Since the court decision, the prime minister has launched a campaign accusing “leftist” judges, the national and foreign press, and even Italy's president, Giorgio Napolitano of political bias against him. Last week, the government introduced a bill promoted as “one of the most radical reforms of Italy's snail-paced justice system since the end of World War II”, which the opposition, magistrates, and consumer advocacy groups insist is yet another “ad personam law”, tailored to help Berlusconi avoid corruption trials.

On the same day of the verdict, October 9, a group of bloggers, citizens and intellectuals, self-defined as “not politically involved or belonging to any parties”, launched the idea of a national protest against Berlusconi demanding his resignation. They promptly opened a Facebook group under this header:

SALVIAMO L'ITALIA, SALVIAMO LA DEMOCRAZIA. BERLUSCONI DIMETTITI.

Saturday, December 5 was designated “No Berlusconi Day (NBD)”. The campaign spread quickly on the Internet with videos, blogs, and tweets, as well as offline, through word of mouth. In little more than a month over 280,000 people pledged to host a public event on “No Berlusconi Day” via the main Facebook group, with groups formed in many cities in Italy and around the world, including San Francisco and Sacramento (California), Ottawa and Montreal (Canada), Buenos Aires (Argentina), London, Madrid, Vienna, and Istanbul - where local rallies will be held on the same day.

The initiative has been featured on countless websites, as well as on Italy's leading daily newspapers, la Repubblica and Corriere della Sera. Today the leftist daily L'Unità devoted several pages to the event, including a story underlining the crucial role of citizen media in such “bottom-up initiatives”, comparing it to the protest movement in Iran and even to the Obama election in the USA. An open letter appeared in the London Times.

While the protest appeal document has been translated in 11 languages so far, including Arabic, Turk and Serb-Croat, the No Berlusconi Day blog further explains:

The No Berlusconi Day group is a large, informal, global network of ordinary citizens, spanning all political and cultural backgrounds. The coordinators of the group are unpaid and do not collectively hold specific political affiliations… Although the No Berlusconi Day group is non-political, the group and event has received public support and endorsement from a number of high-profile activists, including Salvatore Borsellino brother of the anti-corruption judge Paolo Borsellino who was murdered by a Mafia car-bomb in 1992.

Beppe Grillo, a well-known Italian comedian who launched a very popular (some say ‘populist') campaign against corruption and illegality of past Italian governments last year, has also announced his support of No Berlusconi Day on his website, attracting more than 1,300 comments, the vast majority supporting his statement:

“Mi sono rotto i coglioni di Berlusconi”. Ditelo in pubblico, al bar, al ristorante. Gridatelo in radio, ai semafori, scrivetelo ai giornali, inviate mail ai siti italiani e internazionali, alle caselle di posta dei deputati, dei senatori. “Mi sono rotto i coglioni di Berlusconi”.

[…]

E' mai possibile che gli italiani, anche quelli rincoglioniti dalle televisioni, non abbiano un moto di rigetto, un conato di vomito a vedere la Repubblica Italiana trattata come una zoccola? Il Grande Corruttore ha corrotto forse ogni coscienza? Tutto ciò che ha toccato nella sua vita si è corrotto, decomposto. E' lui l'H1N1 della nostra democrazia.

The main Facebook group features an ongoing flow of new comments:

Giacomo Spataro: GIORNO 5/12.. TUTTI I NEGOZI CHIUSI…bandiere viola fuori…e tutti a roma….

Diritto Di Parola: La manifestazione si potrà definire APARTITICA e nata ed organizzata dal basso solo se i partiti non esibiranno i propri simboli. Non raccontiamoci frottole :) W il 5 dicembre voluto dai cittadini !!!! Scendiamo tutti in piazza a manifestare per le dimissioni di Berlusconi !!!

Daniele Nuzzo: Per fare Carpooling per andare a Roma dividendo le spese.

The NBD organizers chose the color purple to identify the movement, explaining that “purple is not just for mourning, but it is also a symbol of vital energy and self-determination”. Hence some creative ideas on Facebook:

Use this image for your profile or for a t-shirt:

While actual meet-ups are underway throughout the country, the electronic tam-tam is also spreading via Twitter.

On October 31, the first volunteers took to the streets in many cities to start informing people about the upcoming event. Here is a video from downtown Rome, where a journalist from PdCI-TV interviewed the activists on the fly [it]:

No political parties have formally endorsed the protest with the exception of Antonio di Pietro and Paolo Ferrero (leaders of small opposition parties, respectively, Italia dei Valori and Comunisti Italiani), who confirmed their attendance to the Rome rally.

Will people actually take to the streets en masse? For those still in doubt, the following “Joker Silvio” video explains the “top 10 reasons why citizens should participate in the No B-Day, an event born and promoted almost exclusively on the Net” [it]:

During his tour he saw a 13 year old girl fully veiled from head to toe covering her entire body but for her eyes. Moataz El Demerdash, host of a talk show called 90 minutes had a phone interview with one of the press members who witnessed Sheikh Tantawi order the girl to take off the niqab as he told her that niqab is a tradition that has nothing to do with religion. A few days later, Hani Helal Egypt's Minister of Higher Education banned female undergraduates from wearing the niqab in the country's public universities,  Al-Masri Al-Yom newspaper reported.

