As the unemployment and overall economic situation deteriorates in southern Europe (I'm not even going to get into what's happening in eastern Europe or in the Baltic states), it would appear that public violence is on the uptick in what's being referenced to as the "PIGS:" Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain, four of the most economically hardhit national economies in the region. In the past few hours, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was attacked and hurt in Milan's Duomo Square by a bystander who threw a small statue which hit the Prime Minister's face, breaking his nose, cracking two of his teeth and gashing his lip.
See the following story accompanied by pictures of the Prime Minister after the attack: "Berlusconi hurt as statue thrown in Milan."
Berlusconi hurt as statue thrown in Milan
Last Updated: Sunday, December 13, 2009 | 5:03 PM ET
CBC News
A man threw a statue at Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, striking and injuring the Italian leader in the face during a rally Sunday in Milan, police said.
Police said they were questioning a suspect, Massimo Tartaglia, 42, who was arrested immediately after the attack, which took place as Berlusconi, 73, was signing autographs near his car.
--SNIP--
Italian TV showed Berlusconi with blood under his nose and on his mouth as aides lifted him to his feet and hustled him into a car after the attack.
--SNIP--
Sky TG24 TV said he was taken to a Milan hospital to be treated. Berlusconi suffered a "small fracture" of the nose, two broken teeth and an injury to the inside and outside of his lip, said Paolo Klun, chief spokesman for Milan's San Raffaele Hospital.
He wanted to go home right away, but he is being kept overnight for observation, Klun said.
Meanwhile, in Athens, police defused two bombs outside of the Greek media pension fund on Saturday: "Bombs defused outside Greek pension fund."
Bombs defused outside Greek pension fund
Agence France Press
December 12, 2009
ATHENS -- Police in Athens defused early on Saturday two bombs placed outside the Greek media pension fund, a police source said.
The bombs placed outside the ETAP-MME fund in the central Athens district of Neos Kosmos each contained a kilogramme of explosives but faulty wiring prevented them from going off, the source told AFP.
Police had earlier sealed off the area after private television station Alter received an anonymous phone call warning of an imminent explosion.
The brief story continues on to inform us that this act was precipitated by unions upset about proposed pension system reforms related to the fund's threatened bankruptcy.
Against this backdrop, increased labor violence has been noted in numerous stories in Spain and other countries in the area, with much of it being related to the area's deteriorating economy. (Spain is currently experiencing unemployment levels greater than 20%.)