Brussels, 27/01/2005 (Agence Europe) - European Commissioner for freedom, security and justice, Franco Frattini received a threatening letter bearing the swastika, on Wednesday. Frattini announced in the new in a press conference on Thursday. According to the Italian newspaper, La Stampa, the left-hand third of the photo on the note bore the swastika. In bad Italian it read, “Do you want to ban swastikas? Political pygmies like you will never triumph over national socialism”. The envelope was stamped in eh UK.
“I received a threatening letter. This will not shake my determination to fight against all kinds of racism”, declared the Commissioner (see p 12 on his intervention at debate at the European Parliament). Following the scandal caused ten days ago with Prince Harry at a fancy dress ball sporting the swastika, Frattini said that he was prepared, if the Council asked him, to study the possibility of banning Nazi insignia in Europe. On Thursday the Commission said that the hoped that the Council would reach an agreement on the framework decision for harmonising the definition of racism and xenophobia. The text is blocked at the Council due to deep divisions between Member States (EUROPE 1 May 2003) but will be on the Council's February agenda.
The threatening letter was sent during the press conference which he was giving for presenting the two Commission proposals adopted recently on exchanges of legal records (EUROPE 26 January p 11) and the conviction of criminal organisations (EUROPE 20 January p 9).