What made me jump was a whole patrol of troops rounding the corner of piazza d'Azeglio, carrying submachine guns - in Firenze per bene, patrolling the elegant streets and palazzi of the bourgeoisie.
Saturday, 21 March 2015
Pope Francis Seems to Be Right
The Synagogue in central Florence, standing in its pretty gardens, all lit up like the Pontevecchio ( as they say here) had its usual pair of soldiers at the main gates inside their glass sentry-box as we walked home after dinner. There are always sentries at the Synagogue.
What made me jump was a whole patrol of troops rounding the corner of piazza d'Azeglio, carrying submachine guns - in Firenze per bene, patrolling the elegant streets and palazzi of the bourgeoisie.
The Prefect has authorised patrolling by the regular army in central Florence at 'points of particular vulnerability': so that'll be the entire city within the viali then. But what about Poggio Imperiale, the Certosa, San Domenico.....better make that the Province. The Prefects of Siena, Arezzo, Pisa .....will have to look to their own cities, provinces. There aren't going to be enough soldiers to go round though. The Florentine patrols are from the 187th Fanteria based in Livorno (at least they're not from Pisa). All the Italian marines, sailors and airmen are patrolling the Mediterranean. This country is at war with barbarians.
What made me jump was a whole patrol of troops rounding the corner of piazza d'Azeglio, carrying submachine guns - in Firenze per bene, patrolling the elegant streets and palazzi of the bourgeoisie.
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4 comments:
But it is true, is it not that Italy is now in the front line?
I can understand the nervousness of the Italian state but are they really thinking of their own people and the only retort can be NO the people have been sold down the Tiber.
Or, Thames, as we are in Britain - the wolves are allowed to roam unmolested, as it is in Italia the authorities will protect themselves. So it will arrive here, the dogs of war are everywhere all the conditions are primed and Isis can be the spark which ignites conflagration.
Britain will need to raise militias, the French are prepared and as clearly Italy are not.
He said that he is considering going to northern Iraq to show solidarity with those who have been murdered, raped and exiled by the IS. He added that strong measures were “justified” – so long as these were not the acts of only one country
Sounds awfully like, hmmm, the C-word ... and I am led to understand it is exactly what ISIL want - see the essay cited here
There aren't going to be enough soldiers to go round
Believe me, France could barely support the deployment of troops (and police-of-various-colours) it made in Paris after l'affaire Hebdo, every last man and woman in uniform was in the capital and the military told Hollande they wouldn't be able to handle anything else whatsoever for the duration
It is the universal Church ND. So a universal response might be required. I was struck by the use of the word "justified". And the careful distinctions between aggressive war and "stopping" others' aggression.
It's quite a shock to run into 'real' soldiers; not at all like the regular sentries, or even less the chaps and chapesses from the TA at the Brunswick Centre.
It's a bit unfair to say Italy is unprepared Anon. The 187th Infantry is patrolling the Piazza as I write. Gulp.
[...]"It's a bit unfair to say Italy is unprepared Anon. The 187th Infantry is patrolling the Piazza as I write. Gulp."
Fair comment.
But what I was additionally alluding to, are the Italians prepared for a very determined, prolonged infiltration and bloody asymmetrical warfare, I deem not.
I've read that, how such a few Provos nigh on brought Britain to a standstill in the 70s mainland bombing campaign.
Furthermore, if they had wanted to and if there had been some more intelligent strategic planning - a few terrorist cells with determined men, can bring the transport infrastructure of a country to a standstill in a matter of a few hours.
We here in the west particularly here in Europe are so vulnerable and they sense it, like a predator sniffs and picks out weakened animals in the herd.
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