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‘Italy isn’t Islamic suburb’: Pisa residents rally against mosque construction near Leaning Tower

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mosqueHundreds of residents of the Italian city of Pisa have staged a rally, calling for others to sign a petition against the planned construction of a mosque only 400 meters to the city’s main attraction, the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

The rally was organized at the city market of the city of some 90,000 residents. According to Ruptly video agency, hundreds of people took part in the protest.

“We have to halt the construction of new mosques to prevent Italy from becoming an Islamic suburb to avoid losing our identity,” right wing MP and leader of the ‘No Mosque Campaign’ Daniela Santanche said.

For this [we organize] a ‘No Mosque’ [petition to hold a] referendum, we have collected many more signatures that is needed by law. First, we need to create a law to regulate Mosques’ and imam’s actions and then hold discussions.”

She called on the people of Italy to “go on and fight for [their] national identity and the pride of being called Italians not only by law, but by [their] traditions and culture.”

“Hate is not coming from our side. We do not place bombs in airports, subways or places, where young people listen to music. That is why hate is coming from them [Muslim terrorists]. We Italians have always been kind. But now we are looking at pseudo-solidarity.”

Reports that the Pisa City Council approved the construction of the mosque 400 meters from the Leaning Tower symbol appeared in Italian media earlier in August.

Shortly after that an Egyptian-born Christian convert Magdi Allam launched a petition against the construction under hashtag #nomoschea. Those signatures are needed to launch a city referendum which may be scheduled as soon as November to decide the fate of the mosque, local media report.

The petition has already gathered 2,500 signatures, according to the organizers.

Pisa residents are divided over the issue of having a mosque in the city, with some saying they have certain concerns and feel uneasy about it.

“The problem is that we don’t know Arabic and can’t understand what they are talking about. We don’t know who is praying in this mosque,” one woman told RT.

“In 20 to 30 years they will be in charge here! And it’s sad that the officials still cannot understand that we, real Italians, are evaporating,” another added.

One woman questioned the source of financing the building which is expected to cost €4.5million.

Turkey military attaches in Greece “flee to Italy” after coup

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turkish generalsTwo Turkish military attaches posted in Greece fled to Italy at the weekend following last month’s failed coup, Turkey’s top diplomat said Thursday, August 11 saying Ankara was working to track them down, AFP reports.

Speaking to NTV television, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said colonels Halis Tunc and Ilhan Yasitli left on August 6, taking the car ferry across the Adriatic Sea to Italy.

“We are working to bring both these traitors back to Turkey,” he said, without detailing the allegations against them.

“The Greek authorities recorded this. Tunc’s brother lives in Holland. We are working with both the Netherlands and Italy,” he said.

Earlier this week, media reports said the pair had gone missing. Yasitli is reported to be the overall military attache and Tunc the naval attache but their accreditation with Athens has been cancelled.

Turkey has embarked on a wholescale purge of the military in the wake of the coup which was blamed on followers of the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen.

In a separate case that has strained improving ties between Ankara and Athens, eight Turkish military officers fled by helicopter to Greece after the failed coup of July 15. To block their deportation back to Turkey, they have applied for asylum.

They have been handed suspended two-month prison terms for illegal entry and will remain in police custody until their asylum hearing on August 19.

Two Turkish generals serving in the NATO force in Afghanistan were also detained in Dubai last month on suspicion of links to the failed coup.

Related links:

AFP. Turkey attaches in Greece ‘fled to Italy’ after coup

Erdogan blackmails Italy

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erdogan-blackmailInvestigation against Turkish President’s son which is led by prosecutor’s office of the Italian city of Bologna on suspicion of money laundering, can have a negative impact on the relations between two countries, Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Rai News 24.

According to him, the story with investigation concerning his son in Bologna can complicate the relations with Italy which should be more engaged in their own mafia, TASS reported.

In February, it was reported that the Bologna prosecutors’ office opened an investigation against Bilal Erdogan, who arrived to Italy for his thesis at Johns Hopkins University. The reason was the statement of the Turkish businessman Murat Hakan Khuzaa, political oppositionist, forced to live in exile in France.

According to Massimiliano Annette, a lawyer representing his interests, Erdogan has brought to Italy a large sum of money derived from illegal activities. In particular, media claimed that Bilal receives income from illegal oil trade, including deals with terrorists. Erdogan’s family has always denied the charges. However, in March it was reported that Bilal and his family left Italy, but the case against him was opened.

