Honderden vluchtelingen in Italië lopen richting Franse grens

Early Monday morning, group of several hundred (according to some sources up to 400) people started marching from Italy toward France. On their way, the police stopped them from crossing. However, according to some sources, a big number of people are still on the move in the nearby area, putting their lives at risk in a terrain they do not know. Refugees, mostly from Sudan, were marching from Ventimiglia in Italy towards the French border. As the local media are reporting, the march started after several nights full of tensions. For months now, people are gathering in Ventimiglia where a makeshift camp has been put up. Living conditions are miserable, and many people are deprived of their basic rights. Italy is struggling with very high numbers of new arrivals every day, and little has been done so far on EU side to help. Most of the volunteers are locals, while the media attention is far away from this situation. Reportedly, the tensions in the area aroused after the mayor of Ventimiglia, Enrico Ioculano, announced a big cleaning of the area close to the river Roja, where most of the people are living in the woods. This decision prompted protests and finally march. People who were living in this area were mostly from southern African countries, some of them from places where wars are going on for years. Previously, in two AYS specials, we published about the situation in Ventimiglia, warning back than that the places are overcrowded, conditions inhumane as well as local authorities. As volunteers have told us, refugees and migrants are often intimidated, and even threatened. Even more, in the summer of 2016, more than 60 activists and volunteers were expelled from the town for up to five years for trying to help migrants and refugees by distributing food and clothing.

In Hundreds of refugees on march from Italy to France (Medium)