Police figures are reported by crime-type breakdown. However, the numbers do not add up to the overall figure reported.
Official figures record 73 hate crimes, including 12 assaults, 8 property damage crimes, 4 cases of vandalism, 39 of threats and 10 other crimes.
The Observatory for Security against Acts of Discrimination promoted several initiatives to improve police responses to hate crime, across the regional and federal structures of the Italian Police including seminars and training sessions and held a seminar for personnel at the Public Security Department of the Ministry of the Interior. In addition, an inter-institutional working group discussed the development of a national strategy to prevent and combat discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, within the programme “Combating discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity” promoted by the Council of Europe.
Lunaria reported a series of acts of vandalism against the same man’s property over several months; an arson attack against a refugee centre; 34 physical assaults, including twelve resulting in serious injury and 14 carried out by a group, including one against a family. The largest groups of victims were men from Bangladesh and men of African origin, other victims included a family from Morocco, men from India and Pakistan, an Ecuadorian man, and a Colombian woman.
Lunaria reported attacks against Roma houses with stones during an anti-Roma rally.
Lunaria reported one case of vandalism against a Holocaust memorial and one case of graffiti on a municipal library where Holocaust Remembrance Day events were scheduled.
The Foundation Jewish Contemporary Documentation Centre reported one case of theft of plaques commemorating Jewish Holocaust deportees, one case of graffiti, two cases of vandalism against synagogues and one case of theft of a menorah from a public place.
World Without Nazism reported one physical assault carried out by a group, resulting in serious injury.
Lunaria reported one case of graffiti near a mosque; one case of damage to a mosque by throwing stones; and two physical assaults, including one against two women involving an attempt to pull off their headscarves and against two Bangladeshi men by a group.
The Observatory on Homophobia reported the murder of a transgender person in Cataria; 13 physical assaults, including five resulting in serious injury, five carried out by a group and one where an older man was seriously beaten after intervening to stop an attack against a gay couple; one sexual assault during which a gay man was threatened and forced to perform oral sex; two cases of damage to property including a series of attacks against the headquarters of an LGBT NGO involving attempted arson; one case of robbery and threats; and one further case of threats.
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) recommended that Italy provide training to local public authorities on racial discrimination, as a measure to address the lack of systemized training for law enforcement on obligations under the CERD treaty and the low number of prosecutions, despite the high number of hate crimes and violence. It also recommended that Italy take measures to prevent racist violence against Roma and Sinti people, and to ensure hate crimes against them are promptly investigated and prosecuted so that perpetrators do not enjoy de jure or de facto impunity.
The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe recommended that Italy address potential inconsistent interpretation of aggravating circumstances provisions for bias-motivated crime through political leadership and awareness raising for all persons involved in the criminal justice system. He also expressed concerns about violence against Roma, noting that the bias motivation of these crimes is often downplayed by authorities, and encouraged better monitoring of hate crimes and ensuring bias motivation is part of the investigation and prosecution of such crimes.
The Holy See reported seven cases of cemetery desecration; 15 cases of church desecration, including eight involving the theft of church property, and one case of desecration of a nativity scene display in a public square.
ODIHR observes that Italy has not reported on hate crimes separately from cases of hate speech and/or discrimination.