ITALY The Armenian Genocide told by an exhibition

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arton122720-480x305Saturday, March 5 at 16:30 will be inaugurated at the Regional Library Bruno Salvadori, the exhibition dedicated to the Armenian Genocide on the occasion of its centenary. The event is organized by the Institute of History of Resistance and Contemporary Society in the Aosta Valley, in collaboration with the Association Italiarmenia, Deutsches Literaturarchiv di Marbach, Unione degli Armeni d’Italia, with the sponsorship of President of the autonomous region of Valle d’Aosta.

The exhibition is open to the public from 2 to 17 March.

Tuesday, March 8 and Tuesday, March 15 will be organized guided tours for schools.

Friday, March 4, 2016,
Stéphane © armenews.com

Italy’s L’Aquila City Council recognizes Armenian Genocide

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201679Italy’s L’Aquila City Council has recognized the Armenian Genocide on November 26.

In a letter to Armenia’s Embassy to Italy and the Union of Armenians of the country, L’Aquila City Mayor Massimo Cialente stated that the Council recognizes the Genocide and expresses solidarity with the Armenian people in support of historical truth and protection of human rights.

City Councils of Ravenna and Ivrea and the regional council of Marche recognized the Armenian Genocide on October 22, October 12 and October 6, respectively. Besides, the parliament of Italy’s Tuscany adopted a resolution acknowledging the Genocide on March 25, 2015.

Over 30 Italian cities have recognized the Armenian Genocide perpetrated at the hands of the Ottoman government in 1915.

Italy recognized the Genocide in 2000: the denial is criminalized, stipulating for 3-year imprisonment and a fine.

Turkey ‘Enters Into a War’…On the Side of ISIL “Vice President of the Italian Senate Roberto Calderol”

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1023138790Turkey has entered the war on the side of the Islamic State, the Vice President of the Italian Senate Roberto Calderoli said after a Russian Su-24 jet was downed over Syria with an air-to-air missile launched by a Turkish F-16 fighter.

On Tuesday morning a Russian Su-24 fighter jet crashed in Syria with two people aboard. Ankara claims Turkish F-16s shot down the plane because it violated the country’s airspace. Contrary to Turkey’s accusations, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the aircraft was 0.6 miles away from Turkey when it was shot down.

“Turkey has officially entered the war on the side of ISIL by downing at the order of [President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan a Russian aircraft which has participated in operations against Islamic terrorists in Syria,” the leading member of the Northern League (Lega Nord) Party wrote on his Facebook page.

According to Calderoli, Turkey is a “’Trojan Horse’ with which assistance the Islamic fundamentalism would like to take a clear shot at the West.”

“Why is Turkey still in NATO after what happened? What else can be expected of the UN apart from taking a strong stand on ISIL and its allies?” Calderoli wondered.

The politician has also criticized Rome’s official stance.

“The Government [of Matteo Renzi] is on the wrong side with [German Chancellor Angela] Merkel, instead of taking the side of Putin in this war to defend our values, our freedom and our traditions,” Calderoli wrote.

Source: sputniknews

Italy’s Abruzzo Region recognizes #ArmenianGenocide

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Abruzzo regionalAbruzzo Region of Italy on Tuesday recognized the Armenian Genocide.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia press service informed Armenian News-NEWS.am that the respective resolution, which the Abruzzo Regional Council unanimously adopted, expresses solidarity with the Armenian people on the occasion of the Armenian Genocide Centennial, and in their struggle for acknowledgment of the historical truth and human rights.

The draft resolution was submitted by council member and ruling Democratic Party representative Luciano Monticelli.

“Today, we have written a beautiful chapter in the political history of our region,” Monticelli stated after the passing of this resolution. “The unanimous adoption of a resolution on such an important issue is the great testimony of the maturity of the regional council. I hope the recollection on the injustice that occurred so far in the past from our daily concerns will guide us also to condemn the persecutions and violence taking place nowadays, and to render practical assistance to their victims.”

The Abruzzo Regional Council has become the 99th council to recognize the Armenian Genocide at the level of local government bodies of Italy.

Armenia a guest of honor at Horcynus Orca Festival in Messina, Italy

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orca-festivalArmenia is a guest of honor at the 13 Horcynus Orca Festival held in Messina, Sicily, on July 26 – August 2. Events held in connection with the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and dedicated to Armenian culture, history, and Nagorno Karabakh took place during the festival, Armenian Foreign Ministry said.

