Italy: Chinese immigrants protest against poor security

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Italy: Chinese immigrants protest against poor security

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Chinese immigrants staged a protest against the murder of a Chinese man and his baby.

11 January,2012 01:55 am

Thousands of Chinese immigrants took to the streets of Rome on Tuesday to protest at a lack of security in the Italian capital following the murder of a Chinese man and his baby last week.Tearful demonstrators held up white candles and flowers in the march to the crime scene, which was organised by the Chinese community.People are exasperated, said one organiser, Lucia King, who put the number of demonstrators in the immigrant-heavy Piazza Vittorio neighbourhood at about 10,000. Some people have been robbed or mugged six or seven times.Zeng Zhou, 31, and his six-month-old daughter were shot dead last Wednesday in a scuffle with two robbers who were after his days cash takings from his bar and money exchange businesses -- around 3,000 euros ($3,840).The crime has shocked Italy and raised fears about a rising climate of lawlessness in Rome, which is home to about 50,000 Chinese.Italian President Giorgio Napolitano visited Zengs widow, Lia, in hospital this week to express his condolences.The police have said they are hunting for two Moroccan suspects and Rome mayor Gianni Alemanno has promised a crackdown on crime.There is concern, Marco Wong, head of the Associna community group, said at the protest. There have been various incidents. Many of the transactions here are done in cash and thats why the people here become natural targets.Among those joining the march were several top local officials from the right, as well as MPs and left-wing political figures and members of other communities such as Bangladesh and Morocco.A banner at the demonstration read: No to violence, more security and many people held up large photographs of the victims.Chinas ambassador to Italy Ding Wei has expressed shock and dismay over the murder and called on police to act quickly to catch the killers.The Chinese consul in Florence, Zhou Yunqi, who was taking part in a meeting in Tuscany to discuss a programme for the integration of the community, said Chinese should be ready to defend themselves.They need to be more aware of the risks they take when they carry sums of money in cash.