Gradisca’s and Bari’s detention centres opened their gates
Padua – A cultural assault against Lega Nord
Bologna – Safety multilingual banners
Uganda – Night commuters
Milan - A migrant citizens’ short film
Kick racism out of football
Padua – Learning informatics! A course open to migrant citizens
Malta - Illegal immigrants march to the airport
Gradisca’s and Bari’s detention centres opened their gates
Finally Mr Pisanu, Home Office secretary, made his goals and the two new opposed detention centres opened their gates at night. It happened in the night between March 7th and 8th when antiracist activists were not monitoring the area of the two centres. Today there’s one datainee inside Gradisca and two in Bari. “They had to open the Italian Guantanamos at night”, Mr Metz, regional councillor in Friuli, declares, “They had to hide themselves, to act in concealment”. In the past years in fact movements, associations and local institutions have been opposing the opening of the detention centres and they have recently chose to be everyday outside their gate to practise civil disobedience against this Italian shame. The two centres are just like the worst houses of detention, “they recall of Nazis concentration camps”, explained Mss Luana Zanella, mp, who entered the facilities.
Padua – A cultural assault against Lega Nord
Past Saturday March 4th a great demonstration occurred in Padua on occasion of the presence in town of Mr Mario Borghezio, Lega Nord’s mp. He was invited to speak at a catholic meeting on the role and life of Christians within Muslim countries. Movements chose to oppose this meeting and to organise a counter event together with GlobalProject. A cultural assault against Lega was the title of the event broadcasted live via satellite and streaming. Solidarity, antiracism, democracy were the issues of that day. During the radio transmission, protestors reached the area of the meeting and, while they hung banners, police clashed them. Tear gas was launched only to defend Borghezio’s racism.
Bologna – Safety multilingual banners
A large banner will explain how working in building industry can be dangerous. The banner will speak different languages in order to safeguard workers in town of Bologna. Mr Paolo Rebaudengo, Bologna’s councillor in charge of labour, declared: “Building industry’s labour accidents are the most frequent, they reach the 30% of the whole. The 50% of them lead are mortal accidents”.
Uganda – Night commuters
Night commuters are called
those children that live in the North of Uganda. They live in villages but they find shelter in towns at night. They in fact flee away form Lord’s Resistance Army. Most children are victims of war in Uganda. This rebel group, run by Joseph Kony, takes children from their homes and it makes soldiers of them. The 80% of Lord’s Resistance Army are children. In case of female they become sexual slaves of the army leaders. About 30 thousands children have been taken away from their families since war in Uganda started. But children are trying to resist and they organised themselves alone. About 6,000 kids leave their villages at night and they move to Kitgum and Gulu, where they are safier. Rebels’ attacks usually happen at night and in villages where they usually stay. Peace Reporter denounced the serious situation of children in Uganda, its web-page offers a full description of children’s stories.
Milan - A migrant citizens’ short film
The school Cazzulani in Lodi is shooting its second film. The school offers courses to migrant citizens together with the Orienteering centre of Milan, the same centre that organises the African film festival. The film tells three stories, students tell their life-experiences in Lodi. In one story of journalist of Rete 4 interviews citizens with the aim of proving that there are too many migrants in Italy. All interviews tell the opposite: migrants are well-integrated and they represent an enrichment to society. The other tow stories focus on music and family rejoining.
Kick racism out of football
European Commission stated campaigning against racism. Mr Piervirgilio Dastoli, in charge of Italian representatives at EU Commission, states: “Racism is increasing and we need to work against this phenomenon”. On occasion of an informal football match, which was played by Germany and Italy past March 1st in Florence, players were asked to wear a t-shirt that said: “EU against racism” and “Race is only one, human race”. This is the words Einstein spoke on his arrival in USA.
Padua – Learning informatics! A course open to migrant citizens
Next Saturday, March 11th, a new course starts. You wish to learn to use a computer just get in touch with Associazione Razzismo Stop in Via Gradenigo 8 Padua. You can choose day and times, in fact the course is available each Monday from 7.00 to 9.00 p.m.; each Tuesday from 6.00 to 8.00 p.m. and each Saturday from 2.00 to 4.00 p.m. Phone number: 049 775372.
Malta - Illegal immigrants march to the airport
From Times of Malta
A large group of illegal immigrants managed to take their protest to the airport yesterday afternoon after escaping from the Hal Safi detention centre about two miles away. Around 60 illegal immigrants pulled away the fence of the ’B’ Block compound at about 1.50 p.m and started marching towards the airport. The officers guarding them, who were substantially outnumbered, according to Brigadier Carmel Vassallo, opted not to stop them and instead walked with them. Once at the airport, however, Malta International Airport security, back-up police and army personnel joined forces in taking them back.
One of the illegal immigrants pulled at metal bars from one of the army vans sent to the airport to bring the group back, but otherwise the whole operation was relatively calm and without any incident of note. It is not clear whether the illegal immigrants intended from the outset to head for the airport. An army official said the incident was more of a protest than an attempt to escape. "The fact that they walked towards the airport may not mean much. They do not have a sense of direction and could have been heading elsewhere, anywhere," he said.
It seems the protest was prompted by the fact that several of the immigrants in detention got humanitarian or refugee status yesterday, which means they are free to leave the centre. Those protesting were probably expecting similar news, the same officer said.
An army helicopter was dispatched over Safi immediately after the escape as a precautionary measure. Brigadier Vassallo said: "All those who escaped were brought back in... the helicopter was there just in case. I was informed of the protest and I instructed the men to walk with them - they could have done nothing else really." Back at the detention centre, however, illegal immigrants mounted what looked like an impromptu protest, waving a number of banners calling for freedom. Army officials reported the situation at the Hal-Far detention centre to be calm during this time. However, when the press and later anti-immigrant Imperium Europa activists turned up taking photos, the immigrants in the camp suddenly started protesting. Yesterday’s protest further exposes the ease with which illegal immigrants can force their way out of the detention centre, just under a fortnight after a large-scale coordinated protest when hundreds left their detention centres. Brigadier Vassallo said resources would always be a problem but admitted that at the moment the army was seriously outnumbered. To compound matters, a relatively weak chicken-wire fence makes protests and subsequent escapes like yesterday’s almost impossible to contain.
