PM under fire for Hitler jokes

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi caused outrage yesterday with a series of bad taste jokes about Adolf Hitler, women and the Virgin Mary.

Mr Berlusconi, 73, made the jokes at a rally in central Rome for young members of his People of Freedom Party.

Mr Berlusconi told the rally: "A little after Hitler died his supporters discovered he was in fact still alive. They went to look for him to convince him to come back and he replied, 'Yes I will return, but on one condition. This time we will be bad, right?'"

In another quip, he said: "This morning in the hotel I fancied having sex with the maid. She said, 'But Mr Prime Minister we only just did it an hour ago'."

Then on the Virgin Mary he said: "Straight after Jesus was born, St Joseph saw the Virgin Mary looking a little serious and preoccupied so he said, 'Why are you so sad?' She replied, 'It's nothing, don't worry.' But Joseph insisted and in the end Mary said, 'I actually wanted a little girl.'"

Fabio Evangelisti, of anti-sleaze party Italy of Values, said: "We have sadly grown use to these outbursts and offences by Berlusconi but to joke about Hitler is a new low."