#40: €60K FINES FOR CLIMATE EXTREMISTS IN ITALY
Sweden Democrats want to defund equity and anti-racism grants + Polish farmers protest cheap Ukrainian grain + outrage over "inclusive" carbonara campaign + MORE!
ITALY TO FINE CLIMATE VANDALS €60K
Italy is hitting back at climate radicals who vandalize monuments, historic sites or artworks.
The Italian Council of Ministers approved penalties of up to €60,000 for those found guilty of such actions, in addition to any fines they may receive from a conviction.
Italy's Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sengiuliano, stated that the recent attack on the historic Bernini Fountain on the Spanish Steps in front of the Vatican by Last Generation activists, who dumped black ink into the fountain, was "the straw that broke the camel's back."
He said that “systematic vandalism against our artistic and cultural heritage that has absolutely nothing to do with environmental protection.”
"Those who damage our cultural heritage must not go unpunished, they must be severely punished,” said Sengiuliano.
Compared to other countries such as Germany, where climate activists face few consequences for their disruptive actions, Italy's law is unique.
Prime Minister Girogia Meloni has introduced several policies to help preserve Italian culture including strict regulations on the inclusion of insect-based ingredients into Italian pasta.
SWEDEN DEMOCRATS WANT TO DEFUND EQUITY AND ANTI-RACISM GRANTS
The largest party in Sweden’s coalition government is calling for an end to all equity and anti-racism public funding.
According to the news outlet TV 4 Nyheterna, the populist Sweden Democrats (SD) have proposed shutting down the country's Institute for Human Rights, stating that it is a redundant body and a financial drain. The party argues that the judiciary and other human rights bodies already monitor human rights within Sweden.
The party’s migration policy spokesperson said that anti-racism grants are partisan and often go to groups with close ties to the left-wing Social Democrat party.
“These are worthy causes, but when you look at the grant, how this money is used, you see quite quickly that it is not really going the right way,” said Ludvig Aspling.
“We do not have huge problems with discrimination and racism in Sweden. This is a problem that is talked about a lot in the media.”
POLISH FARMERS PROTEST CHEAP UKRAINIAN GRAIN
Farmers in Poland have joined other European counterparts in protesting against the influx of cheap Ukrainian grain into their markets, which is undercutting local products.
Led by the agrarian union Agrounia, the protest has criticized the Polish government for not ensuring the viability of Polish agricultural goods.
“A number of companies linked to Law and Justice made huge gains, but ordinary people suffered losses. This is absurd,” said Agrounia leader Michal Kolodziejczak.
Unrest in Poland has caused shakeups within the government, including the resignation of farming minister Henryk Kowalczyk.
His replacement, Minister Robert Telus, has pledged to introduce quality controls over Ukrainian grain that is being re-exported.
“We will check that this grain meets Polish and European standards because the health of Poles is the most important for us,” said Telus.
Farmers in Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Slovakia have taken to the streets to express similar concerns. Most recently, Romanian farmers blocked major highways along the country's border with Bulgaria to protest against Ukrainian grain.
“Let’s support Ukraine, but let’s do it wisely and, above all, let’s put the interests of the country and Polish farmers first,” said Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
PASTA COMPANY ADVERTISES “INCLUSIVE” PORK-FREE CARBONARA
Italians have expressed outrage after the multinational pasta company Barilla promoted an "inclusive" pork-free recipe on National Carbonara Day.
In a clip posted online, Barilla claimed it created the “Open Carbonara” as a “Halal, Kosher, Vegan, lactose free and gluten free” alternative to the traditional dish.
“Spaghetti, Guanciale, Roman pecorino cheese, eggs and pepper: 5 ingredients that conquered many palates. But whether for health conditions, culture or personal choices, the recipe that everyone loves cannot be enjoyed by every,” wrote Barilla.
“Inspired by a true story, together with the chefs Marco Martini, Asma Khan, Giulia Tomelleri, Jasmine Guetta & Manuel Kanah, and Victoire Gouloubi, we created the “Open Carbonara”, a dish inspired by the classic, but Halal, Kosher, Vegan, lactose free and gluten free.”
The brand claimed the new dish was “only the beginning of a cross cultural and diverse project” it called the “Open Recipes” platform.
Instead of cured-pork guanciale, the recipe uses toasted soy beans as a substitute and mashed potatoes in the place of eggs.
64% OF FRENCH PEOPLE WANT TO STOP IMMIGRATION FROM OUTSIDE OF EUROPE
A recent CSA poll published by CNEWS shows that over six out of ten French people want to see “extra-European” immigration halted.
The survey, conducted on April 12, found that 64% of respondents answered "yes" when asked whether the French government should "stop extra-European" immigration.
Broken down even further, 66% of women were in favour of cutting immigration to only include Europe while 61% of men said the same.
Support for ending immigration from outside of Europe was also high among all age groups.
Opinions were divided, however, along political lines. Only 37% of left-wing voters wanted to see extra-European immigration end, while 94% of right-wing voters said the same.
Meanwhile, a slight majority of 52% of centrist voters wanted immigration from outside of Europe to end.
