Two German soldiers fined for barroom assault on Italians

Berlin, GermanyHagenow, Germany  - Two soldiers who have now left the German Army were fined Thursday for assaulting Italian guests in a bar.

A third soldier was found not guilty by the court in Hagenow, between Hamburg and Berlin.

The judge said the three victims were clearly assaulted because they were Italian but there was no wider anti-Italian motive. He said barroom attacks in the district in Mecklenburg were just as likely to be aimed at Germans from other regions of the country.

"We've tried brawls here where the accused just didn't like the accent of someone from Saxony or Hesse," he said.

The visiting fitters from Italy told the court at trial that the drunken soldiers, who were in civilian clothes, tried to pick a fight with words, then yelled "Italian shit" and began hitting them. One victim needed hospital care.

The two conscripts were convicted of deliberately causing bodily harm in summer 2007 and fined 540 and 780 euros. (dpa)