Murder and Xenophobia: Troubled Times in Italy
[UPDATED AS NOTED BELOW]
I don’t know even know where to begin to write this post and I don’t know where it’ll end up, but I feel like I should so here it goes. I hope you’ll stick with me.
The murder of 21-year-old British exchange student Meredith Kercher in Perugia has thoroughly shaken Italy and England, judging from the coverage it has gotten in British press. And rightfully so. Accidents abroad happen all the time, but murder? And yes, murder is always horrible, but in this case, the suspects make it even more troublesome–especially as none appear to have had any history of violence.
Kercher was stabbed in the neck after, police say, she resisted a sexual attack that in some way involved her American roommate, 20-year-old Amanda Knox, a student at the University of Washington also studying abroad, Knox’s Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, a 24-year-old son of a urologist from Bari, and Patrick Lumumba, a 37-year-old married Congolese immigrant who runs the bar where Knox worked.
The details are murky at this point, but it’s been widely reported that Knox “confessed” to having some role in the killing; from statements leaked by Italian police, Knox said that while Kercher and Lumumba were in Kercher’s room, she stayed in the kitchen and covered her ears when she heard what were surely Kercher’s last screams. Sollecito’s statements have been all over the place, but he insists that he was at home the night of the murder.
[EDITED: Thanks to information from Steve Huff of The True Crime Weblog, Lumumba apparently now says he has an alibi and wasn't even at the scene of the crime, making this an even stranger story.]
What it sounds like to me is that these three are telling conflicting stories and no one really knows what to believe. It looks like we’ll just have to wait this one out, possibly for forensic evidence to tell what really happened.
And while we mourn the loss of Kercher, who was studying at Perugia’s famous Università per Stranieri (just as our own Tina of Pecorino e Miele did), there is another fascinating aspect to this case from a cultural standpoint–the focus on the online presence of Knox.
Like many her age, Knox kept a MySpace (username “Foxy Knoxy”) and Facebook page, and there’s also a YouTube video of a drunk Knox slurring her words, and, well, being a young adult. Particularly interesting, though, is that on her MySpace blog, Knox apparently wrote a story about rape.
[EDITED: Courtesy of Steve Huff's blog, you can find "mirrors" of Knox's MySpace page here and of her blog here; both of the original pages have been made private.]
So here’s another question in all of this–how much should this online information matter? I’m not talking about from a legal perspective, but in the court of public opinion, is this fair? Is anything you put online fair game? Should it be?
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has a great debate on this very subject: “Are we being fair?”
For me, I think if you put the information out there, you can’t stop people from looking unless you make it private. You also can’t control their opinions. Would I want to live my life censoring myself just on the off chance that one day something could be used against me? Well geez, just about anything can be taken out of context anyway, so even censoring myself wouldn’t be foolproof.
Drunk videos? Well that’s something else entirely. I say if you’d be embarrassed for your mom, dad, employer, insert other authority figure here to see it, don’t post it. But teenagers (and adults!) don’t often think that far ahead, do they? But they should.
A short story about rape? I’m a writer, so should I avoid touchy subjects just in case I’m ever in the wrong place at the wrong time (not insinuating this is what happened to Knox)? Well that I can’t accept.
It’s an interesting question, and I’d love to know what you think.
*
Now, shifting gears, but still taking off from the Kercher murder–on the Italian side of things, one can’t miss the irony that right now on the heels of a murder allegedly committed by a Romanian immigrant from the Roma (“gypsy”) community, Italian lawmakers would like to be able to expel any dangerous EU citizen, although the targets are clearly immigrants from new EU members like Romania.
Read what other terrible things have happened, including a Roma camp being torn down and a mob attack, here.
Just yesterday, Italian and Romanian leaders met to ask for help from the EU in dealing with large population movements, but only time will tell just how xenophobic Italy can and will get. For many of us in the expat community particularly, we’ve noted how poorly immigrants are portrayed in the Italian media — often the only crimes you’ll see on a newscast are those committed by foreigners.
And by “foreigners,” I mean mostly Albanians, Romanians, and Africans.
