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| Europe |
| Fresh anti-German slur from Italian official |
| 2003-07-07 |
| With his country’s leader still embroiled in controversy, the Italian under-secretary of State for Industry, Stefano Stefani has attacked the German people in another extraordinary outburst from a member of the Italian government. In a letter addressed to his party members, the Lega Nord party member writes: "We know them, the German people. They always want to be the best in the class and inhabit our beaches in the summer, punch-drunk with arrogant self-confidence." This guy really knows how to attract tourists (working for the ministry of tourism). I suppose his idea of tourism is that Germans stay home and just send checks The letter, published in the official Lega Nord newspaper, La Padania, will do nothing to ease relations between the two countries, already strained after the Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi compared German MEP Martin Schulz to a Nazi concentration camp commander. The Lega Nord is the Italian equivalent of the French National Front and advocates secession of the rich North The Financial Times Deutschland reports that the German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who recently summoned the Italian ambassador in Berlin to explain Mr Berluconi’s comments was planning to spend his vacation in Italy at the end of July. The SPIEGEL reports that he won't if the Italian government doesn't tell Stefani to shut up. Looks like the summer of our miscontent with the Italians. And we thought we liked them, really. The German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer and Minister of Interior Otto Schily are also said to have property in the Italian province of Tuscany. Like most German teachers. Mr Schulz is also in Mr Stefani's firing line. According to reports, Mr Stefani has alleged that Mr Schulz has grown up in "a society of beer and French fries". Obviously wine and olives don't teach you any better manners. Did you hear that silent "Gracias" of the Spanish tourism minister, Mr Stefani? |
| Posted by:True German Ally |