The exchange between the Sheikh and the girl can be followed in this video [Ar]:

In an older post, Desert Cat blogged about a man who was caught hiding behind a niqab to go see his mistress:

Desert Cat hailed the Sheikh's decision saying:

Tarek Ez AlDen reported that an Egyptian rights organization is suing the Minister of Higher Education:

Elder of Zion found the reactions to the niqab ban interesting:

Commenting on Tantawy’s statement, Sheikh Mahmoud Ashour, member of the Islamic research Center said that the Sheikh’s decision is not a fatwa, but a move aimed at preserving security among students.

Allowing the niqab in academic institutions can cause problems, he added, since anyone can use it as a disguise to enter the university, even terrorists.

Muslim Brotherhood MP Hamdy Hassan couldn’t disagree more. He told Daily News Egypt Monday that he denounces Tantawy’s anti-niqab statement.

As for The Minister of higher Education's decree in Cairo University

neither Ain Shams University nor Helwan University issued similar decrees.

The niqab ban did not come as a total surprise

In 2007 Helwan University was the subject of a huge controversy when university security guards prohibited the entry of some female students wearing the niqab into the university dorms, even though they agreed to reveal their face to the female security guards for an identity check.

In the same year, Minister of Religious Endowments Hamdy Zaqzuq dismissed an employee from a meeting for refusing to remove her niqab.

In 2004 the American University in Cairo (AUC) caused a similar stir after a decree prohibiting the entry of students wearing the niqab into the university campus.

At the end of his post, he wrote:

Tantawi has been in hot water before, for shaking hands with Shimon Peres.

Like Elder of Zion, blogger Khaled Fouda reminded his readers of the day the Sheikh shook hands with Shimon Perez:

Joseph Mayton of Bikya Masr wrote a post on how Europe took advantage of the niqab ban in Egypt:

On Tuesday, only one day after news of Tantawi’s possible ban hit the media, Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and his right-wing coalition have presented a proposal to ban the niqab, or burqa. The anti-immigration Northern League party is leading the charge, and Italian politicians are now quoting Tantawi in support of their goal.

The party’s proposal would amend an anti-terrorism law of 1975 that forbids anyone in the country from making their identification impossible. The current interpretation of the law allows for religious reasons as a “justified cause” to cover the face, but the possible law could end such interpretation.

A party member, Roberto Cota was quoted as saying “we are not racist and we have nothing against Muslims, but the law must be equal for everyone.”

People of Freedom Member of Parliament, Barbara Saltamartini, said that “banning the burqa cannot be considered anti-Muslim because it is not obligatory in Islam,” echoing Tantawi’s sentiments, when he demanded that the young girl in a local school remove the veil as it is “not part of Islam.”

Meanwhile, Kareem El Beheiry of EgyWorkers announced his solidarity with Egypt's niqabis free right to choose and Hassan El Helali who is against hijab (regular veil that does not cover the face) writes, addressing the Minister of Interior:

Just of few weeks ago the news that a Japanese couple was cheated by a famous restaurant in the center of Rome who presented them a 700 euro bill for an ordinary lunch. Japanese people, though, have started to be fed up with being considered the well-off, easily-cheatable tourist to milk.

Moshimoshi, the Japanese manager of the B&B in Rome that hosted the unlucky couple, explains what happened and titles the post “There is no way I can tolerate it” (絶対に許せない！！).

今日警察に行ってきました。というのも最近B&Bのお客様が被害にあわれて、その再確認に行ってまいりました。

その被害とは、簡単に説明すると二人でランチを食べたら700ユーロ、（約10万円）という法外な値段をぼったくられた、という被害です。

信じられます？700ユーロですよ！！
許せない！！という事で警察に行き調書をとりました。
しかもそのレストランはガイドブックにのっており、「日本語のメニューがあり、良心的な値段！！」なんて書いてあります。
確かにそのお客様は、メニューも見ずにおまかせで料理を持ってきてもらったそうです。
でもそれにしても700ユーロって・・・・
イタリア人みんなに言われました「どうして払ってしまったんだ？」と。でも想像してください、食べたのに払わずにレストランの外に出たりできますか？私自身は文句を言うにしても、最終的に払わずに外に出たりできないと思います。

私がそう言うとイタリア人は口をそろえて「だから日本人はぼられるんだ！！」
と言います。でもそんな事が許されていいのでしょうか？
「黙っているから、だましてもいい」なんて国があっていいのでしょうか？私は断じて戦います。そんな事が許されていいと全く思いません。今日私を呼び出した警察も、「観光客のイタリアの思い出がそんなに醜いものになるのは一イタリア人として許せない！！彼らはイタリアの恥だ！！」とそのレストランを厳しく罰する事を誓ってくれました。

However, a Japanese blogger points his finger against those Japanese tourists who think to find abroad the same quality service that in Japan they give for granted.