Maybe it’s something about coming from countries such as the United States, England, Australia, etc., that have, after many struggles, (mostly) embraced immigrants, but for a lot of us, all we’re seeing is prejudice and hate. To be sure, all of the above-mentioned countries have immigration issues too, but what’s happening now in Italy is so deeply disturbing, and I don’t think I’m alone in feeling this.
There are ways of regulating immigration without resorting to sweeping generalizations about countries and their citizens, and I can only hope that the Italian government will explore them.
Virtually every ethnicity/race that has entered a foreign country has encountered prejudice and worse — we Americans don’t need to go too far into our history to stare the Jim Crow South in the face — but for Italians, for my adopted country, to participate in similar behavior just breaks my heart.
And I can’t help but think of the 11 Italians who were lynched in New Orleans in 1891 in one of America’s largest mass lynchings–after they had been acquitted of the murder of the New Orleans’ police commissioner.
And I just wonder where the prejudice and hate will stop.
Today I’m thankful for:
The safety and well-being of myself and my loved ones.
There’s nothing I’m more thankful for, in fact.
————–
Technorati Tags: perugia, murder, amanda knox, meredith kercher, raffaele sollecito, xenophobia, italy, immigrants, immigration, nablopomo, 30 days of thanks
74 Beans of Wisdom to “Murder and Xenophobia: Troubled Times in Italy”
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Paha Sapa, thanks for your visit and for the correction; you should write to NIAF as well as that’s where I got that information from (click on the link in the post). I’ll edit the post now.
Somewhere here in the comments, in fact, I did refer to American Indians suffering the very first prejudices (to put it mildly) in America–and yes, suffer still to this day.
Thanks again for stopping by!
Clearly you have two separate types of cultures confused. Italy is not obligated to disappear under the weight of immigrants – something that will eventually happen, if unlimited immigration is permitted. The United States is the home of the various tribes who lived there for a long time. Then the Europeans came, conquered the land by force, imposed their own rules, and opened this – the home of the first nations of America – to essentially unlimited immigration. Having brought black slaves, it was only fair from a colonist’s point of view, after the civil rights movement came to pass, to go multicultural. But what has been done to the homeland of the native “Americans”, who have not been along on this project on a consensual basis? Italy, on the other hand, is the native homeland of the “Roman” peoples. Many countries in Europe are the native homelands – the “reservations” and strongholds of various and diverse important cultures. The Finns and the Swedes and the Germans and the Italians and the Basques and the Samis have the right to remain essentially Finns and Swedes and Germans and Italians and Basques and Samis. There is a distinct possibility that many cultures will simply be obliterated under the pressure (Estonian is for all intents and purposes a dying language, the Chinese are obliterating the Tibetans). Relentless multiculturalism beyond a certain point is an eraser that rubs out the many families of mankind. The smaller the culture, the more in peril. The American formula is not “one size fits all”. It is not carved in stone – it is not morally superior to beleive – that all societies must become a melange and that in the future there will be only one big melting pot some pidgin language is spoken.
Great post…I’m glad I checked in today. I’ve missed reading your blog.
*Anonymous, thanks for commenting.
To the contrary, I don’t have the two cultures confused at all. I’m quite aware that Italy has a horrible history of integration dating back thousands of years. You say this is the land of the Romans and yet perhaps you’re forgetting that the Greeks were here first, just a few miles from where I now live in fact. Then there were the Spanish, French, Arabs….
Indeed, southern Italy has been most influenced by the influx of different cultures and dare I say, has benefited greatly. The food, language, and customs of southern Italy reflect many cultures–but a lot of blood has been shed to get to this point. I, for one, would prefer not to see that happen again.
I don’t think anyone has said that the American (or Australian or English) model of immigration is perfect or even replicable for Italy or Europe, but I don’t see how one can deny that there are many positives that those countries have achieved by accepting immigrants (including Italians) into their mainstream cultures. The reality is that Italy is part of the EU and until it works out these issues with the governing body of the EU, these problems will continue.
