tranquility
Senior Member
It has taken 122 years since the words of Anatole France in the Red Lily (1894) have become at least partially untrue in the world, or, at least, in Italy.
The law in its majestic equality
Forbids the rich as well as the poor
To sleep under bridges
To beg in the streets
And to steal bread
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36190557
The law in its majestic equality
Forbids the rich as well as the poor
To sleep under bridges
To beg in the streets
And to steal bread
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36190557
Italy's Supreme Court of Cassation, which reviews only the application of the law and not the facts of the case, on Monday made a final and definitive ruling overturning the conviction entirely.
Stealing small quantities of food to satisfy a vital need for food did not constitute a crime, the court wrote.
"The condition of the defendant and the circumstances in which the seizure of merchandise took place prove that he took possession of that small amount of food in the face of an immediate and essential need for nourishment, acting therefore in a state of necessity," wrote the court.