A contemporary art exhibition dedicated to the centenary of the Armenian Genocide opened on Lipari Island on July 26. On display were paintings by Van Leo, Mario Sillani Djerrahian, Sharis Karapetian, Claudio Gobbi and Agnese Purgatorio.

The official opening of the festival on July 28 was presided over by Armenian Ambassador to Italy Sargis Ghazaryan and Festival Presidents Gaetano Guinta and Martina Corgnati.

Ambassador Ghazaryan made a speech thanking the festival organizers for their solidarity and friendship with the Armenian people. He pointed out historical ties of the Armenian people with Sicily, noting that Armenians played a role in the development of Sicilian economy and culture in medieval times. He stressed the need to promote cooperation between local government bodies of Armenia and Italy. The ambassador spoke of the Armenian Genocide and the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

Sargis Ghazaryan said that events like the Horcynus Orca Festival help raise awareness of genocides and thus prevent future genocides. Speaking about the Karabakh problem, the Armenian ambassador attached importance to dissemination of impartial information about the conflict so as to prevent Azerbaijan from unleashing a war.

Source: Panorama.am

Breaking News Rare images of Armenian genocide survivors on show in Italy

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By Laure Brumont,
d6984d78504d5d7c0719538ee94f0bbad57dd923

An employee of film restoration laboratory Cineteca di Bologna works on the restoration of a film ab …

Bologna (Italy) (AFP) – Rare, moving images of survivors of the 1915 Armenian genocide will be shown in Bologna on Thursday as part of the 29th edition of the city’s “Cinema Ritrovato” (Rediscovered Cinema) festival.

A significant historical source that was discovered completely by chance, buried away and forgotten in the US Library of Congress, the silent film dates from 1923 and includes images of children packed onto boats in Turkey and lines of refugees trudging along roads.

The film is being shown as part of a selection intended to honour Armenian cinema a century after the beginning of the slaughter of Armenians at the hands of Ottoman Turkish forces.

Also on show during the festival are “Namus” (Honour), a 1925 work by Hamo Beknazarian that is considered the first Armenian film, “Sayat Nova” (The Color of Pomegranates) a 1969 film by Sergei Paradjanov and “Naapet”, Henrik Malyan’s 1980 film about a genocide survivor.

Other rare documentary images include a five-minute film shot by the French army of Armenian refugees in camps at Port Said in Egypt.

But the jewel in the festival’s crown is the four minutes of “Armenia, Cradle of Humanity” shot in Turkey soon after the end of the killing – a time thought previously to have only been recorded in still images such as those of German photographer Armin Wegner.

Mariann Lewinsky, one of the festival’s curators, came upon the film by “a miracle” as she clicked through the internet data base of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF).

Who shot the film and how it got to the Oregon Historical Society before being deposited in the Congress library is a mystery, says the Swiss researcher as she runs the recently-restored reel.

new orphans-2– Orphans in Istanbul –

“I sent a little email to my colleagues in the library and they told me, ‘Yes we have something, but we don’t know what.’

“I insisted a bit and asked if I could come and see the condition of the film.”

Normally such a demand would take a bit of time to get a response but Lewinsky was quickly sent some photos and a telephone contact number. “The images were extraordinary, boats full of children, trains.”

Having obtained the reel, she quickly dated it to 1923, but her first thought was the people shown could be displaced Greeks — a theory that was dropped when she recognised a well-known Istanbul palace in the background of one shot.

Colleagues confirmed that, after the end of World War I, British forces assembled Armenian orphans in the building for evacuation.

 

 

New Armenian Orphans“It is a miracle,” Lewinsky said.

An estimated 1.5 million Armenians were killed as the Ottoman empire disintegrated during World War I, according to a version of events now accepted by much of the world but disputed by Turkey.

Authorities there say only 300,000 to 500,000 Armenians died, and that the term “genocide” is inaccurate and offensive for what they depict as civil strife provoked by the Armenians siding with invading Russian troops. An equal number of Turks died in the fighting, Ankara maintains.

A century on, Lewinsky believes a new Turkey is emerging in which Kurds, Greeks, Armenians and ethnic Turks are moving towards “moments of reconciliation”.

Films like “Armenia, Cradle of Humanity” can only help this process, she says, invoking her hope that it could be shown at a small silent film festival in Istanbul in the near future.

 

also published on http://news.yahoo.com/rare-images-armenian-genocide-survivors-show-italy-033116906.html?soc_src=copy