The obliteration of culture has never really been a strong argument to me since cultures are constantly evolving anyway whether it’s from inside or outside forces. I live in one of the most traditional parts of Italy where we still have nearly weekly processions but is it the same as 50 years ago? 100? 1000? Certainly not, and not all of that is attributable to different cultures moving in–in fact, nearly NO new cultures have moved in here for a LONG time. A lot of it is simply evolution of different ideas and beliefs. One only look to the state of the Catholic Church to see how time affects social and religious structures.
Sorry, but when people start talking about keeping cultures/languages/customs pure (the concept of a “pidgin” language is offensive on so many levels not the least of which is that some Americans actually speak a language called Pidgin–thus keeping THEIR culture alive), I start thinking about Hitler and Aryans, and I know I’m not alone. Embracing differences is not the same as sacrificing your own culture, and I wish more Italians (and other Europeans) would consider this.
From a personal example, I grew up in an Italian-American family in America, 100 years removed from Italy, and our Italian traditions, for the most part, stayed intact. The language didn’t because my ancestors wanted their children to be “American,” but just about everything else was picked up from Calabria and dropped in America. It takes some effort, but if it’s important enough to you, it’s not actually very difficult.
If we continue to divide along lines of culture, religion, nationality, etc., there’s simply no hope for the world as all of the violence and killing will continue. As we’ve talked about many times throughout the comments, hatred and prejudice is age-old, but now we have weapons that can literally wipe out the world and that makes these divisions all the more dangerous.
*G, happy to see you as well! Can’t wait to catch up on what’s been happening with you (other than the whole citizenship thing–woohoo!)
“As a result of this racist and sensationalist journalism many, many Italians think that the majority of “extracomunitari” are criminals when most of them IMO work difficult, badly paid but essential jobs like cleaning, babysitting, digging ditches, picking tomatoes etc- which Italians these days turn their noses up at.”
This is the same argument used in the US with regard to Mexican immigrants, and while there’s some truth to it, it’s not so simple. If jobs like this were actually paid a living wage (and if we consider them to be important jobs which help our society function at the level we prefer they *should* be paid a living wage) then they wouldn’t be “the jobs no one wants.” The high unemployment rates in the US and Italy suggest to me that it’s not a matter of natives not being willing to do the work, but of immigrants (some illegal, some on the verge of being so) being more willing to work for less money.
I think it’s been clarified that Lumumba is 44, not mid-30′s as originally reported. It’s reported that NO physical evidence links him to the flat—not one of the 120 prints is Lumumba’s, and several reporters say there is no other physical evidence against him.
He’s a peaceful citizen with no known criminal history, father of a baby boy, married, a businessman, beloved in the community. Suddenly he meets Knox and turns into a murderous rapist? I don’t think so.
Why is he being held on the word of a proven liar, who has given multiple events of what happened that night?
The coroner says Meredith engaged in consensual (or possibly “intimidatory”) sex prior to death. Whose DNA was found on her body?
We all seem ready to solve this mystery in Perugia don’t we?
Italy follows the Napoleonic code, more or less, with alterations over the years. The accused here has a duty to prove himself innocent as much as the law has the duty to prove him guilty.
They are being held because of a law which provides for doing so if there is a likelihood of the person fleeing or tampering with evidence. Both things seem applicable here, and that may not jibe with the US law I know– very little really– but it is Italian law.
From the surface, an ordinary person like me cannot see why any of the people so far involved would do this crime. I heard it called a crime of impulse on a talk show, but who has the impulse to rape an acquaintance? Who thinks forced sex is exciting? Who thinks using weapons to force sex is exciting? Who would have imagined that a bourgeois town like Perugia would find three or four with those impulses finding each other and against all common sense, end up with three people from three different countries doing murder for thrills? You couldn’t write this in fiction, because it’s just too unlikely.
