Severe threats. This is the hypothetical crime reported by the prosecutor’s office in Rome on the threats against the Prime Minister. The investigation refers to a group opened on Facebook called “Let’s kill Berlusconi”. Already 12 thousand people in the group, which was created in September 2008, and the Justice Minister Angelino Alfano asked the police to intervene.

The police is monitoring the social network to evaluate if amongst the group against Berlusconi there is incitement to crime. According to the experts, it is not easy to block web pages. In previous occasions, when violent websites appeared, the judiciary could not do anything because in Italy the only opinion crimes which are linked to the Mancino law are the celebration of fascism and racial discrimination. But in this case, the experts say, there could be incitement to crime, which would allow the police to intervene.

On Facebook there are many groups like this one. The idea of “eliminating the prime minister” is not shared by all users. There are those who want him dead and those who prefer to see him in “prison” because, writes Davide, he must pay “for the terrible things he has done against our poor Italy”. There are those who try to calm the tones: “You look like exalted with that title” and others like Francesco who assumes that Berlusconi “could become a Martyr”. The accused website is only the most crowed one, because there is also “Let’s kill the Berlusconi government” with 247 members and the one that wants to eliminate him through “shovelling”. But there is also “Let’s kill the Democratic Party and related parties”.

Translated by Chiara Nunnari from John Milton Institute