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The offense that is Carabinieri
One of the most shocking things that any Greek, ex-Yugoslav or Ethiopian will come across when travelling to Italy is the offensive sight of Italian Carabinieri. Why offensive? Read on.
The Carabinieri were part of the Italian occupation forces in all of the aforementioned countries. In all of them they tortured, killed, pillaged and burned. Sources:
massacres
afrol
some facts and references
petros
Ethiopia 1
Ethiopia 2
Ethiopia 3
Carabinieri collaboration with Mussolini regime
Mussolini's Carabinieri
After the war, Axis forces, recognising their fascist and racist moral slip ups, as well as the weight of the expensive defeat they experienced because of them, tried to start a new political and military era. Italy however, followed a different route: they tried to convince the world that they were really on the allied side. 20 years of virtually no resistance against their beloved dictator Benito Mussolini (still beloved in Northern Italy today), the invention of fascism, their support of Hitler and Nazism and fighting on the side of them against the allies and heaps of crimes against humanity (including the distinction of attacking the Red Cross; ref) were buried under tons of propaganda about their, by now famous, resistance movement that strangely only started when their defeat in the war was inevitable.
The Carabinieri feature central in this effort. From protectors of fascism and Mussolini (part of them even after Italy was being overrun by allied forces) they have emerged as Mussolini's worst nightmare. They have proudly kept the same uniforms and insignia until today. The same ones they wore when marching proudly with SS troops and opressing and killing thousands in the name of fascism. Having viewed a few of the old black and white pictures of Italian Carabinieri during WWII, when I first saw them in Italy, there was no mistaking: "these are Carabinieri" I said to myself. They look exactly the same. It is like travelling to Germany and meeting SS troops walking around that sometimes actually stop you and ask you for your papers (yes, they do that). Offensive? You tell me.
Carabinieri of the past:
Carabinieri as occupying force in Cephalonia, Greece, here presented as heroes who fought against the Germans. Years of collaboration and co-execution of populations are simply disregarded.
What the Carabinieri looked like during the Greek occupation. This is Alfredo Sandulli the "hero" of the Cefalonia, Greece based Carabinieri forces back in the early 40s.
Carabinieri in Italy before WWII
Carabinieri circa the end of WWII
Carabinieri of today:
See any big differences? If you don't, that is only because they don't exist.
The ghosts of the past today only haunt the souls of those whose parents and grantparents told them stories of occupation. In Italy, these ghosts come alive. Those few who care to look deeper can still discover Italy's bloody secret: the country that killed, maimed, destroyed and racially abused entire populations but never made moral amends. In fact today's Italians talk to Greeks like we were allies. "Remember when we fought the Germans together?" they ask me - shamelessly with sly little smiles.
In the meantime, Mussolini's grandaughter, a neo-fascist herself, represents Italy in the European parliament. Another representative of Italy is Borghezio; a member of the strongest political organisation in certain parts of Northern Italy (that is today!) Lega Nord, who, among other feats, has beaten up a Morrocan child, has set fire on immigrant belongings and has racially abused black prostitutes.
All I can do is blog about it and that's better than nothing...
Carabinieri policy: give trouble to the good, let the bad go
No comments:
Carabinieri
Sir,
I've been redirected to your site by a hyperlink on http://ridiculousitaly.wordpress.com/2008/06/07/italian-police-choose-your-flavor/
I thought that site was bad, but yours is even worse.
Your derogatory comments are by no means supported by the links you provide.
Quite the contrary.
Please give real and unquestionable proof of the supposed atrocities perpetrated by Carabinieri in Greece, Yugoslavia and Ethiopia.
In all the ponderous literature on WWII I've been going through, I've never found a line indicating that Carabinieri "tortured, killed, pillaged and burned" at will.
Your hate towards Italy is evident in all pages of your site, its motive being not clear at all.
If you hate Italy, resign from your job that compels you to live there and get away.
There are millions of people ready to give everything they have and more just to be in your present position, and I'm sure they - unlike you - will feel and show love and gratitude towards the country that is hosting them.
Gee-wee
Sir,
I'll just skip the obviously biased fringe and go right at the core of your complaint.
1. You state: "In all the ponderous literature on WWII I've been going through, I've never found a line indicating that Carabinieri "tortured, killed, pillaged and burned" at will"
Answer: obviously false and I am wondering at this point: are you blind or are you Italian? Probably the second but just in case you are not below is a quote from the very first link I provide in the main article. Each one of links contains VERY GOOD evidence of what I am claiming but in any case, when these people invaded these countries and stayed there for years you think they were having parties with the local population? You think they were welcome? You think they respected those they considered racially inferior? Use your mind man, for godshakes!
The Italian Carabinieri then followed suit and in the melee that followed over 300 Ethiopians lay dead in the courtyard and around the Palace. The corpses were then robbed of all valuables and money. Houses nearby were set on fire and burned well into the night and next day. Over the next three days at least three thousand Ethiopians were killed by rampaging gangs of fascist soldiers. During the Italian invasion around 275,000 Ethiopians were killed, 17,800 of whom were killed by bombing. According to Ethiopian sources a total of 670,000 Ethiopians lost their lives during the entire Italian occupation. For this and other atrocities committed by fascist troops in Africa and the Balkans, no Italian was ever prosecuted for war crimes.