Thank you for discussing what is currently a very topical and sensitive subject in the UK, Ireland and Italy. There seems to be a new theory every day as to what happened to that young girl, and of the level of involvement of the three suspects. I do believe the police have now firmly established the presence of all three suspects in the apartment at the time of the murder. We will just have to wait and see where this goes…
As to online content and its implications – I do believe that you have to be careful, for a number of reasons, first would be identity theft (a growing problem in Europe), the second the huge number of quite frankly unstable personalities online, and the likelihood of your employer (current or future) finding you online (which is why I almost never speak about work on my blog and removed my profile pic as well). Background checks of prospective employees in some companies now also includes a webtrawl to see if they have a presence online.
As a writer you should not shy away from sensitive topics, but you should make it clear that it is a work of fiction/research/etc so that people cannot be at risk of taking it up the wrong way.
Re the xenophobia in Italy – that has been around for years. I have seen ticket clerks in Termini in Rome refuse to sell train tickets to Africans, I know a Greek woman who has lived in Italy for over 30 years, is married to an Italian and has 2 children, and is still seen as an ‘outsider’.
None of this is new. The hatred of Albanians has been there for ages, so too I suspect the issues with the Romanians (who are despised in Ireland as well) and the Africans (ditto again in Ireland). What is different perhaps is the amount of media coverage these issues are now getting.
The only way to address issues of xenophobia/racism is through education and integration.
I wonder if anyone else saw “Porta a Porta” last night? I was stunned at how ignorant the pundits were of blogs and what they mean.
According to Vespa and some others, a blog is a personal diary in which you spill your guts in public because no one in your real life will listen to you. It’s a phenomenon of the younger generation because they’ve been indulged all their lives and therefore have been unable to learn genuine emotions or know the value of anything.
I want to write Vespa a letter but I can’t get cool enough to know where to start.
*Italy Logue, this is so very true. It’s so important that we value labor that is truly critical to our survival–I’m afraid, though, that some of those who get paid a lot for doing little for the common good would have to give up some of theirs…and that doesn’t seem likely unfortunately.
*Anonymous, I wish I had more answers; today I just saw that Kercher had some DNA of someone else on her. Hopefully that will help clear things up. I’m a bit behind b/c I was without the internet and TV only covers so much, so I have some catching up to do.
*Judith, you’re so right–you couldn’t write something like this because where is the motivation? Mah.
*Rob, I completely agree with your conclusion. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and giving your perspective.
*Judith, I didn’t see Porta a Porta. Vespa isn’t one of my favorites in general, but wow. I was going to watch Matrix last night as they were focusing on the story too, but I couldn’t stay awake
Judith – I saw that Porta Porta and I was practically screaming at the TV. It was bugging me so bad, listening to these *experts* discuss the youth and problems and blogs, etc. They had no idea what they were talking about! I seriously wanted to call the show! haha
WRT immigrants in Italy – it is a shame that a few can ruin it for the rest. For example, the Romanians. There are many who work, and live a normal life in Italy. But then there are the gypsies who live in the tent cities or trailers or the shacks. I believe that many, if not most, of the immigrants that come here want to work, and succeed. I also believe that there are some who do not. They are reflective of any society, whether they are here, US or their own country. Every race has good people, and bad.
I was watching a program the other night, and the reporter was interviewing a bunch of young men, from Morocco, who are living in a shack type place. One man has been here for three years, never had a job, and his entire family is in Morocco. The report was designed to make you feel sorry for these men. She was trying to build sympathy for them, because they are poor and have no jobs.
But, after some thought, I wondered WHY they are here. This one man’s ENTIRE family is in Morocco. He has never found work. He has no money, no decent home, and no job. SO, how does he survive? Why is he here and why has he stayed for three years? It left me thinking that he is either a criminal in Morocco, or he is a criminal here. Or both. He was healthy, dressed in clean clothes, and eats. He is surviving somehow.
I also wonder the logic of some immigrants that complain that they come here to find work, because they cannot find it in their own country, and they cannot find any here. Why should they expect to find work in a foreign country, when they can’t in their own? Perhaps it is hard everywhere. Or perhaps they have no skills? We hear *sad case* stories a lot, but I would like to hear the background, the details. Of course I know that racism exists, and some immigrants find it impossible to find work. I found it difficult to find work. I am too old, and my Italian is not great. If I had to rely on a job here, I would probably have to move back to Seattle.
