Illegals Called An 'Army of Evil' By Berlusconi

ROME — Silvio Berlusconi branded illegal immigrants an "army of evil" on yesterday in his first day in office after winning Italy's general election.

Mr. Berlusconi, 71, who was elected on Monday to serve a third term as prime minister, said that he would "step up neighborhood police, who can be an army of good, placing themselves between the Italian people and the army of evil."

He vowed to deport non-European Union citizens who "do not have work or home and are forced into crime in order to live."

His comments will have pleased his "post-fascist" allies and the Northern League, which declared four years ago that immigrants should be shot in their boats.

Mr. Berlusconi's coalition drew up a harsh anti-immigration law in its last term in office, which was repealed by Romano Prodi's short-lived socialist government.

However, Italy has cracked down on the communities of illegal immigrants that have sprung up on the edges of its major towns, repatriating many Eastern Europeans.

Walter Veltroni, who lost the election to Mr. Berlusconi, said he was shocked by the new prime minister's immediate plunge into polemic. "I have been badly struck by his statements so far, words which do not add up to a good start," he said.