Mugged by Reality (Maghrebis)

That's what happened to my mate on the New Year's Eve night in Parma. To make a long story short, a few of us walked down the stairs to a square below street level, to take a leak in the urinals down there. After a little while, a bunch of youngsters, probably Moroccan or anyway from the Maghreb began insulting us with "Fucking Italians" and the like. I told the screamin one to get lost, then I noticed my mates were orderly retreating up the stairs, so I joined them and from upstairs I even threw a firecracker at the thugs (but it went way off target... alcohol doesn't help with aim).

The the Moroccans or whatever ran away, and I thought they placed a big salute somewhere. But at that point the last of my mates emerged from a archway below - unscathed, but utterly surprised (and drunk) yelled "I think they got my wallet... and cell phone!". He got isolated and was surrounded by four attackers - who did not harm or even threaten him, but with quick hands extracted his goods from his pockets. If we remained grouped, they wouldn't have done anything.

When he calmed down a bit, we called the cops, which arrived a while later, and told us they couldn't do much anyway, especially with the crowd in the streets. One of them also used epithets for the muggers that in London would get him fired from the Police and tried for "racism".

Truth to be told, my mate was very obnoxious that night, and bound to land into trouble. However, his luck ran out not with a citizen understandably pissed off by his antics, but with a gang of thugs out there to cause mayhem. They didn't try to touch me tho. Maybe it's just good luck, but I also am more street-wise than him, and meaner - even in the looks.

The most worrysome part is not the mugging itself, but the close resemblance to what's happening with the Algerians and the like in France. I should get enrolled with the range here as soon as possible...