Italian court rules food theft 'not a crime' if hungry

I've got real mixed feelings on this one. I think perhaps decriminalizing it somewhat would be the best answer, after actually feeding people who need it of course.

I don't want to see people getting fined exorbitantly and jailed if they steal a loaf of bread and are legitimately hungry.

This is one of those things where I feel like an asshole if I take either side.

a reply to: nwtrucker

I wonder how many hungry or staving people share your house due to your conscience?

I share my house with a few people none of them are starving

As for the rest of your post there are no sides, there is no left or right in this matter, we should not be prosecuting people for stealing a minimal amount of food if deemed in desperation and that seems to be what this court has ruled.....

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
a reply to: nwtrucker

I wonder how many hungry or staving people share your house due to your conscience?

I share my house with a few people none of them are starving

As for the rest of your post there are no sides, there is no left or right in this matter, we should not be prosecuting people for stealing a minimal amount of food if deemed in desperation and that seems to be what this court has ruled.....

Something can die from one large cut or a hundred little cuts.

Im sure your stance on not prosecuting small time theft will comfort the first store that closes because hungry people were just stealing a little..

a reply to: hopenotfeariswhatweneed


Agreed it is not a left-right issue. If my family was starving I would do whatever was necessary to get them fed.

If someone breaks into my home to steal anything, I would do whatever was necessary to protect it.

Is someone tried to change that dynamic by saying it was legal to break into my home or the farms that produce that food or a supermarket- which implies it is illegal to protect defend my property, I would do whatever was necessary to remove those responsible for that act as well.

Your response to homeless or hungry people living in YOUR home is a joke. How much personal food or shelter do you, yourself, provide via your own home?

It is sufficient, however, to see that the answer in NONE.


We're not even talking starving! We're talking hungry! That occurs for most three times a day! This is idiocy. Those that support it are hypocrites. How dare you waste your money on P.C.s etc, when that money could have been used to feed the hungry and shelter the homeless. Does that make you greedy?

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
a reply to: polyath

I agree ,poor people stick together and help each other much more than wealthy people, in fact we get wealthy people who dont even look after their own kids financially let alone have any empathy towards strangers....

Anyhow looks like we are on the same page....

That might be true of Western countries, but if you go to other places like Asia, the idea of community pervades all classes. They care less about what government does, because they depend on it less (at least that is my educated guess).

a reply to: nwtrucker

If someone breaks into my home to steal anything, I would do whatever was necessary to protect it.

How did we get from a hungry man stealing a couple of dollars worth of food from a supermarket to you needing to defend your home from hungry people wanting to break in an steal your food ?

originally posted by: opethPA

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
a reply to: nwtrucker

I wonder how many hungry or staving people share your house due to your conscience?

I share my house with a few people none of them are starving

As for the rest of your post there are no sides, there is no left or right in this matter, we should not be prosecuting people for stealing a minimal amount of food if deemed in desperation and that seems to be what this court has ruled.....

Something can die from one large cut or a hundred little cuts.

Im sure your stance on not prosecuting small time theft will comfort the first store that closes because hungry people were just stealing a little..

I would imagine if they go ahead with this stance that measures would need to be taken to protect the businesses as well, so it not really that dramatic

a reply to: hopenotfeariswhatweneed


There was nothing in the ruling
that restricted the legal theft of food from a 'supermarket'. It stated it wasn't a crime to steal food if 'hungry'.

Rather simple. Therefore, the food can be taken from anywhere, or used as an excuse, to wit, 'being hungry' to break in anywhere where food is thought to be....

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

originally posted by: opethPA

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
a reply to: nwtrucker

I wonder how many hungry or staving people share your house due to your conscience?

I share my house with a few people none of them are starving

As for the rest of your post there are no sides, there is no left or right in this matter, we should not be prosecuting people for stealing a minimal amount of food if deemed in desperation and that seems to be what this court has ruled.....

Something can die from one large cut or a hundred little cuts.

Im sure your stance on not prosecuting small time theft will comfort the first store that closes because hungry people were just stealing a little..

