By Martin Banks - 9th February 2011
Mafia is not just part of Italian folklore
Martin Schulz
Parliament's security services are once again under fire following accusations of "over-zealous" security for a hearing on the Mafia.
The hearing on Wednesday was marked by chaotic scenes as dozens of guests jostled to try to get into a parliamentary meeting room for the event.
Airport-style x-ray machines had been installed outside the room and people's belongings were being searched before they were allowed entry.
Several were turned away and some complained they were refused admission to the meeting even though they had registered beforehand.
A spokesman for the S&D group, which organised the hearing, blamed parliament's security bosses for the furore which delayed the start of the debate by over 30 minutes.
He said, "We did not want any of these security measures because we did not think they were necessary. It is not normal to go to such lengths just for a hearing but the security services here insisted on it.
"It caused a lot of disruption and delay which we could have done without."
One participant, who did not wish to be named, said, "It is a disgrace. I have come from Italy especially for this and I could not even get into the meeting.
"I do not see the need for such over-zealous security. It is just not necessary and caused a lot of aggravation."
A security source told this website that security had been intensified because three of the speakers attending the hearing are currently receiving police protection having had death threats from the Mafia.
They are Don Jose Ramon Norena Salto, a Spanish anti-drugs prosecutor, Miljko Radislavjevic, prosecutor for organised crime in Serbia, and Italian national anti-Mafia prosecutor Piero Grasso.
The source said, "We were told only to allow 160 people into the room and to install the x-ray machines."
It is the second time in less than a week that parliament's security has come under the spotlight. Last Friday, armed robbers escaped after holding up a post office in the building.
UK Tory deputy Robert Sturdy said there had been an "over-reaction" to the incident, saying that increased security in recent days had caused a lot of disruption to people trying to gain entry to parliament.
Opening the anti-Mafia meeting, S&D leader Martin Schulz called for EU-wide measures to combat the Mafia, whose activities, he said, had "penetrated" many other countries, including his own, Germany.
He said, "Contrary to how it is portrayed, the Mafia is not just part of Italian folklore but responsible for everything from human trafficking to credit card fraud and the drugs trade.
"It is a global problem and en masse criminality of this kind needs an EU solution. Failure to recognise this would be a dramatic mistake."
Schulz called for the introduction of a European arrest warrant and European public prosecutor, saying, "I was asking for these seven years ago and very little has been done in the meantime."
