Italy Reflects on Prime Minister Attack

Pictures of Silvio Berlusconi’s bloodied face gazed out of the front pages of the Italian newspapers.

The attack on the 73-year-old prime minister has prompted a great deal of soul searching in Italy.

Critics and allies denounced the assault, which left the billionaire businessman with serious facial injuries, including a broken nose and smashed teeth.

[Marisa Raso, Resident]:
„It’s inhumane. The ugliest thing was to see the reactions of many Italians who were happy about it.“

But there are many who blame Berlusconi for generating what some are calling a ‚climate of hate‘ in politics.

[Marco Baldetti, Pensioner]:
„He asked for it! He asked for it because he provokes people all the time. He was lucky in the end; he could have met someone crazier who could have shot him because he always throws himself into crowds without any fear.“

The embattled premier had just ended a fiery speech to thousands of supporters in a square behind the cathedral in the northern city of Milan.

As he signed autographs, a man struck him flush in the face with a small statue.

TV pictures showed the stunned Conservative leader, ashen faced and bloody, being bundled into a car and driven to hospital where he remains.

The suspect is a 42-year-old man with a history of mental illness.

The attack comes at a time when Berlusconi’s private and political life are under intense scrutiny.

He’s embroiled in a sex scandal and faces several criminal trials after being stripped of immunity from prosecution earlier this year.

His waning popularity has led to mass street protests demanding his resignation.

Berlusconi’s response to his judicial and marital woes has been to portray himself as the victim of a left-wing plot, which he says is aimed at bringing down his government.

(NTDTV)