SatinBlack
02-02-2006, 02:39 PM
I'm on the MAG-UK-Activists mailing list and just recieved this
TO THE EMAIL ARMY
Issued 2nd February 2006
ITALIAN MADNESS
Word reaches us from MAG's opposite number in Italy ( www.cmfem.it )
and fellow FEMA members,
Coordinamento Motociclisti that their government has gone utterly
barking mad with a draconian
response to urban crime.
The problem of bag snatching and other offences in which felons often
use motorcycles has prompted a
hurried and botched mass of regulation which could lead to unwarranted
confiscation of motorcycles
for the most trivial of offences.
According to the letter of the law it is now technically possible to
suffer fines and confiscation
of your motorcycle for numerous offences including the following:
a.. Wearing a non-approved helmet
b.. Improperly wearing the helmet (e.g. unfastened)
c.. Helmetless riding
d.. Improperly sitting while riding
e.. One-handed riding
f.. Popping a wheelie
g.. Carrying excessive loads
h.. Carrying badly secured loads
As things stand it is legally possible for you to suffer confiscation
of your motorcycle for
re-locating it in a parking spot after having removed your helmet.
You could also in theory lift your left hand to clean or open your
visor, make a greeting gesture,
switch onto reserve: you get fined and loose the bike.
The law also has consequence whether the transgressor is the owner or
the passenger or a third
person, the other person gets fined, you loose your bike and are
required to pay for storage during
the time of confiscation.
If you are paying for the bike via a loan, the loss of property won't
free you from that obligation.
The legislation is also applicable to foreign citizens (i.e. tourists).
Unlikely? But in light of possibilities like this it seems like a good
idea to lodge our disapproval
with the Italian authorities.
With more British riders travelling abroad these days the loss of
tourists' pounds might just focus
the necessary minds on the absurdity of the legislation they have
passed.
Now given the lackadaisical nature of traffic law enforcement in Italy
it may well be that no
foreign tourist would suffer such extreme treatment BUT they could.
It is not the style of MAG to 'cry wolf' or unrealistically inflate the
significance of an issue in
order to try and shake people out of apathy without good reason but our
Italian brother organisation
are taking it seriously and have asked us to help.
The seriousness of the new legislation led to the organisation of a
3,000 strong demonstration in
the northern Italian town of Trieste, despite a last minute attempt by
the police to stop the demo
to riding to the towns Central Square.
The main danger from this kind of legislation stems from inappropriate
zeal on the part of officers
who may have taken a dislike to someone or simply be suffering from the
heat of the sun.
Our esteemed President Ian Mutch encountered just such an officer
recently and was given a ticket
for £60 for failing to notice that he'd been robbed of his tax disc.
=====
What You Can Do!
=====
We have been asked to write to the Italian authorities and the Italian
press.
Individually written letters or emails are always best but a letter on
this subject might include
the following elements:
Dear Sir
I have received information from the riders' rights organization
COORDINAMENTO MOTOCICLISTI
regarding new legislation approved in Italy, relating to specific
violations of the Italian Highway
Code.
>From what I am told this is a case of a piece of legislation that will
give problems for everyone
except the criminal element it is aimed at.
This legislation is excessive for the main purpose to combat the
numerous episodes of street
crimes - such as bag-snatching - that affect some areas and cities and
the penalties are completely
out of proportion to the scale of offences it is designed to address.
I consider this law to draconian, undemocratic and not worthy of a
modern and civilized country like
Italy I love coming to Italy/I plan to visit Italy this year by
motorcycle and comply with all
traffic laws however I can imagine that with this legislation being so
broad in its scope, I might
accidentally fall foul of it and suffer outrageous penalties as a
result.
I respectfully urge you to reconsider this legislation as I would not
feel secure coming to your
country on a motorcycle with such laws in force.
Yours Sincerely.
