This has led the United Nations to push for additional action. One UN representatives last month described the situation as “a tragedy unfolding before our eyes,” promising more financial aid to the Italian government and urging Italy’ neighbors to “be more supportive” (whatever that means).

But Italy’s problems on this front are no longer only external. The good will of the people of Italy has been strained to the breaking point according to this recent report from the Washington Post. And in addition to being exhausted by the crime and the drain on their resources, some signs of racial enmity are cropping up as well.

One local councilor in the small village where these problems are flaring up wasn’t particularly shy about the racial component. He seemed to long for the good old days when you knew who the foreigners were and what they were up to. He’s described as someone who had always supported left wing candidates until this year when he ran for office himself on a right wing ticket. (Emphasis added)

There’s a limit to nearly everyone’s patience and generosity and plenty of people in Italy have reached those limits. This hasn’t been attracting as much attention in the international press as the crime problems and subsequent revolts in places like Germany, Austria and Hungary, but the problems are the same. And it’s not as if the Italian economy has been particularly flush of late. They’ve got problem of their own and are looking for ways to show some of these new arrivals to the door.