THE TIMES I Monday January 28 2013 2GM

,W

t29

World

Mussolini wasn't that bad, says BerlusconiBillionaire provokes fury on Holocaust Memorial Day r

ItalyJames Bone RomeSilvioBerlusconi provoked outrage onInternational Holocaust Remem-brance Day yesterday by defending

Benito Mussolini.His remarks coincided with

preparations in Rome to build amuseum dedicated to the victimsnext to the former Fascist dicta-tor's home.

The former Prime Ministertold journalists at a remembrance

ceremony in Milan that "Il Duce" wasright to allyhimself with Hitler.

A day after Angela Merkelacknowledged that Germany had"everlasting responsibility" for the"Holocaust,Mr Berlusconi said thatItaly "does not have the same re-sponsibilitiesas Germany".

He added: "Obviously the gov-ernment of that time, out of fearthat German power might lead tocomplete victory, preferred toally itself with Hitler's Ger-many rather than opposing it.As part of this alliance, therewere impositions, including

combatting and exterminating Jews."

He insisted that Mussolini "did goodthings", and described his notoriousanti-Jewish racial laws of 1938 as his"worst mistake".

It is not the first time that the ever-controversial billionaire,who struck analliance with former Fascists to formhis present political party, has def-ended Mussolini.A decade ago, he toldan interviewer that the wartime leaderhad never kiiled anyone and, more re-cently, provoked uproar by cracking ajoke about Jews in the Holocaust.

His latest comments, on the 68th'anniversary of the liberation of theAuschwitz-Birkenau death camp,

An impression ofthe new museum. Itwill sit beside thevilla. above. used byMussolini. far left

prompted accusationsthat he wascourt-ingFascistsympathisersbefore the elec-tions on February 24 and 25,

"Berlusconi isusing Mussolini asbaitfor nostalgic voters, He is posing as'Il Duce' reincarnated. It's hideous andridiculous," Carmelo Briguglio, a Cen-trist MP, wrote on Twitter.

Maria Ida Germontani, a senatorwho broke away from Mr Berlusconi'sparty, said:"Mussolini was not the vie- .tim of AdolfHitler, as some want to be-lieve,but his teacher. It's forgotten thatFascism in Italy began ten years beforeNazism in Germany,"

Work will begin in the summer on a-

7f €21 million (£18 million) Holocaustmuseum next to the palatial home inRome used by Mussolini from 1925until the Alliesbegan advancing on thecity in 1943. He paid the owners onelira a year in rent-

"It was a symbolic gesture to build aShoah museum next to Mussolini'sresi-dence," said Leone Elio Paserman, thepresident' of the museum foundation,whose own family members were de-ported to German death camps,

The vast Villa Torlonia, commis--sioned by the banker Giovanni Torlo-nia in 1797,was the last of the greatestates built -by Roman nobility. Itsneo-classical grandeur caught the eyeof Mussolini, who used the outbuild-ings to hold parties and show films.After the liberation of Rome in June1944, it was occupied by the AlliedHigh Command, which stayed thereuntil 1947. .

Parliament has approved the first€3 million for work to begin on themuseum. It isexpected to be completedin 2016,more than a decade after it wasannounced, It will commemorate the7,500 Italian Jews - out of a total Jew-ish community of 40,000 - who diedin the Nazi genocide,

I J:lritnnc \AI!1rn~rI nf I

THE TIMES IMonday January 28 2013 2GM

••t29

World

Mussolini wasn't that bad, says BerlusconiBillionaire provokes fury on Holocaust Memorial Day r

Italy _ ...•.,. Ibi· ll\i,

James Bone Rome

SilvioBerlusconi provoked outrage onInternational Holocaust Remem-brance Day yesterday by defending

Benito Mussolini.His remarks coincided with

preparations in Rome to build amuseum dedicated to the victimsnext to the former Fascist dicta-tor's home,

The former Prime Minister'told journalists at a remembrance

ceremony in Milan that "Il Duce" wasright to allyhimself with Hitler.

A day after Angela Merkelacknowledged that Germany had"everlasting responsibility" for the

'Holocaust, Mr Berlusconi said thatItaly "does not have the same re-sponsibilitiesas Germany".

He added: "Obviously the gov-ernment of that time, out of fearthat German power might lead tocomplete victory, preferred toally itself with Hitler's Ger-many rather than opposing it.As part of this alliance, therewere impositions, including

combatting and exterminating Jews."

He insisted that Mussolini "did goodthings", and described his notoriousanti-Jewish racial laws of 1938 as his"worst mistake".

It is not the first time that the ever-controversial billionaire,who struck analliance with former Fascists to formhis present political party, has def-ended Mussolini.A decade ago, he toldan interviewer that the wartime leaderhad never killed anyone and, more re-cently, provoked uproar by cracking ajoke about Jews in the Holocaust.

. His latest comments, on the 68thanniversary of the liberation of theAuschwitz-Birkenau. death camp,

An impression ofthe new museum. Itwill sit beside thevilla, above, used byMussolini, far left

prompted accusationsthat he wascourt-ingFascistsympathisers before the elec-tions on February 24 and 25.

