Italy's Red Cross began its biggest vaccination programme since the second world war to immunise thousands of gypsy children in 50 or so camps around Rome. The operation began at Casilino 900, which is believed to be one of the largest gypsy settlements in Europe.
Gianni Alemanno, Rome's mayor, plans to remove almost all the camps and replace them with "maxi-camps". Non-Italian gypsies without documents, face expulsion from Italy.
Also see the Roma Rights Network:
Racist Italy - Roma have been living in Italy for seven centuries and the country is home to about 150,000, who live mainly in squalid conditions in one of around 700 encampments on the outskirts of major cities such as Rome, Milan and Naples. They amount to less than 0.3 per cent of the population, one of the lowest proportions in Europe. [However, according to a recent newspaper survey,] more than two thirds of Italians want Gypsies expelled, whether they hold Italian passports or not.
It is an image that has crystallised the mounting disquiet in the country over the treatment of Roma, coming after camps have been burnt and the government has embarked on a bid to fingerprint every member of the minority. Two young Roma sisters had drowned at Torregaveta beach after taking a dip in treacherous waters. Their corpses were recovered from the sea – then left on the beach for hours while holidaymakers continued to sunbathe and picnic around them. (Source)