Support Roberto Saviano!

Roberto Saviano wrote a book about the Camorra - the Neopoltan Mafia. So they say they're going to kill him by Christmas.

That was a bit dumb of them really, because it's the main reason I bought the book, and I suspect it's the main reason it's a best seller. It hasn't arrived yet, but I see it's getting very mixed reviews on Amazon. I get the impression from the reviews that it's great material badly written, or perhaps badly translated. I'm looking forward to finding out for myself. The Italian newspaper, La Republicca, has a petition to urge the Italian government to make "every effort to protect Saviano and to defeat the Camorra". This isn't just about law and order; it's also about free speech. As Ian McEwan says, it's not that different from "extremist religious groups which try to close down discussions with threats of violence."

There's a Facebook group to support Saviano, and the petition is at http://www.repubblica.it/speciale/2008/appelli/saviano/index.html