まあ、ありえる話かな、って感じ。
日本は今こんな不景気だから減って不思議でないし、日本人が言う「イタリアのサービスの悪さ」はなにも今に始まったことじゃないから。。。
ただ「サービス悪い」のは何もイタリアだけじゃないと思う。

[…]

それに、、、
海外行って、「日本のようなサービスを受けよう」と思ってるのが、根本的に間違ってると思うよ。
で、サービスの点で、日本と外国の認識の違い、ぜったいあるはず。
日本は「黙っていても何かしてもらえる」と思うのがサービス。
（いわゆる「お客様は神様です」的に・・・）
でも、あちらへ行ったら、、、
「自分で欲することを自分で要求」した上で「相手に仕事をしてもらう」のがサービス（の一つ）。
この他にも相違点たくさんあるのに、あちらのことを知らずに、、[…]
そんな認識で海外行かれちゃうのが、ウチらには恥ずかしいわいっ！

Ripping off foreign travelers is nothing new to the Italian people, unfortunately. Especially to those who come from cities that partly lives on tourism, like Rome.
Not for this, Italians are less ashamed of what is being considered around the world as the umpteenth cheat in the home of Colosseo.

An Italian blogger at L'isola dei riottosi expresses his disappointment on the matter.

Ci stiamo rovinando con le nostre stesse mani. Come dico spesso, la meschinità sta diventando uno dei capisaldi del nostro popolo. Tanto che il turismo rischia di sentirne. E parecchio. In particolare, il numero di turisti giapponesi che si recano a Roma si è dimezzato rispetto al 1997. Motivi? Le strade dell'Urbe sono sporche, e specialmente c'è un ricchissimo business delle Truffe! […]E giustamente queste cose non passano inosservate, dato che ne parlano pubblicamente all'estero, in questo caso il Giappone, dove adesso Roma viene vista come una bellissima città d'arte ma anche come un “macchina succhia soldi”.

Another Italian blogger, id: dragor, makes clear how a tourist is often regarded by some Roman shopkeepers.

PER GLI ITALIANI gli stranieri sono una massa d’imbecilli che aspettano soltanto di farsi fregare. Si considerano molto furbi e credono che tutti gli altri siano ingenui. La loro fantasia per tirare la botta è incredibile. […] Ma il massimo della fantasia si esercita nella fregatura individuale, che in molti casi si manifesta con il prezzo ad hoc. In un bar di Roma, mia moglie ha ordinato un caffè in francese. Le è stato fatturato 5 euro. Quando ho fatto notare nella lingua di Dante che era un furto, ho ricevuto questa risposta: “Dovevi dirlo subito che sei italiano. Quello è il prezzo per gli stranieri.”

Twitter was almost as crowded as the Egyptian streets, but this time there were tweets during the match as well as after it. The tweets started to pour in after Egypt's first goal against Italy:

Non Egyptians and for sure Italians were there to comment on the match also.

The tweets related to the match were sufficient to bring Egypt as one of the main topics on twitter.

During the last few minutes of the match, all the Egyptians fans were not able to wait for the referee's whistle.

And finally the referee's whistle caused a real flood of tweets.

Rude awakening

The first pictures appeared immediately on Flickr and many more were uploaded during the day.

Photo by healinglight on Flickr

Similarly, the first news was transmitted by local Twitter users (particularly with hashtags #italy and #terremoto) and quickly spread throughout the world, thanks to services such as Breaking Tweets [en] - even before the satellite news channels broadcasts.

[Awaken by the earthquake, look up immediately
info on twitter (and I find them)]

And in the early morning hours more news and comments began to pour in on Facebook. On the group “Terremoto in Abruzzo” [it] (Earthquake in Abruzzo) Chiara urges people “not not leave them alone” and writes:

l'Aquila distrutta… speravo fosse un sogno ed invece è tutta realtà… non ci posso ancora credere… mi si stringe il cuore… ma l'Aquila ritornerà ad essere bella come prima ed a emozionarci ancora.. Sono vicina a tutti…

Many ready to help right away

On the same “Terremoto in Abruzzo” group, someone from Messina, a city in Sicily, says he's ready to hit the road to go there and help, just like many others:

vorrei partire come volontario x dare un aiuto anche io.. qualcuno che è della provincia di messina sa dirmi come fare?? chi contattare? fatemi sapere… grazie

On the first day alone, on Facebook there were about 500 different groups, with appeals for solidarity and action - like this one from Daniela in Reggio Emilia:

in questo drammatico momento di immenso dolore, mi rendo disponibile ad ospitare una famiglia presso la mia casa, offrendo loro un alloggio confortevole, e tutto il mio sostegno morale.

Also Alessandra has in her heart the many homeless people and writes:

Facciamo un gruppo in cui le persone che hanno più di una casa si offrono di mettere a disposizione un'abitazione per gli sfollati del terremoto. Io sono disponibile.
COME CI POSSIAMO MUOVERE?

Citizen media help to cope with tragedy

Daylight brings into sharp focus the magnitude of the tragedy and the web is the preferred place to disseminate information worldwide in a split second. On YouTube, Mastrostyle uploads a slideshow with several moving photos. Also Lukalove creates another poignant slideshow using the online software slide.com. Several people ready with video- or cell-cameras descend into the wreckage to talk with the victims and people involved in the rescue efforts.

