Romanian President Traian Basescu criticized the activity of the country's embassies and consulates abroad in a speech on Sunday evening as Romanian immigrants in Italy have become the target of raids and fierce official rhetoric after one killed an Italian woman in October.

He said he urged the Romanian Foreign Ministry to inform the European Commission about a new Italian law affecting migrants there.

Basescu's intervention was heard as hundreds of Italians, mostly belonging to a fascist movement, protested for the expulsion of Rroma (Gypsy) people - many of which come from Romania from Italy.

President Basescu criticized the activity of the Romanian embassies and consulates for not being up to date with the status of Romanians working abroad.

Basescu said he did not defend those Romanians committing crimes in Italy but that it was necessary that the civil rights of all citizens, immigrants or not, be respected. Therefore, he said that he summoned the Romanian Foreign Affairs Ministry to urge the European Commission to assess whether the new Italian public safety law respects civil rights of all citizens.

The crisis between Romanians residing in Italy and Italian authorities heated up after several violent incidents occurred in the Peninsula where Italians fell victims of Romanian gypsies or vice-versa.

For his part, Romanian PM Calin Popescu Tariceanu said that Romanians residing in Italy must be protected or judged according to the law and that Italian citizens must respect the law. Moreover, he summoned Romano Prodi, his Italian counterpart, to contain the xenophobic actions of groups of Italian citizens.

Members of the Romanian League in Italy addressed a letter to the Romanian President Basescu to express their concerns that their children might become the next victims.

Moreover, they urged Romanian authorities to collaborate and positively respond to joint programs between the two countries in order to establish common grounds.

Meanwhile, Italians continue to chastise Romanians in Italy. In a latest incident, Romanian football star Adrian Mutu was recently called a Gypsy by radical supporters of Lazio Roma.