Italy’s refusal to send its marines to India to stand trial smacks of racial arrogance.
The Italian marines facing trial for the murder of Indian fishermen won’t return to India, thanks to Italy’s nasty somersault. The Italian ambassador, who stood personal guarantee to the Supreme Court for bringing them back, himself informed the Indian Government that the marines “will not return at the end of their home leave”. This crucial decision was taken by Italy’s defence and justice ministries after consulting the Prime Minister’s office.What could probably lie beneath the hard-lined ‘skyjacking’ of the marines by means of slimy diplomacy from the Italian side?
From the very beginning to the very end, the Italian Government has shown an exceptional political will in protecting the marines. The underpinnings behind this overzealous state involvement can be unravelled by digging into Italy’s social fabric.
SOPHISTICATED RACISM
During a visit to Italy a short while after the fishermen were shot dead, one of the authors was surprised to see the indifference of the Italian media and ordinary people towards the loss of two Indian lives. They exclaimed “why should two fishermen matter so much in a country where thousands of children are dying of starvation?”
Italy being a country with a relatively loose immigration rules, many legal and illegal immigrants find their way into it. Strangely enough, it is nearly impossible for an immigrant to climb up the ladder of power and success in Italy compared with other Western countries. Favouritism and under-the-table deals deter immigrants from succeeding beyond a certain limit.
A Lakshmi Mittal or an Anshuman Jain is very unlikely to emerge out of Italy. A stereotypical South Asian to most Italians is an Indian or a Bangladeshi immigrant selling flowers in the streets of Rome.
For the Italian state, releasing their marines from a “third world country” was, in fact, a matter of national pride rather than a political obligation.
Italy is not just another Western country where the citizens are valued so highly that the Government will stretch itself to protect them by any means.
MASSACRE OF CERMIS
In a tragic incident in 1998, what the Italian media called “Massacre of Cermis”, 20 people lost their lives to the misadventure of two American fighter pilots.
The American pilots flying over the Italian ski resort in Cermis Mountain decided to test their skills by manoeuvring the fighter jet under the cable car carrying skiers. The misadventure inadvertently cut the cable, which led to the disaster.
The required minimum flying height was 2000 ft; the cable was cut at a height of 360 ft.
The extraordinary aspect of the whole tragedy was how the Italian Government dealt with it. .
There was no political will in bringing the accused to justice. The Government was so submissive to the ‘big brother’ that the loss of its citizens was of no serious concern.
The pilots were later acquitted of the crime in a shoddy trial conducted in the US.
The main pilot of that military jet, Captain Richard J. Ashby, was only found guilty of “obstruction of justice” and “conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman” for having destroyed a videotape recorded from the plane.
A country with such a poor track record in valuing its citizenry has now succeeded in an endeavour to lift the killer marines out of India!
CORRUPTED JUSTICE
What makes the whole incident ironic is the common corruption culture that made the skyjacking possible.
Corruption in Italy in many ways resembles that of India — it affects the whole society, from petty deals to the Berlusconian scale.
In the 2012 country-wise corruption index, prepared by Transparency International, Italy ranks at a poor 72nd (India at 94th).
Ever since the beginning of the case, the Indian Government showed negligence at multiple levels in pursuing justice for the victims. While allowing the marines to travel to Italy on February 22, the Supreme Court criticised the Central government for the delay in setting up a special trial court.
The Italian shooting in the Arabian Sea is perhaps the first incident since Independence in which two Indian civilians were murdered within the country’s territory at the hands of European soldiers. Even in such a case, the Indian Government proved itself to be inept.
(Sajan is a social anthropologist at University of Bergen, Norway. Idicula is a consultant neurologist and researcher at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.)
Keywords: Italian marines, Captain Richard J. Ashby, Transparency International, corruption index, Italian Government, Berlusconian scale, immigration rules
Comments:
Italy deserves a president like Berlusconi.
The only way these guys will learn a lesson is not by flexing our diplomatic muscles
alone, but by learning them, and beating them at their own game, again and again,
till they bow down, humbled.
The author has raised a pertinent issue about the value of our citizens and the fact that European soldiers came into Indian territory and murdered our citizens.
I'm not sure about the racism facet.
However,
This does ask serious questions of our government and society.
Don't the leaders in power have any sort of pride?
They promised the state that the marines would come back and they very slyly are now not.
I'd be enraged if someone pulled something like this on me.
Being an Indian, I'm not surprised at this shoddiness of the Congress
led government. These marines were facing murder trial. Why were they
allowed to leave the country- twice at that. The Italian ambassador
should be expelled- it is obvious he can't keep his word.
so who's decision was it to agree to send them to vote??
so wants killers to vote?? two votes of criminals was so important to
that country?? what a idiotic decision to let them go home for such
flimsy grounds......what diplomat in india were even thinking??
India is ruled by the agents of west. If the people of India keep quite now, they will sell off the entire nation. Awake and react..
Indians are slaves .westerns proved it again.In india weaker section and minorities won't get justice.How can italians expected to come back to india with keep belief on indian judiciary system.
They know our values so they dicided not to respect judiciary system.
Nothing alarming in the Indian governments attitude. In fact, there was
feeling in Kerala that this is what exactly is going to happen. This
looks like a drama, written directed and played by Indian authorities.
You don't thing it is pre planned drama by congress...
Cong(i) since Indira times substantially downgraded all our institutions including the highest court.All these institutions are populated by favour seekers and people of very low caliber.The whole issue of first giving these 2 marines pleasure trips to italy was a fake hoisted on Indians by the government at the center and by the CJI.Shame on them.But then a pertinent question to ask why there were no charge sheet against these 2 marines even after their arrest about a year back?What kind of justice system we have?
I guess the people of India should start slaughtering the Italians in
India .
Pure drama on the part of the Indian govt., they let go 2 murder accuse
for voting. like Italy govt can not be formed unless they vote.
shoddiness of congress govt. has no limit. it is high time they are
given a boot in their backside.
The whole story is perceived in a very different way, here in Italy.
The media and all the authorities have always told us some kind of
fairy tail, which sounds pretty much like this: "most likely those
people were pirates, otherwise they wouldn't have approached the
tanker that close, especially knowing that a vast majority of the
tankers in that area are military-protected, beacuse of past
assaults".
That's it. Italians don't usually look for the "other point of view".
And the fact that our marines were held prisoners, in poor standards
and under what you may call an arrogant conduct, is enough to justify
their stay at home.
I am Italian, I live in Italy and I am astounded to read that the two Indian fishermen were murdered in Indian territory. In Italy the authorities are telling us that Indian courts did ascertain that it happened in the international waters... who is right about it? It s not a secondary detail...
I am an Indian living in Europe. The comment from Gianni and Italian Citizen are
interesting. Not a single vessel was were attacked by pirates in the Indian cost in
the past, even though there are news that Somalian pirates may reach here.
Secondly, the marines were living in a guest house in Kerala and in the Italian
embassy in New Delhi, not in any "poor standard". While in Kerala the marines
asked for Italian food which was made available from a 5-star hotel. I dont think
they will have that much luxury even at their home. Above all, how can the Italian
government can lie to the apex court in India to steal the marines illegally. All this
make me agree with authors conclusion.
I am italian and i would like to apologize to all indian people for
our corrupt politics that don't maintain their promise.
We have a deep problem of democracy here,and this fact is perceivd by
most people as the medias sell it. We are working to change all this
class of politics.
Surely not mantaing the word given is unacceptable and a shame for
Italy.
Sorry again. In cases like this i am ashamed to be italian.
Daniele
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