was his fellow deputy prime minister and leader of Five Star, Mr Luigi di Maio, who made clear that such a census would be unconstitutional.

Related coverage: https://thegoldwater.com/news/28656-Italy-Salvini-Furious-At-Macron-Comments-The-French-Have-Nothing-To-Teach-Us

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni stated his disgust at Mr Salvini’s plans, stating: "Refugees yesterday, Roma today, tomorrow guns for all. How exhausting it is being bad."

Another opposition figure, Democratic lawmaker Ettore Rosato. "The announced census of Roma is vulgar and demagogical. You can work for security and respect for rules without becoming fascist."