Fast-track bus service for immigrants prompts accusations of racism

PLANS for dual bus routes for residents and immigrants in the southern Italian town of Foggia have sparked allegations of discrimination and revived a debate over the treatment of non-EU citizens.

Authorities in Foggia say the new 24/i bus service will take foreigners directly to an immigrant hostel, by-passing a working-class neighbourhood served by the existing 24 bus.

"At the heart of the decision are the clashes between immigrants and residents," Foggia's mayor Orazio Ciliberti said. He added that immigrants would be free to travel on any bus they choose.

The new timetable sparked outrage prompting comparisons with apartheid-era South Africa and the fight against segregated buses in the southern United States during the 1950s. "The route for non-EU citizens in Foggia, which smacks of segregation, should be abolished as soon as possible," said the regional president, communist Nichi Vendola.