Other sources here: http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/CultureAndMedia/?id=1.0.1918751113
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/02/28/wcrotch128.xml
one moe thing: Can anybody tell me why Italian men touch themselves below for good luck - or when watching a hearse pass by?
Italy: Court rules crotch-scratching a crime
Thursday, February 28, 2008
It may be a harmless and instinctive reflex for many men - but scratching your crotch has been outlawed in Italy. The country's Court of Appeal has issued a "hands-off" ruling which threatens to fine anyone caught touching or reshuffling below the belt. The judges condemned what they saw as "an act contrary to decorum and public decency". But the ruling has sparked a backlash in Italy, where many touch themselves below for good luck - or when watching a hearse pass by. A 42-year-old man from Como had been appealing against a 200 euro fine for gross indecency last May, claiming he was innocently adjusting his overalls. But the judges have now rejected his bid, saying: "The touching of genitalia in public is a sign of ill manners and must be considered against public decency. "The rules of social etiquette require all of us to abstain from what might be considered offensive to public decorum." The defendant not only had to pay his 200 euro fine - but ordered to hand over another 1,000 euros.