Here is a video showing a girl just extracted from the rubble being taken in an ambulance. While the following video includes some interviews [it] with people displaced in a park in L'Aquila:

Criticism of mainstream media coverage

The event seems to make everybody very tense and sensitive. Many cannot even tolerate small mistakes from major news outlets online. The pensierispettinati blog [it] noticed that the photo gallery from L'Aquila published by the daily Corriere della Sera website includes one photo that doesn't belong to this tragedy: it's a picture of the May 2008 earthquake in Sechuan, China. They removed the offending picture, only to inadvertently post, a short time later, another picture related to rescue efforts in an earthquake in Turkey.

Several bloggers criticized [It] another major newspaper website, Repubblica.it for somehow exploiting the tragic event, boosting their advertisements and banners among its reports.

An avoidable tragedy?

Many netizens are also claiming that the earthquake was somehow expected: being an area at risk, the Abruzzo region was monitored closely. In fact, only a week earlier, using his own invention of gas radon measurements, Giampaolo Giuliani, a scientist related to the National Nuclear Physics Institute, had even predicted a very strong earthquake in a nearby city and alerted local officials about his findings. But the Head of the Civil Protection Agency, Bertolaso, immediately accused him of alarmism, threatening to sue him if he kept talking about it - so Giuliani kept his mouth shut.

The story is still very much alive in the blogosphere. Enzo Giarrittiello, on his blog La voce di Kayfa writes [it]:

Ora che purtroppo le sue previsioni si sono avverate, seppure con una settimana di ritardo rispetto a quanto aveva inizialmente ipotizzato, non sarebbe il caso di stanziare fondi per favorire la ricerca di Giuliani anziché mandarlo in prigione? Dando per scontato che le sue teorie sono pure illazioni, senza nemmeno cercare di capire i principi su cui si fondano, non ci si comporta in maniera oscurantista assumendo lo stesso atteggiamento dei censori medievali?

On Facebook, many groups were launched in solidarity with this researcher, while in a few hours more than 100 comments were posted on a related story on Repubblica.it [it], including one comment referring to a 2005 online forum detailing the method utilized by Giuliani [it] to forecast earthquake and his international operative connections.

On the other hand, the official scientific community refuted the validity of his predictions, including an interview with the director of the National Nuclear Physics Institute, where he states: “Giuliani doesn't work for my Institute and on this issue we need to be very careful when we say something publicly.”

What's next?

Unfortunately it seems inevitable to have controversial issues overshadowing the actual tragedy in such circumstances. Several Italian media sources and netizens are already debating the reconstruction plan and funding, with an overall cost estimated at about 1.2 billion euros. However, the situation on the ground is still far from over.

Many fear the death toll will rise even more - the latest figure is at 260. Rescue workers are working non-stop looking for survivors: a 98-year-old grandmother was found alive Tuesday after being buried for 30 hours. On the same night temperatures fell to 39 degrees in L'Aquila, dipping to near freezing at higher altitudes. And the area has been rattled by more than 200 tremors, some of them as higher as 5.3 magnitude.

Here more details [it] about donations and other assistance options.

————-

This post has been co-authored by Stefano Ignone, with further contributions by Maria Grazia Pozzi and Tamara Nigi.

Some thoughts from Tunisia [Ar] smells discrimination in the verdict and writes:

Articuler [Fr], on his part, echoes a similar sentiment:

Le tribunal italien de Palerme a prononcé lundi 23 mars 2009 son verdict dans l’affaire du crash de l’ATR de la compagnie aérienne tunisienne Tuninter.
Le verdict de la justice italienne a été très sévère et représente une véritable première ! Jamais, par le passé, les responsables administratifs d’une compagnie aérienne n’ont été condamnés à des peines de prison ferme. En prononçant des condamnations allant jusqu’à dix ans de prison, la justice italienne inflige aux responsables tunisiens des peines comme s’ils étaient de véritables chauffards éméchés sur la route. Et encore, on s’interroge si les ivrognes italiens du volant écopent de peines aussi lourdes !

Nakagawa's eventual resignation and replacement by Kaoru Yosano didn't stop the flood of commentary in blogs and forums. The game industry, meanwhile, jumped at the opportunity and developed a game for mobile phones in which users earn points by getting the minister to answer questions at the press conference in order to boost his approval rating.