2. You state: "Your hate towards Italy is evident in all pages of your site, its motive being not clear at all."
Answer: well, that alone should make you go hmmmm. Why would somebody like me hate Italy so much? Maybe for a good reason? Like it being the only Western country that I know of that is openly fascist and racist at the political and social level? Like it not really having made up its mind whether Mussolini, the Nazis and Hitler were the bad guys? What do you think about that sir? Just quit your job and go live there and see how you like it. Well, unless you're a redneck yourself; hmmmm... Then again even rednecks don't like Hitler
3. You state: "If you hate Italy, resign from your job that compels you to live there and get away."
Answer: I did. I am not there anymore.
4. You state: "There are millions of people ready to give everything they have and more just to be in your present position"
Answer: perhaps you sir. I got much more important things in my life than a mere office. I know I am not alone in this. By the way the job has nothing to do with Italy; my employer is (or rather was) the European Commission and my office was on neutral European ground.
Carabinieri
Dear Sir,
thank you for your prompt reply.
However, I'm afraid you didn't substantiate well enough your very serious allegations on the Carabinieri.
The link you cite makes it very clear that the massacre you copied-and-pasted, which was in the aftermath of the failed attempt to kill General Graziani, was perpetrated by Mussolini's Blackshirts.
In another link, on the same episode it is written, verbatim:"It is not clear whether the regular Blackshirts of the garrison - the 'Diamanti' group - took part in the killings and burnings, but it is certain that the Italian officers of the regular army and the Eritreans took no part at all, and that the carabinieri tried where possible to control if not to stop the Blackshirts." That should clear away any doubt on the conduct of Carabinieri in that episode. You failed to prove any clear connection between the Carabinieri and tortures, killings, pillaging and burning.
I have had the opportunity to visit Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and Libya. I can tell you that the vast majority of old people are fond of Italy, many can still speak the language and recall the colonial period as a good period, especially if compared with the present one.
Italy is by no means Fascist, even less Nazi. I really don't see how can you so easily affirm anything like that. By the way, in that first link you were referring to, in virtually ALL massacres linked to Italy the Italians were THE VICTIMS, both of Tito's Communists and of Nazis. How can you say Italians are Nazi?
As for racism, some Italians are racists, other aren't as in every country. Being Italy a Western country, for sure its citizens are far less racist than any developing or Eastern countries. I reckon that I haven't lived in Italy as you have, but I've been there quite a few times, and I found the Italians' attitude very much open and easygoing. And something I've noticed about Italians is that they aren't chauvinist at all: they seem to like disparaging their country, for reasons I wasn't able to grasp. That doesn't fit much with your allegations of Fascism and racism.
Finally, if you were/are working for the EuropeanCommission, you should know that Italy is one of the founding members of the European Community, now European Union, and is the third financial contributor.
So, you cannot claim that your job has nothing to do with Italy, and your salary was/is in good part paid for with the hard earned money of those Italians you despise so much.
All the best,
Charles "Chip" Hazard
Lying again?
> The link you cite makes it very clear that the massacre you copied-and-pasted, which was in the
> aftermath of the failed attempt to kill General Graziani, was perpetrated by Mussolini's Blackshirts.
You have trouble reading mate? Reality too hard to deal with? All articles I cite clearly name the Carabinieri as being involved in massacres. Besides, what were they doing in Ethiopia, Yugoslavia and Greece? Were they invited or something? Quit trying to muddy the waters (well known Italian technique) and tell us something that will show us you are not just another indecent and immoral Italian.
You answer is full of unsubstantiated assertions and wishful thinking while this blog is full of hard evidence from respectable sources. Your country is pathetic and you as its representative prove it with your answers. The fact that you are another Italian posing as non Italian (and if you are not Italian I challenge you to prove it) in order to make a point is furher testimony to that.
Evidence that Italy is way more racist than all other European countries is here: http://fotios.org/node/79#comment-6040 (In that article you were probably posing as a German) The rest of the stuff you mention about Italians are shown to be false as well in literally hundreds of articles on this blog. Just look around.
Also the crap you mention about my job having something to do with Italy is completely wrong. EC employees are hired on a quota that is proportional to their country's population and country contributions to the EC are also proportional; therefore I was basically getting paid by my own country to work for the common good of the EU. If you can't understand what I am saying maybe I can use a Mussolini based metaphor next time.
By the way, where do you find these horribly cliche English names?
more crap by the same lying Italian
Italian asshole: Again, you resorted to attacks ad hominem
Fotios: It is all that a lying bastard with no decency to come out in the open with his real identity (like I do) deserves and of course gets. Aren't you tired of pretending you are not Italian?
Italian asshole: You work for the EU knowing little or nothing of its budget
Fotios: Sir (I mean illiterate idiot), before you go to the math you need to understand the difference between EC and EU. Obviously you do not know it, so go look it up and thus fill up another huge gap in your sieve of a brain. The money you mentioned is for infrastructure development and other things completely unrelated to EC payrolls.
BTW, you were also completely wrong about the full year 2009 GDP comparison between UK and Italy
Here's the latest CIA estimates: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2195.html
At this point I am wondering: are you ever right in anything you say?
Also, something to enlighten you: where does Italy get its money from? Answer: largely exports to other countries and of course the EU. So, quit treating money in Italy as if it is simply Italian or your employers (the rest of the world) may one day quit buying Italian (there's very little or nothing that you produce that can't be found or made elsewhere) and you will then be No 100 in GDP.
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