Interior Minister Angelino Alfano
on Wednesday praised an operation in which police seized as many
as 120,000 fake items from Naples-area workshops operated by 11
suspects allegedly linked to the powerful and vicious Camorra
mafia organization.
As well, police in Venice fined 13 Senegalese and
Bangladeshi street vendors, all of whom were legal residents in
Italy, for selling knock-offs.
They also seized 100 fake designer bags, 400 toys, and 30
camera tripods.
"Dismantling this kind of network means protecting our
products, fighting counterfeiting, guaranteeing Italians
peaceful days at the beach, and siphoning off vital sap from the
illicit market," the minister said.
The interior minister sparked controversy on Monday when he
called for a crackdown on street vendors, most of whom are
Indian and African, using the derogatory term "vuccumpra'" to
describe them.
In summer, Italy's beaches are criss-crossed by a constant
stream of such vendors, selling cold drinks, Indian textiles,
and beach-related gear such as toys, hats, and sunglasses.
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