Given that there are thousands of blog posts on the Nakagawa affair in the Japanese blogosphere, the best I'll be able to do here is to feature one small sample. One interesting view was expressed by blogger Naoto Yamamoto (山本直人), who sees Nakagawa's performance at the press conference as a chance to show the world that Japanese people are human. Yamamoto writes:

中川昭一は、もはや日本を代表する「グレート・コミュニケーター」と言ってもいいのではないだろうか。
彼の記者会見が問題なのは「飲酒疑惑」とか「しどろもどろ」とか、そういう水準のものではない。
ネタとしてあまりにも「面白すぎる」ということにある。

しかも、表情も言葉も動画的だ。そしてさらに凄いのは、国境を超えて「面白い」ということだ。
You Tubeでは”Japanese finance minister drunk at G-7”というわけで、他にも結構アップされている。
これは、「グローバルなコミュニケーション」で悩む、マーケターや広告関係者は見習わなくてはいけない。
「日本語だから通じない」という常識を、彼は覆している。とにかく、変なものは変だ。そして、あの眼の危なさ。眼の持つインパクトをあそこまで具現化したケースがあっただろうか。あの鬼気迫るというか幽体離脱したような眼の前では、オバマやヒラリーは「ハリウッド俳優が演じる政治家」にしか見えない。

そして、所作。あらぬ方向を探して、それをサポートしようとする白川総裁のキャラもあいまって、無声映画でも通用するような振る舞いだ。チャップリンやキートンも、こんな演技はできないだろう。
もしかしたら彼はこの記者会見のおかげで大臣の座を棒に振るかもしれない。だが、彼はそうして身を挺して、「グローバルなコミュニケーションのあり方」を私たちに教えてくれたのだ。
あの会見が元で石もて追われるように、政界の中央から去る可能性もある。でも、しばらくしたら「泣いた赤鬼」に出てくる、「青鬼」さんのような人だったことが分かる日かもしれない。

At as subjectively as possible, blogger Tamagawaboat expresses a similarly sympathetic view:

旧来の日本人は、
人間臭い失敗に対し「人間的な可愛らしさ」を憶えるほど
寛容であったはずだ。
日本人を「無表情で何を考えているか分からない」などといった
「エコノミック・アニマル」的ステレオタイプに嵌った外国の人が、
「日本人も俺たちと同じ人間なんだ」と安心できたのでは？

YouTubeの「中川昭一・Ｇ７」の動画への書き込みを読みながら、そう思った。
しいて言えば「日本の恥を晒した」と評するよりも
「身近で等身大の日本人」を
外国の人は感じていただけたのではないか。

海外のテレビ局のキャスターが中川の真似をしたのも
卑下を意図をしたものではなく、
「ひゃあー、人間臭くて面白れぇ～」と思ったからに他ならないのだ。
それを「日本の恥を晒した」などとヌカす日本人はよほどキンタマが小さい奴だ。
そうは思わないか？なあ、セニョール。

There were also many who criticized the way that Japanese media covered the G7 meeting. Blogger spherescape writes:

何より、G7の会議で、アメリカの保護政策に釘を刺して成果を挙げた中川昭一氏の実績は、ほとんど報道されていません。政治家はその政策と実行内容や成果によって評価されるもので、ハッキリ言って、酒好きかどうか、記者会見で眠くてしょうがなかったかなど、関係ありません。
居眠りが問題なら、仮病による海外要人との会談のキャンセルも同じように問題でしょう。小沢一郎民主党代表には、代表の座から降りていただかないといけませんね。

Finally, blogger anaguma wonders why nobody stopped Nakagawa from talking at the press conference given his state and his personal history of drinking:

まず、中川さんには前歴があった。
この時点で、リスクがある程度把握できたわけです。
（彼の政治家としての能力云々、とは別の次元ですよ）

つまり、この人は一種の病気なんだと。

じゃあどの程度の頻度で深酒をするのか？
どんな条件で何をどれくらい飲むと人前に出せないほど泥酔するのか？
ふるうのは暴言か、暴力か？そもそも、そんなに酒を飲む理由は？

こういった評価をもとに、対策を検討すべきだったのです。
少なくともこの人を大臣（しかも重要ポスト）に配置した以上、
政府は彼を守るべきだったと私は思います。

Hetalia-episode 01[RAW](Japanese only)

The story and the characters

Hetalia: Axis Powers [jp] (complete name) caricatures everyone without exception. Germany, Japan, France, U.K., U.S.A., Poland, Russia, the Baltic countries, Spain, Greece, Austria, Hungary, Poland, China, Korea and, above all, Italy, personified by boyish characters in the style typical of the Japanese manga, are portrayed exaggerating their (stereotypical) features, and are all pilloried with the same level of ironic intensity.

Yorozu Haki (万葉樹) suggests that this manga should be seen as a fictional product and as representative of a subcultural movement that, in recent times, has been spreading among the Japanese manga world, one in which many authors have started dealing with political or social themes, within the limitations of the artistic medium:

舞台は日本、イタリア、ドイツが同盟を組んだ第二次世界大戦あたりと思われます。ときおり、歴史的なうんちくが散りばめられているので、世界史マニアには興味深いかも。[…]
歴史認識が浅いという辛口の意見もあるのですが、しょせんはフィクション。ただ、現在マンガカルチャーの発言権は増しているだけに、偏見を植えつけかねないかも。日本人が国際社会で弱腰というのは、総体的にはそうかもしれないですが、いささか強調されすぎているきらいもありますよね。あと、こうした歴史文化的な興味というのは、往々にして、サブカルチャーを経由しているというのが、まさに現代的ですよね。
この漫画で描かれているように、おちゃらけ雰囲気で国際紛争もカタがつけばよろしいのでしょうけれど、現実問題、国家というのはおそろしいモンスターであって、けっしてひとりの人格に収斂させられるようなものではないのです。

