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Italy's soldiers have been told to get rid of their tattoos, especially those that are sexist, racist or espouse support for neo-fascist parties.
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Tattoos in "visible parts of the body" have been prohibited under newly-released regulations.
Body piercings are to be banned outright, no matter where they are on the body.
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The army takes a dim view of tattoos that are obscene, racist, anti-Semitic or demeaning to women.
Army chiefs are particularly concerned with tattoos that proclaim allegiance to parties on the far-Right of the political spectrum.
Such body markings could damage the image of the Italian military, they said.
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"They can bring discredit to the institutions of the Republic and to the armed forces," the army said in a statement.
Provocative tattoos could also cause problems and misunderstandings in countries where they are disapproved for "religious or cultural reasons", the army said.
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Italy has been one of the largest European contributors to the Nato-led force in Afghanistan and also has peacekeepers in Lebanon and the Balkans.
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Source: Telegraph
Norwegian
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