Salvini's Roma census abhorrent - Martina (3)

(ANSA) - Rome, June 18 - Caretaker Democratic Party (PD) leader Maurizio Martina on Monday described Interior Minister Matteo Salvini's proposal to conduct a census of ethnic Roma people in Italy as "abhorrent". "It is the latest act in an escalation of dangerous, unacceptable messages," Martina told ANSA. "I think he should stop because it is not possible for a great European country like Italy to go through provocations every day that do not resolve any problems but feed a spiral of propaganda that is very dangerous". Ex-premier and PD bigwig Paolo Gentiloni also expressed concern about Salvini, who has spearheaded the League-5-Star Movement government's tough stance on migrants.
    "Yesterday the refugees, today the Roma, tomorrow guns for all," Gentiloni said via Twitter. Matteo Orfini, the president of the centre-left party, proposed that: "if we really want to have a census, I'd start with racists and fascists".