Roberto Saviano is wrong, again…

 

 

Italian immigration in the United States between 1899 to 1910 was the highest among all nations. The main reason being the backwardness of the Piedmontese rulers (Savoy) in tackling Italy’s economic problems.

 

North Italy – 372,688

South Italy – 1,911.933

In order of importance for other nationalities:

Hebrews second with 1,074.442;

Poland third with 949,064;

Germany fourth with 754,375

Roberto Saviano the Italian Guru and icon of the Left on the last May 26 was a guest at the popular TV program ‘Che Tempo Che Fa’ by anchorman Fabio Fazio.

Saviano  lives escorted by a police team – no one really knows way – since publishing ‘Gomorra’ a funny booklet on the Camorra, the Campanian variety of the Mafia. This book was later made into a movie.

Speaking during prime time he said that we should basically tolerate all form of illegal immigration because the people getting into Italy today are like the Italians that we were.  Then he read what he called an official document dated 1912  from the US Government Inspectorate for Immigration.

Here were his words:

«Gli italiani sono generalmente di piccola statura e di pelle scura, non amano l’acqua, molti di loro puzzano perché tengono lo stesso vestito per molte settimane, si costruiscono baracche di legno e alluminio nelle periferie delle città dove vivono, vicini gli uni agli altri. Si presentano di solito in due, cercano una stanza con uso di cucina. Dopo pochi giorni diventano quattro, sei, dieci, tra loro parlano lingue a noi incomprensibili probabilmente antichi dialetti. Molti bambini vengono utilizzati per chiedere l’elemosina, fanno molti figli che poi faticano a mantenere. Dicono siano dediti al furto, e le nostre donne li evitano non solo perché poco attraenti e selvatici, ma perché si parla di stupri o agguati in strade periferiche. Propongo che si privilegino le persone del nord, veneti e lombardi, corti di comprendonio e ignoranti, ma disposti più degli altri a lavorare»

‘Italians are generally short and with dark skin, they don’t love water and many of them stink as they keep the same suit for several weeks, they build barracks with wood and aluminium on the outskirts of our cities, staying close among themselves. They normally show up as a couple and look for a room with a kitchen. After a few days they become 4, then 6, 10, among themselves they speak incomprehensible languages, probably ancient dialects. Several children are used to beg, they produce many children but then they are unable to feed them. They say that they are used to steal and our women avoid contacts with them because not nice looking and wild but because rape and violence are common in secondary roads. I do propose that people from the North should be privileged, those from Lombardy and Veneto, rather ignorant and stupid but at least willing to work more than the others.’

Former Italian minister Carlo Giovanardi knows well the story of our emigration and listening to this he felt strange that an official document issued by the US government could contain such stupid and racist stereotypes. He then carried out a small research.

In google he found the same text  in several forms without mentioning the source. Already a strong indication that is a hoax. Then there was a article published by  the journalist Andrea Sarubbi quoting that document. Sarubbi confirmed that he had not taken it  from any official document: he got it from another article published by Veronese flamboiant lawyer, Guariente Guarienti. Giovanardi phoned Guarienti and he told him that he had found it in a book, a few years before…

Giovanardi then wrote to the United States Embassy in Rome. They replied quickly, answering that the only official documents issued on immigration was the result of the investigation by the Dillingham Commission, which had published its findings in 41 volumes of, mainly, statistics. They added that after a quick search there was nothing comparable to these sentences quoted by Roberto Saviano. They provided the link to the 41 volumes which are on line in a PDF format and after looking into it, Giovanardi concluded that there is nothing. What Saviano read on prime time TV was just an hoax for gullible people or, at best, a useful instrument to bend the facts.

According to some, Saviano is worried for the great flop of his latest book ‘Zero Zero Zero’.

 

Feltrinelli has printed 500.000 copies but managed to sell only 200.000 of them. The editor, they say, is putting a tremendous pressure on him to appear on TV and Radio to promote it.