So you’re a member of a right-wing, anti-immigration party in Italy, and you’re talking about crimes committed by immigrants. How best to get your point across?

Here’s a hint: It’s not by suggesting Italy use Nazi tactics against immigrants to cut down on crime.

A call for immigrant criminals to be punished by Nazi SS methods has started a storm in Italy.

It was made by Giorgio Bettio, a city councillor in the northern city of Treviso, who said: “For every citizen who is the victim of crime by an immigrant we should use the same system as the SS – punish ten of them.”

His comments revived memories of the 1944 Ardeatine Caves massacre when Hitler ordered ten Italians be executed for each of the 33 German soldiers killed in a street attack on occupying forces in Rome.

[...] Mr Bettio is a member of the xenophobic Northern League, which campaigns on a tough anti-immigration policy. His comments, during a council meeting, were met with an onslaught of condemnation.

The Northern League? I’ve heard that name before… are they in the whole VB brouhaha over at LGF?