Posted on 12/31/2004 12:22:13 PM PST by alessandrofiaschi
Italy's Berlusconi Slightly Hurt in Tripod Attack
24 minutes ago
ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was slightly injured Friday when a tourist threw a camera tripod at him in a packed Rome square, an official from the prime minister's party said.
Berlusconi was hit behind the ear by the tripod during an impromptu walkabout in Piazza Navona shortly after sunset. The official said Berlusconi was bruised in the attack and had seen a doctor as a precautionary measure.
ANSA news agency said the assailant was a 28-year old bricklayer from northern Italy who was in Rome for the New Year holiday. He was seized immediately after the assault.
"I did it because I hate him," ANSA quoted the man as telling police. "I certainly didn't plan this, but when I saw him there greeting the crowds, I couldn't stop myself," he added.
Berlusconi's spokesman Paolo Bonaiuti said: "The prime minister is saddened, deeply saddened."
A spokesman for Berlusconi's Forza Italia (Go Italy) party said center-left opposition parties bore some responsibility for the attack for having created an atmosphere of hate in Italy.
"This is the predictable fruit of a certain culture whereby ... politicians systematically incite hatred," Sandro Bondi said.
Berlusconi, a billionaire businessman, regularly goes for unannounced walkabouts in central Rome and often stops for an ice cream in a Piazza Navona cafe.
Taken from:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=574&u=/nm/20041231/wl_nm/italy_berlusconi_attack_dc_1&printer=1
Why isn't this in Breaking News?
Well, I guess that given the assailant was a bricklayer, it could have been worse :-)
It is. :)
I hope they wall this guy up in punishment.
Then why isn't it Breakinger?
I see it in Breaking News.
"This is the predictable fruit of a certain culture whereby ... politicians systematically incite hatred,"
And I am getting pretty sick of it all. Some politicians and leaders SHOULD be hated - like Hussein and Castro - but they are coddled. Then great ones like Reagan, are often hated. It is just crazy.
My dear friends, it's not simple living in Italy for a conservative. Mr. Berlusconi is a friend of President Bush and Tony Blair. I'm proud of this relationship but we, the right, are living in a climate of hatred. I'm very sad.
I want it Breakingist! I want to see it so high up on the list that it's 2 inches above the monitor!
Darn those vicious 3-legged dogs...
I bet!
we, the right, are living in a climate of hatred. I'm very sad.
Don't be sad. Evil always hates good.
Most politician could use a good hit up side the head to knock some sense into them.
Because he was only bruised?
HEY!! That's Dashole's line!
Perrsonally I'd be "pis*ed, really pis*ed"
I hate to think what would happen if Pres. Bush took a walk in downtown DC. The left is so full of hatred that nothing they do would surprise me, and they've communicated this hatred to a large number of otherwise fairly average, apolitical people. Guess it's the same in Italy, alas.
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