Arsonists attacked Roma settlements on the outskirts of Naples late last month, in a stark reminder of the perils minority groups still face even in European Union countries.

The Italian authorities, unable to contain the violence, resorted to evacuating the camps’ inhabitants, ostensibly for their own safety. Meanwhile, a police crackdown on petty crime led to arrests of nearly 400 Roma, many of whom are likely to be expelled from the country. Italy’s tough, new policy for managing immigration problems makes it a crime to be an illegal immigrant: people found guilty of the offence can be sentenced to four years in jail.