Recently, on 28th
May 2002, NATO nations had a summit meeting at Pratica del Mare, a place on
Italian seacoast. Among the VVIPs who attended were President Bush, Tony Blair,
the Italian P.M. Berlusconi, and other leaders of member nations. Naturally,
the Italian security agencies wanted nothing to be left to a chance and mounted
a protective shield against terrorist attack. Pratica del Mare is a seaside
place and also a military airbase. The airspace and the coast was patrolled by
jet fighters, helicopter gunships, AWAC radar aircraft, not to mention naval
ships. Now, it so happens that a length of beach just one mile away from this
spot is an old nudist beach where the nudists sunbathe round the year. Having
them so near to the venue of the summit was considered a security hazard by the
Italian government and so the nudists were given the marching orders from their
resort. The nudist group protested against being thrown out from their habitat.
The plea, which the spokesman of the group made to Silvio Berlusconi, the Italalian P.M. was indeed earnest and
pathetic. “Please allow us to be where we always have been. We can in no way be
a security threat because a naked man or woman has nowhere to hide any arms”;
they implored in an open appeal. Alas, the Italian authorities did not accept
their plea.