I have seen programs where immigrants will complain because no one will rent to them. However, I have heard horror stories, and seen firsthand, apartments that were rented to immigrants. They either end up squatting for years, or completely ruining the apartment. So… as a landlord, what do you do? Two of my husband’s families apartments were rented by immigrants from two different countries, and the condition we found them in were the most disgusting things I have ever seen in my life. They spent tens of thousands of euros to repair the damage.
Unfortunately when someone, such as a Romanian or Moroccan commits a crime, the public accuses the entire race. I do believe that there are many immigrants who are fleeing terrible situations, and seeking a better opportunity somewhere else. But there are also many that I have to question their motives.
When I applied to be able to stay in Italy, we had to go through a lot of hoops. My husband had to prove that he could afford to support me. We pay taxes, etc. I think it is very upsetting to many here, to see gypsies living for free on the land that they squat on, some have jobs but work in the black, and the gypsies mostly survive by stealing.
When that woman was killed in Rome by the Romanian, and then the police demolished the shack city, it perhaps seemed like an overreaction. But I don’t think those shack cities should exist at all. I don’t think that certain people should be able to live outside the law, especially in a country where they are a guest. The laws should be equal for all – the good and the bad.
And as far as the Perugia murder story is unfolding, it is making more sense now, with the arrest of the fourth guy. I still think Patrick is innocent, and the other three guilty.
Sara, I recently came across an article in an Italian magazine from about a year and a half ago all about aspiring authors turning to blogs; I’m not sure what Vespa and his researchers were looking at when investigating the blogging phenomenon in Italy b/c the piece I read was rather positive.
You’re right that the immigrant situation is complicated; unfortunately there are many people who take advantage of the system and live through stealing and otherwise cheating…and they’re of every nationality in every country. It’s not an easy topic, to be sure.
As for the Perugia murder, I see now that they’ve released the Congolese bar owner; looks like the other African immigrant has an uphill battle to show he didn’t do it. Sounds like the other two are still somehow involved though; maybe now that this guy is in custody, the other two will start telling the real story.
Immigration problem a difficult one indeed. I agree, some take advantage, and some no.
Remember the family and neighbor that were killed in vicinity of Como earlier? Everyone thought the Tunisian did it, the media was already calling him guilty. Then they found him, and he was out of the country. The murderers were the Italian neighbors, a husband and wife. Or remember the Italians that kidnapped and killed little Tommy?
Italians (and everyone) need to understand that their are crap people everywhere, in every culture….
I think this new Rudy “has some ‘splainin’ to do” wrt his bloody fingerprints being on Meredith’s pillow, and his treats in the toilet. (gross!) haha You know, that just seems so sick and twisted to me that he rapes and killed her, and then leaves behind his *treats* in the bathroom. I feel like it is an animal leaving his mark or something. I mean the whole thing is twisted, but that just added a really weird twist to him, IMHO.
Sara, I’m completely with you on the treats left behind. I found that rather weird and disgusting as well. I guess I can hope that he was just so out of it on some drug that he forgot to flush? Ew.
Anyway, I have noticed that many media outlets have actually shied away saying anything about the poop, sticking to the “other DNA in the bathroom” line, sometimes even pointing to toilet paper (which I’m sure was also there with prints–fingerprints!). Can we not handle the poop?
OK, bad to joke about such an awful situation.
I just hope the other two start telling the truth; it sounds to me like perhaps they were afraid of this guy so long as he was on the lam…wonder if they still are.
I just hope Meredith’s family can find some closure.
hahaha I actually had written poop on your blog, but changed it to treats. I didn’t want to messy up your blog. ahhaah
You know, even if Amanda was so drugged out, and doesn’t remember exactly what happened, or whatever, you think she would have been a little more freaked out the next morning. The pics of her and her bf kissing, and seeing normal, just don’t ring true. There are SOOO many weird things about this case. Sad, but I must say, interesting!
