Spring inside detention centres

Spring 2005 saw many revolts happen inside detention centres, revolts occurred against administrative detention and against expulsions. April 1st and 2nd there were initiatives all over Europe against the same issues.
Via Corelli’s detention centre in Milan is probably the symbol of actual situation: inside this cpt migrants’ revolts were not isolated, they lasted for months and they were organized with great co-ordination and communication. Repression comes from police that use sedatives, beatings, abuse but also from courts. Courts today issue sentences that try to hit migrants in an exemplary manner, migrants that rebelled against living conditions inside detention centres.
The variegated composition of movements that have being struggling for the closure of detention centres found others that take position again these jails and against Bossi-FIni law. We are talking about the presidents of Puglia and Calabria regions in southern Italy, where the most of cpts are set.
Inside detention and identification centres hundreds of citizens are caged. These are citizens that met huge difficulties in their journey toward Europe. Journey often last for years and they usually involve entire families, who put the money together to pay for one person’s journey.
Nichi Vendola, president of Puglia region, expressed his opinion against “Italian guantanamos” and he appealed to all regions’ administrations in order to have all detention centres closed.
Agazio Loiero, president of Calabria region, agrees with vendola and stated: “Bossi-Fini law does not work. Immigration law should change and detention centres should all be closed”. Loiero also referred to Italian Constitution art. 10, which recognises the right to asylum to all foreign citizens that come from countries where freedom is denied.
Also Basilicata’s president, Vito de Filippo, adhered to the appeal and affirmed: “We cannot detain citizens that reach Italy after having risked their lives, having escaped from poverty, wars and hunger in search for a new life”.
In addition to this, police unions in Modena and Lecce declared that detention centres are a failure and they are responsible of the most of criminality. We are now waiting for local administrators to start real opposition against cpts by stopping their openings, by confiscating the area where they are built, by deciding that their regions are “against detention centres”.