Apart from the contact list below, you may wish to write to the Foreign
Secretary Jack Straw, to ask
his Italian counterpart how this legislation would affect a UK citizen:
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
King Charles Street
Whitehall
London
SW1A 2AH
Email: jack.straw@fco.gov.uk
Motorcycle Magazines:
=====
Motociclismo, Editor - Motociclismo@edisport.it
Due Ruote, Mr. Luigi Rivola - dueruote@edidomus.it
In Sella, Mr. Ferdinando Restelli -
restelli.insella@casaeditriceuniverso.com
Moto Sprint, Editor - posta@motosprint.it
In Moto, Editor - posta@inmoto.it
Mototurismo, Editor - redazione@mototurismo.it
=====
National Newspapers:
=====
La Repubblica, Editor - larepubblica@repubblica.it
Il Corriere della Sera, Editor - lettere@corriere.it
Il Corriere della Sera, Mr. Sergio Romano - sromano@rcs.it
La Stampa, Editor - lettere@lastampa.it
Il Messaggero, Editor - cronaca@ilmessaggero.it +
prioritaria@ilmessaggero.it
Il Mattino di Napoli, Editor - posta@ilmattino.it
Il Sole 24 Ore, Editor - letterealsole@ilsole24ore.com
Il Sole 24 Ore, Mr. Aldo Carboni - a.carboni@ilsole24ore.com
=====
News Magazines:
=====
Famiglia Cristiana, Editor - direzionefc@stpauls.it +
famigliacristiana@stpauls.it
L'Espresso, Mrs. Daniela Hamaui - d.hamaui@espressonline.it
=====
Government:
=====
Prime Minister's Office, Mr. Silvio Berlusconi MP -
s.berlusconi@governo.it +
capoufficio.presidente@governo.it
Vice-Prime Minister, Mr. Gianfranco Fini MP - g.fini@governo.it
Vice-Prime Minister, Mr.Giulio Tremonti MP - g.tremonti@governo.it
Ministry of the Interior, Under secretary of State, Mr. Alfredo
Mantovano MP -
amantovano@mininterno.it + alfredo@mantovano.org
Ministry of Transport, P.R. Office - ufficio.stampa@mail.llpp.it
Ministry of Transport, Under Secretary of State, Mr. Ugo Martinat MP -
domenico.crocco@mail.llpp.it
Ministry of Transports, Under Secretary of State, Mr. Mario Tassone MP
-
tassone.m@infrastrutturetrasporti.it +
segreteria.tassone@infrastrutturetrasporti.it
Ministry of Industry, Office of Minister
-raffaele.lauro@attivitaproduttive.gov.it +
rosanna.lanzara@attivitaproduttive.gov.it
Ministry of Industry, Directorate General of Tourism, Mrs. Anna Maria
Guzzardi -
am.guzzardi@virgilio.it
Please forward any replies to
Trevor Baird
Director Of Public Affairs MAG UK
public-affairs@mag-uk.org
TO THE EMAIL ARMY
Issued 2nd February 2006
ITALIAN MADNESS
Word reaches us from MAG's opposite number in Italy ( www.cmfem.it )
and fellow FEMA members,
Coordinamento Motociclisti that their government has gone utterly
barking mad with a draconian
response to urban crime.
The problem of bag snatching and other offences in which felons often
use motorcycles has prompted a
hurried and botched mass of regulation which could lead to unwarranted
confiscation of motorcycles
for the most trivial of offences.
According to the letter of the law it is now technically possible to
suffer fines and confiscation
of your motorcycle for numerous offences including the following:
a.. Wearing a non-approved helmet
b.. Improperly wearing the helmet (e.g. unfastened)
c.. Helmetless riding
d.. Improperly sitting while riding
e.. One-handed riding
f.. Popping a wheelie
g.. Carrying excessive loads
h.. Carrying badly secured loads
As things stand it is legally possible for you to suffer confiscation
of your motorcycle for
re-locating it in a parking spot after having removed your helmet.
You could also in theory lift your left hand to clean or open your
visor, make a greeting gesture,
switch onto reserve: you get fined and loose the bike.
The law also has consequence whether the transgressor is the owner or
the passenger or a third
person, the other person gets fined, you loose your bike and are
required to pay for storage during
the time of confiscation.
If you are paying for the bike via a loan, the loss of property won't
free you from that obligation.
The legislation is also applicable to foreign citizens (i.e. tourists).
Unlikely? But in light of possibilities like this it seems like a good
idea to lodge our disapproval
with the Italian authorities.
With more British riders travelling abroad these days the loss of
tourists' pounds might just focus
the necessary minds on the absurdity of the legislation they have
passed.
Now given the lackadaisical nature of traffic law enforcement in Italy
it may well be that no
foreign tourist would suffer such extreme treatment BUT they could.
It is not the style of MAG to 'cry wolf' or unrealistically inflate the
significance of an issue in
order to try and shake people out of apathy without good reason but our
Italian brother organisation
are taking it seriously and have asked us to help.
The seriousness of the new legislation led to the organisation of a
3,000 strong demonstration in
the northern Italian town of Trieste, despite a last minute attempt by
the police to stop the demo
to riding to the towns Central Square.
