The Italian reform minister who angered Muslims by wearing a T-shirt decorated with Western media cartoons satirising the Prophet Muhammad has resigned.

Roberto Calderoli stepped down a day after rioting outside the Italian consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi led to at least 10 deaths. ~BBC News

True to form, Berlusconi has shown us how much he values his allies in the Northern League. Let’s recap: an Italian minister engages in free speech, Libyans riot, ten people die in the rioting the Libyans started and…the Italian minister resigns. Not exactly Italy’s finest moment. I understand that Mr. Calderoli was trying to save the Liga Norda from added difficulties and sniping from their own government coalition partners, but it is preposterous that he has been held accountable for being one of the only Italian politicians to stand by his principles in a crunch.