ITALIAN MINISTER FLAUNTS CARTOONS IN T-SHIRTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 000460 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/15/2016 TAGS: PREL PTER KISL ITALIAN POLITICS SUBJECT: ITALIAN MINISTER FLAUNTS CARTOONS IN T-SHIRTS Classified By: POLMINCOUNS DAVID PEARCE, FOR REASONS 1.5 (B)(D) ¶1. (U) On February 14, Minister for Reforms Roberto Calderoli announced he had printed t-shirts emblazoned with the Danish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad and would start wearing them. Calderoli is a member of the anti-immigrant Northern League party that is part of PM Berlusconi's center-right coalition. In his statement he said "We have to put an end to this story that we can talk to these people. They only want to humiliate people. Full stop. And what are we becoming? The civilization of melted butter." ¶2. (U) Calderoli took this action after protesting the decision by Interior Minister Pisanu to endorse a statement by the Islamic Consultative Council which unanimously condemned both the cartoons as an offense against Islam as a religion and every form of illegal or violent reaction to the cartoons. The Council, which was formed by Pisanu to provide the government with advice on how to deal with the Muslim community in Italy, also recommended that any demonstrations or protests be conducting in a legal and responsible manner. ¶3. (C) Upon hearing the news of Calderoli's statement, DCM alerted the MFA and Polmincouns alerted the PM's office, neither of which were aware of the statement. We also alerted the USG Olympic Office in Turin, where there is a sizable Muslim community. Calderoli subsequently told the press that PM Berlusconi called to scold him and ask that he correct his statement. Calderoli emphasized his actions did not represent the views of the government, but were a personal statement he made as leader of the Northern League party. He said he would have no problem with resigning, but with a threat that other members of the party would follow, implying this would bring down the government. Calderoli's press spokesperson characterized this stunt to poloff as a defense of freedom of expression. ¶4. (U) There has been little immediate print or TV coverage of Calderoli's action in Italy. However, the Union of Islamic Communities and Organizations (UCOII),the largest organization of mosques in Italy, issued a statement February 14 saying it would take legal action against any Italian papers that printed the cartoons. UCOII condemned the violent worldwide reactions to the cartoons and, during an informal UCOII meeting, decided to reject organizing street demonstrations, to write to President Ciampi asking him to reassert the need for reciprocal respect for religious sensibility and to send a message to Interior Minster Pisanu thanking him for his support. ¶5. (C) The MFA's Operations Center told poloff they continue to carefully monitor the situation, are in daily conference calls with EU partners and have discretely stepped up security measures in their overseas missions. The MFA issued travel warnings for Muslim countries that urge precautionary measures due to "recent developments." They are especially worried about the Italian missions in Syria and Pakistan but want to retain as low a profile as possible. ¶6. (C) Comment: Given the uncharacteristically muted Italian media coverage, the government evidently mounted a full-court press to contain coverage once the story broke. In addition, they quickly ginned up the PM's call to Calderoli. The minister's latest comments are in line with his previous anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim statements. The Northern League is known for its anti-immigrant stance, but it is not alone. Berlusconi's Forza Italia party recently posted billboards which rhetorically ask if Italians want more immigrants in the country. Latest polls indicate the April 9 election is too close to call, and Berlusconi's handling of Calderoli will be conditioned by the electoral reality that he needs to keep the Northern League on board. It is too early to tell whether Calderoli's electoral stunt will undermine Italian security overseas. While the initial story has not generated much local coverage, it could get new legs if al-Jazeera or another camera crew manages to find and photograph one of the offending garments. End Comment. SPOGLI