Berlusconi: Graffiti Makes Italy Look Like Africa

According to today’s NY Times, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi says:

he wants to outlaw graffiti, making it a crime to write or draw on city walls and public buildings in Italy without permission. Mr. Berlusconi said on Wednesday that measures to discourage “people who spoil walls and shops” would be introduced by decree at a cabinet meeting on Friday. Penalties could include fines and even prison sentences, the prime minister said. Early this month, Mr. Berlusconi said that he wanted to eliminate graffiti “because in some of our cities, it looks like we’re in Africa rather than Europe.”