rome rape allegations level foreigners fuel anti-immigrant sentiment italy ahead elections due early next year migration likely top political agenda anti-immigration politicians leap crimes ram home message center-left government lax border control allow 600,000 migrants mainly africans enter country past four years many send quite home matteo salvini head rightist northern league write twitter week police say bangladeshi man arrest rome suspicion rap finnish au pair rome case come two weeks young polish tourist say gang rap four africans three age 18 beach adriatic resort rimini woman partner badly beat youths peruvian transsexual say rap assault quartet late night leader gang name congolese asylum-seeker allow stay italy humanitarian ground three moroccan brothers age 15 17 bear italy 16-year-old nigerian gang maghreb worm say georgia meloni head rightist brothers italy party expect ally northern league silvio berlusconi forza italia go italy party election opinion poll la repubblica newspaper wednesday show 46 percent italians think migrants represent threat personal safety public order 40 percent last survey february five years ago figure stand 26 percent opposition party say government ignore issue point official data show first seven months year 1,534 italians arrest accuse rape compare 904 foreigners suspect crime 40 percent rap commit foreigners make percent population sweep carpet say deborah bergamini lawmaker forza italia influx migrants major consequences though italy colonial power africa 19th 20th centuries migrants come italy decades country mainly serve transit route rest europe remain overwhelmingly white country however eu migration policy mean increase number would-be asylum seekers stay secure residency permit mean many africans refugees middle east try make italy home rise public concern inflows start affect government policy-making rule center-left democratic party tuesday freeze long-promised bill would grant citizenship children immigrants 70 percent italians back measure early year support plummet 52 percent accord la repubblica survey interior minister marco minniti also intervene stem flow migrants fear democracy country minniti say last month explain months de-facto open-door policy government finally introduce measure aim prevent people leave libya italy past 2-1/2 months number migrants reach italy fall 70 percent period year ago 16,500 rape case ensure media headline remain highly negative newcomers german media accuse last year initially ignore allegations sex assault migrants new year festivities cologne order fuel anti-foreigner sentiment italian media hesitancy first poverty bring us disease front page headline libero daily say month italian child die malaria days share hospital ward two african children suffer illness malaria transmit mosquitoes pass person-to-person eradicate italy 1970 doctor know girl never abroad catch disease cecile kashetu kyenge congolese-born european parliamentarian rule democratic party say sort headline show racism rise newspapers turn migrants enemies italy people start believe nonsense say kyenge former minister receive regular racist abuse social media racism use political weapon situation get bad problem live perpetual election campaign politicians play people fear northern league lead anti-migrant charge leader salvini regularly denounce migrants facebook party reward jump support percent 2014 15 percent today make third large political force italy many opinion poll rise northern league put party anti-migrant stance salvini undoubted ability play populist card say pollster renato mannheimer predict issue would continue predominate economy much important issue sadly think take back seat immigration come election campaign say rape case fuel anti-migrant angst italy ahead election