Blogger Roko reflects on how such manga, despite not being meant to act as a historical reference, can nonetheless act as an opportunity to stimulate in the reader a curiosity to learn more about the world:

ウワサのヘタリア、読んでみました。国を擬人化した登場人物のからみは面白かったなぁ。
いつでも美味しいものを食べることしか考えていないヘタレなイタリア。ドイツの捕虜になって喜んでるソ連。何をするにも時間がかかるギリシャ。ケチケチなオーストリア。昔はかわいこちゃんだったのに、今じゃエラソーなアメリカ。真面目でいつも怒ってるドイツ。
　それぞれの国の個性が、思いっきり突っ込まれてます。結局はみんなヘタレなのかなぁ～？

[…]

おバカなコミックスですけど、こんなところから世界を知るのもアリかなと思います。だって、学校ではこういうこと教えてくれないもの。この頃、世界に興味のない人が増えてるでしょ。そういうのって危険だと思うんです。
　やみくもに外国がステキと思うのもいけないけど、知りもしないで否定するのはもっといけないことだと思うのです。
　世界を知れば日本のことも知りたくなります。一つ知ればそこから興味が広がります。でも、最初の一つを手にすることができないと、そこからは何も広がらないのです。1×2は2、2×2は4になるけれど、0には何をかけても0。無知は恐ろしいことであり、悲しいことなのです。

As its title suggests, the most ill-treated country in Hetalia is Italy. Descending from a glorious stock (his grampa is the Roman Empire), Italy seems to have shown signs of weakness since his childhood, being bullied by his European friends. Both in the manga and the anime, Italy is represented as always whining, lazy, keen on catching girls, and a lover of good food. Although many Italian enthusiasts of Japanese anime are looking forward to watching the fansubbed version, some of them questioned the “good taste” of the subjects selected.

In a thread dedicated to Hetalia [it] in Shinforum, a forum of Japanese culture fans, Agarsen, for example, writes:

Dopo aver letto buona parte dei capitoli, posso dire che, sebbene abbia trovato parte del manga divertente, ho trovato anche parte del manga di cattivo gusto; non offensivo, ma di cattivo gusto, proprio per la superficialità con cui certe affermazioni sono proposte al lettore. Se noi prendessimo la cultura giapponese e decidessimo di sbeffeggiarla “per quello che ci sembra” io non credo che i giapponesi ne sarebbero divertiti…

[…]

Ogni cosa può essere fatta sembrare idiota se letta superficialmente.
Il problema è che deve esistere anche una consapevolezza, una lettura più approfondita dei fatti che ti dice “Un momento, va bene riderci sopra, ma nella realtà dei fatti c'è poco da ridere”. Insomma, dovrebbe essere un riso amaro più che uno sbellicarsi. Io già m'immagino certa gente che penserà di capire la storia dopo avere letto Hetalia, esattamente come pensa di conoscere la società guardando la televisione…

Trovo difficile ridere al pensiero di gente che scappa dal fronte o si arrende senza combattere; gente pescata da ogni dove, che voleva solo farsi gli affari propri e vivere tranquilla, mal equipaggiata, mandata a combattere nel deserto… si dovrebbe ridere di questa gente?
Che si ridi di Mussolini e dei fascisti, ma loro..

Polemics and protests

As mentioned above, the broadcast of the animated series inspired by the manga was scheduled for the 24th of January on Kids Station (a Japanese TV channel for kids), but it was officially suspended after 16.000 messages of protest arrived from Korean netizens, resulting in the anime being viewable only on the Internet and on mobile phones.

News about Hetalia in South Korea　(English sub.)

That such a controversial subject as WW2, and the way in which countries were mocked and ridiculed, could result in some polemics, is not so surprising in itself. What struck many Japanese bloggers, however, was the fact that Korea, mentioned only in the comic and even there only as a minor character, considered its depiction a national insult, yet one more provocation from arrogant Japan.

In his analysis, Korean blogger no_tenki explains [jp] that the Korean reaction, which may seem extreme to many, is not in fact extreme but rather a consequence of anti-Korean messages constantly spread on the Japanese web, especially in some rightist bulletin boards or websites. These messages are what alarm Koreans living in their homeland as well as those living in Japan:

ヘタリアについて話しますと、[…]まあ、まともに読んでないので迂闊な評価はできませんが、人気があるということは、なかなかセンスのある方ではないかと思われます。ですけど韓国については、掘り下げが足りない…というより、単純に、ただのネタです。ボクもそう思いますが、韓国なんて登場しなくても構わないわけだし、どうでもいいとは思います。ですけど、韓国人としては、やっぱりこれは憂慮せざるを得ない。

