700 migrants have broken down fences and escaped from the Lampedusa detention centre on the Mediterranean island in protest at the conditions there.
Migrants detained at the Lampedusa centre
The camp was built for 850 detainees but currently houses over 2000. The UN recently urged the Italian government to address the "difficult humanitarian situation." After their escape the migrants converged on the town centre where they staged a protest, shouting "freedom" and "help us." The mayor of described it as Lampedusa "a very tense situation."
Aswell as protesting conditions, the migrants are believed to be opposing the Italian government's plans to open a new Centre for Identification and Expulsion (CEI) at a disused military base on the island. The plans have also been opposed by local residents who reportedly see it as "a sort of prison."
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has expressed mounting concern about overcrowding at the camp. Hundreds have been forced to sleep outdoors in the cold. The UNHCR also criticised a government decision to hold those who survive the perilous sea-crossing on the Mediterranean island until their cases are decided.
The Italian interior ministry says about 31,700 immigrants landed on Lampedusa last year - an increase of 75% from 2007. In the past, those migrants seeking asylum would have been sent to the Italian mainland. Now, under a new policy implemented in December, they are being held on the island. Those that fail immigration checks are sent back to their home country.
Many of the would-be migrants are fleeing wars or poverty in countries such as Somalia and Eritrea and risk the dangerous Mediterranean crossing to enter 'Fortress Europe.' The No Borders group, which fights against border controls says that over 13,000 migrants have died trying to enter Europe in the past 20 years.
If caught, 'illegal' migrants face imprisonment without trial in a network of detention centres on the borders of the EU. This has provoked numerous struggles, including hunger strikes in Crete, as well as demonstrations in France, while the recent police murder of an asylum seeker in Greece sparked demonstrations and riots.
Comments