Thirteen Moroccan migrants held in a reception centre in Rome for more than two months have sewed their mouths shut in protest at the length of their detention, police and campaigners said yesterday.
The Northern League has said Italy was being too generous to the new arrivals during a recession
Italy has struggled to absorb thousands of immigrants in recent years, many of them fleeing the civil war in Syria and travelling through North Africa to the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa on flimsy boats. More than 40,000 arrived last year.
Rights groups have complained about the conditions in centres while the anti-immigration Northern League has said Italy was being too generous to new arrivals, especially during a recession.