, "Berlusconi isusing Mussolini asbaitfor nostalgic voters. He is posing as'Il Duce' reincarnated. It's hideous andridiculous," Carmelo Briguglio, a Cen-trist MP,wrote on Twitter.

Maria Ida Germontani, a senatorwho broke away from Mr Berlusconi'sparty, said:"Mussolini was not the vic-tim of AdolfHitler, as some want to be-lieve,but his teacher. It's forgotten thatFascism in Italy began ten years beforeNazism in Germany."

Work will begin in the summer on a-

7f' €21 million (£18 million) Holocaustmuseum next to the palatial home inRome used by Mussolini from 1925until the Alliesbegan advancing on thecity in 1943. He paid the owners onelira a year in rent.

"It was a symbolic gesture to build aShoah museum next to Mussolini'sresi-dence," said Leone Elio Paserrnan, thepresidentof the museum foundation,whose own family members were de-ported to German death camps.

The vast Villa Torlonia, commis-. sioned by the banker Giovanni Torlo-nia in 1797,was the last of the greatestates built -by Roman nobility. Itsneo-classical grandeur caught the eyeof Mussolini, who used the outbuild-ings to hold parties and show films.After the liberation of Rome in June1944, it was occupied by the AlliedHigh Command, which stayed thereuntil 1947.

Parliament has approved the first€3 million for work to begin on themuseum. It isexpected to be completedin 2016,more than a decade after itwasannounced. It will commemorate the

.7,500 Italian Jews- out of a total Jew-ish community of 40,000 - who diedin the Nazi genocide.

I I:lritnnc: \AI:lrnor::orl nf I ~~

Monday January 28)013 I THE TIMES

Letters to the Editor l'

EU crime opt-outWillbe costly to UKSir,The implications if the UK choosesto opt out of over 130EU crime andpolicing measures, as supported byDominic Raab (Opinion, Jan 22), are ofgreat concern. The proposal to opt out(announced with no publicconsultation) is likely to createsignificant unnecessary cost for the UKat a time of major cutbacks, not leastacross all areas of our criminal justicesystem.

Many of the measures are vital toaddress cross-border crime. TheGove~nment is taking a huge risk:

e 0 arantee that the UK willpr 0

The Law Society strongly believesthat the Government shouldreconsider its position.RICHARD ATKINSON (Chair, LawSociety Criminal Law Committee)MARK CLOUGH, QC (Chair, LawSociety EU Committee)

Grayling and QCsSir, The Justice Secretary reminds meof Oscar Wilde's "man who knows theprice of everything and the value ofnothing". In his proposed cuts to legalaid (Law, Jan 24) the invaluableexperience and goodjudgment of QCs.will count for nothing. They are to bereplaced by leading junior counsel, themajority of whom, contrary to ChrisGrayling's as?ertion that they are onthe cusp of becoming QCs, never do.

Not only do QCs provide the bestrepresentation but they invariably saveconsiderable court time and publicmoney. By way of example, defendantswho seek to put forward defenceswhich will not succeed in front of ajuryare dissuaded from advancing them,badpoints which would be argued byless experienced counsel are not taken.Ask any judge who tries criminal caseswhether QCs help the system to runmore efficiently.

The public are about to be given asecond-class system. Indiscriminate, illconsidered, unilateral cost cutting isnot just a false economy but rather itwill cost the taxpayer more by dint ofdelays,longer trials and miscarriagesofjustice.

Recruitment to the criminal Bar and

solicitors' firms is already a seriousproblem, retention too, and in thelonger term how will it be possible tomaintain the excellent standards ofthe judiciary?

Anyone with a genuine concern forthe quality ofjustice knows all of this.The Justice Secretary, the guardian ofthe public interest in the criminaljustice system, seems not to care.DAVID SPENS, QCLondonWC2

'Short-sighted' GoveSir, Michael Gove hopes his plans for ashake-up to the current A-level systemwill better prepare students foruniversity (report, Jan 24). But whatabout preparing them foremployment? Mr Gove's view isshort-sighted and completely at oddswith the working world. .

Throughout employment, wefrequently review performance. As anybusiness professional knows, it is best

, practice to have regular milestones tomeasure success. Constiuctive feedbackand evaluationpot .onlyenables people

Devalued currencySir, The chief economist of HSBCwarns against devaluing sterling inpursuit of export competitiveness(Opinion, Jan 25), yet the two largestexporting nations in the world rely ondevalued currencies. China maintainsan artificially depressed exchange rateto fuel its export engine; and Germanexports are based on a euro which is 20to 30 per cent below the value that anindependent Deutsche euro wouldcommand, delivering massiveeconomic benefit from enhancedGerman competitiveness in exportsoutside the EU.

It was therefore with somescepticism that I read several pageslater that Angela Merkel is warningthe Japanese not to try similar tricks(Business briefing, Jan 25).DAVIDHARTHarrogate, N Yarks

Charitable viewSir, David Ward's portrayal ofthe

."Jews'Iack of compassion" (report, Jan25) is as inaccurate as it is grotesque.Beyond the appalling way in which thehe seeks to use the Holocaust as a stickwith which to beat the Jews, he wilfullyignores the wonderful charitable work

. thatJews - notleast inthis country- have undertaken, and continue toundertake, for the benefit of theircommunity and others.ASHLEY CUKIERLondonNWl

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