韓国のキャラ設定ですけど、ただ、ネット上においての韓国のイメージを、そのまま借用しているわけですよね。ネットの住人には納得できそうなキャラ像です。「ニダー」と違って顔も美形ですし、バカではあるけど悪気のあるやつとしては描かれていない。だからニダーとは違うのだ。むしろ好意的に捉えている。と思われるかもしれませんけど、その根本にある「韓国のイメージ」というのは「ニダー」も、この「韓国」さんも同じわけで、昔の「嫌韓」の常識（今はネットの住人の常識かな）を引っ張り出してきていて、それをアレンジしてるだけで、（絵は好きですけど、設定においての）材料は同じじゃないですか。「韓国とはこういう国だ」というイメージがここまで肥大したからこそ、別に嫌韓でない人でも、ヘタリアでの韓国のキャラに違和感を感じない。むしろ「事実どおりに描かれている」と思う。これはなかなか恐ろしいことだと思いますよ。「…」

[…]

だからどっちにしろ、韓国ではヘタリアは極右の嫌韓（的な見方から韓国をキャラ化した）アニメとして知らされ、これから韓国の一般人の日本に対する認識を悪くする要因の一つとして存在しつづけるかもしれない。ということを考えると、とても心配なわけだ。

After weeks of cross-Atlantic brouhaha, some bloggers are starting to wonder how and why the case has gone so far. Is the Brazilian Government's decision to grant political refugee status to Italian felon Cesare Battisti really worth of such attention?

What elements could be at play to bring forth those remarkable outcomes, such as the minute of silence from the Ministers of European Parliament in a session last week in honor of Battisti's alleged victims from 30 years ago, or the farewell of an Italian-born journalism icon in Brazil over the heated national debate on the case, and also Italy's recall of their Ambassador in Brasilia? The Italian government went as far as threatening to call off the friendly game, leading Brazilians to sense a blow out of proportion. Berlusconi is the one to blame.

Celeuma injustificada a criada pelo “caso Battisti” e a atitude de bufão tomada pelo governo chefiado por Silvio Berlusconi. Pelo menos aproveitei a chance para estudar sobre o tema antes de me arriscar a escrever algumas linhas. A maioria dos analistas não faz segredo da passionalidade de suas analises e transformaram o caso numa disputa partidária, ou pior, futebolística.
Brasil vs Itália - Dissolvendo No Ar

A Itália, hoje, vive o governo histérico de Berlusconi. É o dono da grande rede de televisão italiana, é dono de jornais, é dono de times de futebol. Ou seja, é o dono da Itália. E é nitidamente fascista, xenófobo, racista.
A HISTERIA DE BERLUSCONI E A SOBERANIA BRASILEIRA - Blog de Luís Antônio Castagna Maia

The Italian reaction now is very different from last year's, when the French government refused to extradite Marina Petrella, a former Red Brigades terrorist who was informed of the decision at her hospital bed by Carla Bruni herself. This time with Brazil, Ms. Sarkozy had to come out to dismiss any connection with Cesare Batistti, which ended up bringing more spice to the story.

Many blogs mention that the main source of the Italian enrage this time was the terms used by the justice minister Tarso Genro to announce the asylum grant, declaring that Battisti was a victim of political persecution and that his life might be at risk if he were returned to his homeland.

Mais do que a decisão em si, o que provocou a violenta reação do governo italiano foram os termos utilizados pelo ministro da Justiça, Tarso Genro, para negar o pedido de refugio, aceitando as alegações de Battisti, segundo as quais correria risco de vida e de perseguição política caso voltasse à Itália.
Battisti e Rother: a arte dos tiros no pé - Balaio do Kotscho

Por mais que insista que a decisão do Brasil foi soberana, é sabido que Tarso não consultou o Itamaraty antes de resolver. E enfiou na cara da Itália e do governo do tosquíssimo Silvio ,Berlusconi uma justificativa dura, nada diplomática e desnecessária. A França obviamente desconfia das mesmas possibilidades que afligiram o pimpão ministro da Justiça. Mas preferiu se referir às condições de saúde de Petrella, em vez de criar caso por nada. Diante disso, a mesma Itália recuou. Parece razoável que a mesma decisão soberana que Tarso defende seja acompanhada do tensionamento das relações pela Itália, que viu um ministro de Justiça brasileiro pela primeira vez questionar a justiça dos outros. Molecagem de segunda categoria. Um bom exemplo de como uma decisão justa pode ser prejudicada por quem não sabe respeitar a soberania alheia.
Tarso errou (mesmo) com Batistti - Blog do Savarese

Football is not the only strong link between Brazilians and Italians. There are many other cultural interfaces, and also the fact that Brazil is home for the biggest Italian community outside Italy. In the present case, it seems that this proximity has ignited a complex chain reaction over unresolved issues from both countries' past: the “years of lead“.

In Brazil, where armed groups fought against the military dictatorship that ruled Brazil from 1964 until 1985, an amnesty law resulted that neither security officials accused of torture nor those involved in violence against the state faced prosecution. Italy is proud of having maintained its political institutions during its ‘anni di piombo‘ (1970-80), but many aspects of the period seems to be shrouded in mystery.

A key figure in this debate here in Brazil turned to be Mino Carta, the Italian-born journalist, publisher and writer that helped create 3 of the 4 main magazines currently published in the country. Known as an independent and authoritative voice, and also a close friend to President Lula, he has used his blog to vigorously attack minister Genro for his stance and declarations on the Battisti episode. Last week, in a last post where he declares having lost faith in journalism, and in Brazil, Mr. Carta closed his blog and announced his silence at Carta Capital, the magazine.

