Italian doctors forced to report illegal immigrants
Italy's doctors will have to report suspected illegal immigrants to the authorities, in a move which they say will turn them into government spies.

By Nick Squires in Rome
Last Updated: 7:03PM GMT 05 Feb 2009

Italy's only black MP, Jean-Leonard Touadi, who is originally from the Congo, criticised the law as 'a return to fascist-era snooping' Photo: GETTY
The Italian parliament passed a bill on Thursday which will compel medical staff to contact the police if they believe that the patient they are treating does not have a valid visa or work permit.

Opposition MPs condemned the measure as "racist" while doctors groups said it would turn them into informers of the kind last seen in Italy during Mussolini's fascist regime.

Italy's only black MP, Jean-Leonard Touadi, who is originally from the Congo, criticised the law as "a return to fascist-era snooping".

Italy's Association of Hospital Doctors said its members objected to acting as "spies" while the Italian branch of Medecins Sans Frontieres said sick or injured illegal immigrants would shun hospitals and clinics rather than risk deportation.

An MP from the opposition Democratic Party, Anna Finocchiaro, said the law would "spread fear among people who will no longer go to hospital to give birth or seek treatment for their children, or will hide diseases even if they are contagious." She accused the centre-right government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of "crossing the line from law-making to persecution".

But the government insisted the law was necessary because of the large number of illegal immigrants in Italy, which it blames for many of the country's law and order problems.

The government deployed 3,000 soldiers onto the streets of Italy's big cities last year and Mr Berlusconi last month suggested increasing the number to 30,000, although he subsequently played down the proposal.

The bill, which was passed by the Senate and is likely to be approved by the lower house of parliament, was put forward by the anti-immigration, separatist Northern League.

When opposition MPs accused a Northern League MP, Federico Bricolo, of xenophobia, he replied: "You can call us xenophobic all you like, it only wins us more votes."

He told the opposition: "You are with the foreigners, you defend foreigners and you're against Italians." The bill also called for police to register tramps and the homeless on official files and approved "citizens" patrols' which have been established by the Northern League in the northern part of the country, in which it is most popular.

The law also calls for illegal immigrants to be imprisoned for up to four years if they refuse to leave Italy after being served with expulsion orders.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... rants.html