Rome's Mayor Forced to Rethink Ban on Taking Food From Bins

Rome's mayor, a former neo-fascist, was forced yesterday to rethink a proposal to punish poor people who rummage through bins to find food and clothing.

His measure was one of several law and order initiatives tabled by mayors, who were given new powers this week and urged by the interior minister to be "creative" in tackling offensive behavior.

The mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno, announced he was rearming the municipal police and proposed a by-law to ban the removal of material from bins, but he ran into criticism. Father Luigi Ciotti, founder of a group that works with drug addicts, said: "I understand the justified concern for hygiene and people's health. But those who rummage in rubbish skips in order to eat need to be able to live."

"It seems as if the problems of Italy are beggars and Roma," said Mario Marazziti, spokesman for the Sant'Egidio community, which operates a soup kitchen.

Rome council said "further checks" would be carried out on the proposal. But Alemanno stressed that it did not mean the bylaw would not go ahead.