Telefona Jean-Paul Lagarride de Darfur. Pergunta: “Vem cá, o Tarso Genro quer declarar guerra à Itália?” “Talvez”, admito. Segue-se o seguinte diálogo.
Ele – Além de jurista, trata-se de um professor de história e ciências políticas. Um mestre.
Eu – Você acha?
Ele – Claro, acaba de dar à Itália uma aula de democracia. Como o Brasil saiu dos seus anos de chumbo? Com a lei da anistia. A Itália, até hoje, não fez a sua lei da anistia.
Eu – Deve ser porque a Itália não teve um general Golbery.
Ele – Pois é. E como o velho Golba fez à Itália.
Eu – Quem sabe o nosso Tarso não tenha percebido que há chumbo e chumbo?
Lagarride e Tarso Genro - Blog do Mino

Está claro que o ministro Tarso não erra ao dizer que a mídia nativa está sempre a agredir o governo de Lula, e contra esta forma desvairada de preconceito CartaCapital tem se manifestado com frequência. Ocorre que, ao referir-se à extradição negada a mídia está certa, antes de mais nada em função dos motivos alegados, a exibir ao mundo ignorância, falta de sensibilidade diplomática e irresponsabilidade política, ao afrontar um estado democrático amigo. De todo modo, Battisti transcende sua personalidade de “assassino em estado puro”, segundo um grande magistrado como o italiano Armando Spataro, para se prestar a uma operação que visa compactar o PT e empolgar um certo gênero de patriotas canarinhos. Isto tudo me leva a uma conclusão desoladora, embora saiba de muitíssimos leitores generosos e fiéis: minha crença no jornalismo faliu.
Despedida - Blog do Mino

Cesare Battisti is inprisoned in Brasilia waiting for the final decision of the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court (STF). An important piece of the process is a letter from Francesco Cossiga, the hardline interior minister of the 1970s, confirming that Battisti’s crimes were indeed political in nature. In a recent interview on IstoÉ magazine, which was broadly reblogged by those following the case, Battisti urges his home country to review what really happened back then.

“Acho que o gesto do ministro Genro foi de coragem e de humanidade. A decisão é muito importante não só para mim, Cesare Battisti, mas para a humanidade. A Itália precisa reler a própria história. Nós estamos dando à nação italiana a possibilidade de reler sua história com serenidade, humanamente… Naquela época, a tortura fazia parte do cotidiano da Itália. A Itália tem de reconhecer isso. Mas não pode. Porque a Itália é Europa. E a Itália não pode admitir que nos anos 1970 viveu uma guerra civil.”
Cesare Battisti - “Por que tudo isso comigo?” - Blog do Se

Navigating through the Brazilian blogs covering the episode, it is easy to find opinions that mirrors what the main media vehicles are publishing. Results of a recent pool at Globo.com shows 80% of disagreement with the Brazilian government decision to grant refugee to Mr. Battisti. Still, there are some interesting takes on the contradictions evoked by the different political solutions carried out by Brazil and Italy to resolve their political wounds of the past, and how to deal with the contradictions posed by today and tomorrow.

A grande imprensa se refere ao ‘terrorista Battisti' como se tivesse agido ontem, mas estamos falando de coisas acontecidas entre 30 e 40 anos atrás. O ministro Tarso Genro tem razão ao dizer que a imprensa teve comportamento diferente quando ele propôs a rediscussão da punição aos torturadores. Aí disseram que era coisa do passado… Ele é acusado de ter tomado uma decisão política, mas seguiu o que o STF já tinha decidido sobre isso. Um dos críticos do ministro foi o governador Serra, que se mostrou escandalizado com Battisti, mas na última eleição apoiou Fernando Gabeira, que sequestrou um embaixador americano, mas não é considerado terrorista.
Fascistas italianos e mídia brasileira mentem sobre Batistti - Bahia de Fato

Por fim, uma pergunta básica, incontornável: qual é a motivação do governo italiano? Por que tanto empenho em botar as mãos num personagem tão inofensivo, depois de tanto tempo? A resposta, ou parte dela, está na conjuntura doméstica da Itália, marcada pela crise e por uma onda de protestos em que se sobressai um vigoroso ativismo estudantil. Berlusconi e seus aliados reagem à ascensão de uma esquerda não-domesticada sacudindo o espantalho dos “anos de chumbo”. A histeria em torno do caso Battisti, manipulado para criar uma anacrônica associação entre os “radicais” de ontem e de hoje, nada tem de irracional. Ao contrário, dá respaldo a um discurso em que o prefeito fascista de Roma, Gianni Alemanno, acaba de declarar que “o movimento estudantil italiano (seria) dirigido por 300 criminosos da universidade La Sapienza”.
A mídia contra Battisti - Entreatos

Let's hope for a good match today, where the genuine respect that people in Brazil and Italy nurture for both countrie's citizens, culture and, specially, artful football, outshines minor politically motivated imbroglios.