I would imagine if they go ahead with this stance that measures would need to be taken to protect the businesses as well, so it not really that dramatic

So basically why stop with food?
If you can steal good why not clothes, why not a new cell phone, why not those new air Jordan's or whatever the current hot sneaker is...

Slippery slopes never work well..

How about stamping out hunger and we wouldn't have to worry about this.

It should be the governments job to take care of the homeless, not a bunch of storekeepers. I would find it infuriating to see people come in and just take items and walk out without paying. How can you tell who's really hungry and poor compared to some loser that decided there's no sense spending money on groceries when you can just walk into someones store and eat for free.

originally posted by: opethPA

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

originally posted by: opethPA

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
a reply to: nwtrucker

I wonder how many hungry or staving people share your house due to your conscience?

I share my house with a few people none of them are starving

As for the rest of your post there are no sides, there is no left or right in this matter, we should not be prosecuting people for stealing a minimal amount of food if deemed in desperation and that seems to be what this court has ruled.....

Something can die from one large cut or a hundred little cuts.

Im sure your stance on not prosecuting small time theft will comfort the first store that closes because hungry people were just stealing a little..

I would imagine if they go ahead with this stance that measures would need to be taken to protect the businesses as well, so it not really that dramatic

So basically why stop with food?
If you can steal good why not clothes, why not a new cell phone, why not those new air Jordan's or whatever the current hot sneaker is...

Slippery slopes never work well..

There is certainly an element that could be ripe for abuse, i doubt there can really be justification to start stealing other items.......I would be fair to say this ruling was made under compassionate circumstances....in this day and age we need not let people go hungry....as far as i am concerned anyone who is happy to watch another human being starve for any reason is a lower form of life, some sort of bottom feeding parasite .....

a reply to: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

at some point there will be so many disillusioned people we will see similar results to what we are seeing in Europe now with the mass exodus from the middle east

I fail to see how 1 homeless man stealing food and being set free is any way connected to a "mass exodus from the middle east". Those uprooted from Syria have to cross so many countries, their plight is as a direct result of trying to destabilize Syria by the West. Was the homeless man a refugee?. You don't just let in thousands without processing and then give them a free card if they steal out of hunger. Whether this sets a "precedent" in Italy time will tell.

I find it funny how some in this thread somehow equate this Italian judgement with having any significance to the application of theft laws in the USA.

ITS ALL ABOUT THE USA! Yeah right

a reply to: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

in this day and age we need not let people go hungry.

Whats changed since the 70's when Governments paid people not to grow food? Mountains of food constantly get stockpiled and go to waste to not disrupt prices

a reply to: TheConstruKctionofLight

I fail to see how 1 homeless man stealing food and being set free is any way connected to a "mass exodus from the middle east".

It was an anology....I believe when minorities gain enough people and traction they generally tend to be a little more forceful in the way the do things, if there are ever enough hangry people the unrest would be similar, a mix of genuine poor and the rest along for economic reasons....

I find it funny how some in this thread somehow equate this Italian judgement with having any significance to the application of theft laws in the USA.

Whats changed since the 70's when Governments paid people not to grow food? Mountains of food constantly get stockpiled and go to waste to not disrupt prices

Yep capitol-ism has lost its way to greed....

a reply to: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

Without America, i think the world would be a Bt*ch to the highest bidder therefore God Bless America for their determination and insistence to fight against the Control other Countries would place them under. Thanks to the People of this Nation.

Honestly, what other country still allows guns, what other country fights against authority like America?

None...

true story.

a reply to: awareness10

what other country fights against authority like America?

You fight Authority over there ?....from where i am sitting it seems that the authorities are in the process of bending the average American over and #ing them in the ass...please correct me if i am wrong....

I don't think its fair to try and compare European countries to the US. It's easier for European countries to make these kinds of rulings when other countries are picking up the bigger ticket items... like a national defense...

The intentions behind the Court are understandable...but there def should be a fine line...there is no doubt that people will be taking full advantage and abusing the system. If everyone said, "I took the bread cause I was hungry," they won't be charged?

a reply to: nwtrucker

You said you would do anything to feed your family. Does this include stealing from, say, a Store, or another Individual; if that was your only option?