The United States State Department has advised Americans in Italy to take "common sense precautions" during the ongoing Italian election campaign.
The public announcement explained that "even peaceful demonstrations have the potential to escalate into violence" and recalled that on March 11 in Milan "No Global and anarchist groups became violent, resulting in broken windows and street blockages. Fifteen police officers were injured and 40-45 individuals were arrested".
Americans in Italy were thus urged to "avoid areas where crowds are expected to gather, take common sense precautions and closely follow media reports". Italy holds general elections April 9 and 10 and partial local elections on May 28, with a runoff vote set for June 11 when a referendum on constitutional reforms may also be held.
In the same notice, which expires June 19, the State Department reminded Americans abroad that Italy remained a potential target for international terrorist attack because of its role in multinational operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In reaction to the State Department alert, Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini said: "An American citizen who goes to a demonstration staged by certain radical leftist groups, where American and Israeli flags are burned, and says: 'I'm American and I voted for (President George W.) Bush', would certainly be running a risk".