Sara, well I do appreciate your efforts to keep my blog “clean”
And I completely agree with you about Knox’s reactions following what happened; from all accounts she was as cool as the proverbial cucumber and whether she had a part in it or not, well, that’s a bit odd. Of course I always say we never know how we’d react in a similar situation, so I don’t like to judge other people’s reactions *too* much. But still!
That knife found in Sollecito’s apartment with both her and Kercher’s DNA–that’s going to be tough to explain since Kercher had reportedly never been to his apartment. Doesn’t seem she’ll be getting out of custody any time soon.
Another thing which is rather minor, but it’s still bugging me– we all keep saying her “boyfriend”…they knew each other for 2-3 weeks! I don’t really have more of a comment on that, but I just think back to when I was dating and when 2-3 weeks hardly meant bf.
But maybe I’m just an old fuddy duddy
Did you see they’ve been discussing this over on the Expat board now?
I just had to write you and tell you to come read an anonymous post someone left on my blog under “patrick lumbaya released” very bizarro.
Sara, um, yes, a bit out of nowhere, I’d agree. You responded well.
I just read something over at Corriere della Sera (the Italian version) in which she wrote out yet another version of events. She says she had “flashes” of Lumumba in the apartment, etc. She also says Italian police hit her on the head when she didn’t remember things….
Rudy says he went back to the apartment with Meredith, felt bad, went to the bathroom, left his “evidence” and while in there, heard screams, etc. Says it was an Italian who killed her and then escaped.
Very interesting, as always.
I’ve been trying to give Amanda the benefit of the doubt, because I live in Seattle and she looks like a typical Seattle girl,athletic, healthy, granola. On the ferry over to my brother’s for Thanksgiving yesterday I saw so many girls who look like her.
But then I learn that she and the boyfriend were shopping for thong panties after the murder. And engaging in PDA.
I no longer believe anything she says. Expect that she was telling the truth when she said that she doesn’t get embarrassed.
Italian Woman, I hear you. I’m *very* “innocent until proven guilty” sometimes even to a fault, but this isn’t looking good for Knox. She (or someone) really needs to explain *why* her memory is so poor and scattered otherwise it just looks like all a bunch of lies.
On the bright side for her, the new man arrested (who was *definitely* there at the time of the murder) has said she wasn’t there. Of course that would lead to wonder why she remembers covering her ears from Kercher’s screams….
I read in the Italian news yesterday that more witnesses are coming forward who heard commotion, that there was likely another female in the apartment because of a print in the blood of a stiletto, and more.
Such a sad, tragic mystery.
More info coming out. Guede says that the Meredith whispered the killer’s name before she died and that as he struggled with the alleged killer, the brown-haired, no glasses-wearing Italian said to him “They will think that it is you because you are black.”
Article at Telegraph.co.uk
“They will think that it is you because you are black.”
Does this comment sound more believable in the original Italian? Because in English it sounds totally made up.
Maybe, maybe if I’d just killed somebody I’d have time to say, “They’re gonna blame the black.” Which is how we’d say it in America. But I doubt it. I’d just get the hell out of there before people discovered who I was.
Anyway, are Italian killers just more polite in their language? Is that why I just don’t believe a word of it?
*Italian Woman, from what I understand they are paraphrasing what was allegedly said both in English and Italian even though it’s in quotes. In the Italian publications, they write that Guede says the alleged killer said ‘something to the effect of’ “They’ll blame you because you’re black.” They don’t say exactly what he alleges was said.
In that sense, I wouldn’t take too much from how awkward the phrasing is–we don’t know exactly what it was in Italian either.
Using my creative brain, it could’ve been something as simple as “Sei fottuto nero” (“You’re screwed, black man”) which would imply what the newspapers have reported but be more colloquial. I just don’t know. The fact is that they haven’t reported the exact quote even in Italian, at least that I’ve seen; I don’t know why.
I’m closing comments here as I’ve shut down comments on all Knox-related posts for now; if you have something to add to the discussion, please feel free to contact me.