Padova Erects Steel Wall Around Ghetto

Locals say that when the 273 apartments of Via Anelli were constructed the area was safe and convivial, a neighborhood popular with lawyers, doctors, young professionals and students. In the past decade, however, Serenissima ("very serene"), as it was named at the time of its construction, has turned into one of Italy's most violent neighborhoods.

In response to the violence of July 26th, a night that quickly spiraled into rival gangs of Nigerians and Arabs wielding clubs, machetes, knives, and crowbars, Padova's Center-Left coalition erected a steel wall around the ghetto.

Authorities claim that most of the violence is drug-related, but they have also noted religious overtones between the Nigerians (Christian) and the Arabs (Muslim). The night of July 26th saw 21 arrests, 50 deportations, and 120 grams of confiscated cocaine.

Il Muro di Padova -- the Padova Wall, is 84 meters long, 9 meters high, and to enter and exit the complex residents must now pass a police checkpoint. The Padova Wall was constructed in just a few hours after July 26th's violence, costing the city 80,000 euros.

Residents inside the wall seem to be supportive of it, with one citizen saying, "After 10 years of being afraid to leave my apartment, the militarization of our neighborhood is exactly what we are asking for."

An official in Berlusconi's Forza Italia party called Via Anelli "the Beirut of the West."

In the past two years Padova's Center-Left government has vacated 3 of the 6 buildings in the complex, relocating the tenants in suitable housing, and effectively separating the gangs. Within a year all 6 buildings of Via Anelli should be vacated and ready for renovation.