/ 21 October 2009

Italian women protest against ‘offensive’ Berlusconi

About 100 000 women joined a protest against Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, accusing him of "offending" women.

About 100 000 women joined a protest against Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, accusing him of “offending” women, the daily La Repubblica reported Wednesday.

The women signed a petition launched by the left-leaning paper after the prime minister said on a television broadcast that opposition deputy Rosy Bindy was “prettier than she is intelligent”.

The remark, made in a telephone call to the show where Bindy (58) was a guest, was perceived as an insult aimed at contrasting her with a bevy of right-wing ministers and deputies who entered politics after careers as television showgirls.

“This man offends us, stop him,” reads the petition for “women’s dignity”.

Many of the signatories sent in messages with their signatures, such as “woman offended by a disappointing leader”, “we are not at your disposal,” and “this insult comes from a man who is more honest than intelligent”.

Former left-wing Cabinet minister Giovanna Melandri said of the prime minister, reputedly self-conscious about his below-average height, that he is “taller than he is polite”.

The petition drew more than 98 000 signatures, said the daily, which has relentlessly chronicled a slew of scandals over Berlusconi’s private life since April.

“By constantly putting the accent on the age of a woman, on her physical looks and not on her human qualities, there’s a danger of going back to the time before feminism,” said signatory Lidia Ravera, a prominent writer.

Berlusconi (73) has been beset by sex scandals for months, including his relationship with an 18-year-old aspiring model and allegedly entertaining call girls at his parties.

The media mogul, a renowned playboy, has said he has never paid for sex, while admitting that he is “no saint”.

Last month he said he believed Italians viewed him as a reflection of themselves. “I am interested in the things that interest them, I love football, I smile, I love others and above all else beautiful women,” he said.

The media tycoon’s estranged wife Veronica Lario has filed for divorce saying she could not stay with a man who “frequents minors”. — AFP