Reuters
Immigrants evacuated from Italian town after race riots
Hundreds of African immigrants have been evacuated from a southern Italian town, authorities said yesterday, following some of the worst racial violence in Italy since World War II.
The evacuation followed three days of clashes in the southern Calabrian town of Rosarno. At least 53 people, including 18 policeman, were injured in the unrest in the town, located in Italy's southwestern toe.
Authorities moved more than 1,000 people, mostly illegal temporary workers from sub-Saharan Africa to immigrant centres around Italy in an operation that lasted from Saturday through to the early hours of yesterday.
Even workers with regular residence permits left the town to escape a climate that one political commentator compared to the 1960s Ku Klux Klan racial violence in the United States.
Immigrants without regular papers risk expulsion to their country of origin and the authorities yesterday began demolishing their former makeshift homes in Rosarno.
Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said the government had "brilliantly resolved the problem of public order".
The violence has inflamed a long-running political debate on immigration. Mr Maroni blamed the unrest on years of "mistaken tolerance".
The clashes started on Thursday, when a gang of white youths in a car fired air rifles at a group of African immigrants returning from work on farms. The attack set off a night of rioting by dozens of Africans, who smashed car windows with steel bars and stones and set cars and rubbish bins on fire. That in turn sparked more attacks from residents determined to drive the immigrants out of the area.
Some 8,000 illegal immigrants work in Calabria, most as day labourers picking fruit and vegetables.
Roberto Calderoli, a minister from the same far-right Northern League party as interior minister Maroni, said with unemployment at 18 per cent in the south of Italy, "work should go to the Italians... not to illegal immigrants".
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matthew tanti
Jan 13th 2010, 15:18
actually what i do not want are isolationist rascicts!
lgalea
Jan 12th 2010, 09:35
Good job Italians. NO ONE WANT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. SEND THEM BACK GONZI
J Theuma
Jan 12th 2010, 08:53
@ comment no.1
Maybe they will be moved in boats and sent back home. That will be a nice idea.
Antoine Vella
Jan 11th 2010, 21:46
"The clashes started on Thursday, when a gang of white youths in a car fired air rifles at a group of African immigrants returning from work on farms."
Anthony Falzon: "Well done to those italian heroes."
Ara veru . . . . .
mark borg
Jan 11th 2010, 19:45
the article does not point out that the immigrants were the first to be shot upon and therefore does not point out the true picture. of course this does not justify retaliation. it is a fundamental principle of the democratic western world that nobody should be discriminated against on the basis of race as all human beings have equal dignity.
Anthony Falzon
Jan 11th 2010, 18:58
Well done to those italian heroes.
C.Zammit
Jan 11th 2010, 18:57
When are these people going to learn how to respect other peoples country & cultures. They have no right to invade or seek shelter in any part of the world or europe. Come on we give these people a lot! This is how to say thank to putting up with these unwanted people coming on boats. Hope that Mr.Berlusconi contiues to be very hard with these people. Hope that both Berlusconi and his party continue with the good work on Immigrants and hope that other european country can learn from this. If they don't belong to Italy throw them out. We do not want their culture to mix or take over ours. They have to get use to european western culture.
D.Bonello
Jan 11th 2010, 17:45
We are a ticking time bomb oursleves in Malta..It is a matter of time before the illegals on this island will pull the same stunt as in Italy. AFM and Malta Police be prepared. The only problem we are not a big country like Italy so where do we place them. God help us all
louise vella
Jan 11th 2010, 14:50
Question: if such a thing happens in Malta, where will the illegal immigrants be evacuated to? Italy is large and they could be spread across the country. Malta is small and they could be moved only a few miles. Or will Maltese citizens and residents be asked to volunteer to keep a few illegal immigrants in their homes?