GOI: FRENCH-STYLE RIOTS NOT SHORT TERM ISSUE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 003774 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/14/2015 TAGS: PGOV PREF PREL PTER IT SUBJECT: GOI: FRENCH-STYLE RIOTS NOT SHORT TERM ISSUE REF: A. ROME 3137 ¶B. ROME 3179 ¶C. ROME 3204 Classified By: Political Minister Counselor David Pearce for reasons 1. 4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Italian politicians and the media have closely followed the riots in France, inevitably asking the question as to whether the Italian periphery could also burn. Ministry of Interior Giuseppe Pisanu told the media November 13, "The Italian peripheries are not comparable to the Parisian banlieu," BUT "if we do not soon control illegal immigration and properly administer legal immigration, we, too, will cry because of revolts in the suburbs." Ministry of Interior Under Secretary Alfredo Montavano told Pol M/C that Italy does not face an immediate risk of a revolt in city suburbs. He continued that immigration to Italy is a relatively new phenomenon, and that Italy does not have large immigrant ghettos like in France. Montavano added that Italy needs to integrate its growing immigrant community in order to avoid similar problems in the long term. ¶2. (C) Center-Left leader and candidate for Prime Minister Romano Prodi sparked controversy when he told the press that Italy was at an immediate risk of similar violence and called Italy's periphery "the worst suburbs in Europe." Other Center-Left politicians immediately distanced themselves from Prodi's comments. Claudio Ligas, former spokesman for Massimo D'Alema, told Poloff that Prodi's comment was a "gaffe." He said Italy does not face an immediate threat of rioting from unintegrated minorities, but criticized the government for not doing more to integrate Italy's immigrants. ¶3. (C) COMMENT: Immigration to Italy is relatively new, and most immigrants are first and second generation. Though many settle in the "periphery" of Italy's major urban centers, Italian cities do not contain large and sprawling immigrant ghettos, like in France. As noted in REFTELs, both Italy's left and right are struggling to develop an approach to integrating Italy's new arrivals. We agree that large-scale riots among the immigrant community are not likely in the near future, but are concerned that Muslim extremists could find refuge in a growing and disaffected community. The French riots have increased awareness of the importance of developing a comprehensive policy for integrating Italy's immigrants. END COMMENT. SPOGLI