The main danger from this kind of legislation stems from inappropriate
zeal on the part of officers
who may have taken a dislike to someone or simply be suffering from the
heat of the sun.
Our esteemed President Ian Mutch encountered just such an officer
recently and was given a ticket
for £60 for failing to notice that he'd been robbed of his tax disc.
=====
What You Can Do!
=====
We have been asked to write to the Italian authorities and the Italian
press.
Individually written letters or emails are always best but a letter on
this subject might include
the following elements:
Dear Sir
I have received information from the riders' rights organization
COORDINAMENTO MOTOCICLISTI
regarding new legislation approved in Italy, relating to specific
violations of the Italian Highway
Code.
>From what I am told this is a case of a piece of legislation that will
give problems for everyone
except the criminal element it is aimed at.
This legislation is excessive for the main purpose to combat the
numerous episodes of street
crimes - such as bag-snatching - that affect some areas and cities and
the penalties are completely
out of proportion to the scale of offences it is designed to address.
I consider this law to draconian, undemocratic and not worthy of a
modern and civilized country like
Italy I love coming to Italy/I plan to visit Italy this year by
motorcycle and comply with all
traffic laws however I can imagine that with this legislation being so
broad in its scope, I might
accidentally fall foul of it and suffer outrageous penalties as a
result.
I respectfully urge you to reconsider this legislation as I would not
feel secure coming to your
country on a motorcycle with such laws in force.
Yours Sincerely.
Apart from the contact list below, you may wish to write to the Foreign
Secretary Jack Straw, to ask
his Italian counterpart how this legislation would affect a UK citizen:
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
King Charles Street
Whitehall
London
SW1A 2AH
Email: jack.straw@fco.gov.uk
Motorcycle Magazines:
=====
Motociclismo, Editor - Motociclismo@edisport.it
Due Ruote, Mr. Luigi Rivola - dueruote@edidomus.it
In Sella, Mr. Ferdinando Restelli -
restelli.insella@casaeditriceuniverso.com
Moto Sprint, Editor - posta@motosprint.it
In Moto, Editor - posta@inmoto.it
Mototurismo, Editor - redazione@mototurismo.it
=====
National Newspapers:
=====
La Repubblica, Editor - larepubblica@repubblica.it
Il Corriere della Sera, Editor - lettere@corriere.it
Il Corriere della Sera, Mr. Sergio Romano - sromano@rcs.it
La Stampa, Editor - lettere@lastampa.it
Il Messaggero, Editor - cronaca@ilmessaggero.it +
prioritaria@ilmessaggero.it
Il Mattino di Napoli, Editor - posta@ilmattino.it
Il Sole 24 Ore, Editor - letterealsole@ilsole24ore.com
Il Sole 24 Ore, Mr. Aldo Carboni - a.carboni@ilsole24ore.com
=====
News Magazines:
=====
Famiglia Cristiana, Editor - direzionefc@stpauls.it +
famigliacristiana@stpauls.it
L'Espresso, Mrs. Daniela Hamaui - d.hamaui@espressonline.it
=====
Government:
=====
Prime Minister's Office, Mr. Silvio Berlusconi MP -
s.berlusconi@governo.it +
capoufficio.presidente@governo.it
Vice-Prime Minister, Mr. Gianfranco Fini MP - g.fini@governo.it
Vice-Prime Minister, Mr.Giulio Tremonti MP - g.tremonti@governo.it
Ministry of the Interior, Under secretary of State, Mr. Alfredo
Mantovano MP -
amantovano@mininterno.it + alfredo@mantovano.org
Ministry of Transport, P.R. Office - ufficio.stampa@mail.llpp.it
Ministry of Transport, Under Secretary of State, Mr. Ugo Martinat MP -
domenico.crocco@mail.llpp.it
Ministry of Transports, Under Secretary of State, Mr. Mario Tassone MP
-
tassone.m@infrastrutturetrasporti.it +
segreteria.tassone@infrastrutturetrasporti.it
Ministry of Industry, Office of Minister
-raffaele.lauro@attivitaproduttive.gov.it +
rosanna.lanzara@attivitaproduttive.gov.it
Ministry of Industry, Directorate General of Tourism, Mrs. Anna Maria
Guzzardi -
am.guzzardi@virgilio.it
Please forward any replies to
Trevor Baird
Director Of Public Affairs MAG UK
public-affairs@mag-uk.org