Rome launches crackdown on car window cleaners

There is a window cleaner on every corner and people are complaining about their behaviour which is often invasive, even aggressive.

City authorities in Rome said Tuesday they have had launched a crackdown on car window cleaners, salesmen and jugglers at crossroads in the Italian capital trying to earn money from passing motorists.

The administration of rightwing mayor Gianni Alemanno announced that 25 police patrols were keeping watch on the busiest crossroads for the illegal workers, most of whom are migrants.

Those caught face a 100-euro (150-dollar) fine and will have the tools of their trade confiscated.

- There is a window cleaner on every corner and people are complaining about their behaviour which is often invasive, even aggressive - said Fernando Magliaro, a spokesman for Alemanno.

Police will also check people's identity documents when they stop them as part of the patrols, which started on November 1.

Alemanno, who has faced criticism for his far-right past, came under fire for the move, with the opposition green party accusing authorities of "waging war on the poor instead of dealing with poverty".

The mayor is a self-described "post-fascist," having formerly belonged to the now defunct Italian Social Movement, a far-right party founded on the ashes of Mussolini's fascism.

Iman, a 29-year-old Bangladeshi who cleans car windscreens on Rome's streets, said he needed the money from the work to get by.

- It is humiliating work. People insult you, they tell you to go away - he said. - But I wash windows because I need money to survive. -