POLITICA
right Fratelli d’Italia currently holds around 37% of the vote, meaning these parties’ promises may well shape the country’s immigration policy, and although many voters are still undecided, the current Partito Democratico has been accused of transforming the nation into a giant refugee camp, and a lot of Italians feel that the country has been forced to carry an unfair burden.
These mass deportations, however, are unrealistic and unlikely, according to experts. Whilst the centre-right coalition may enjoy making bold promises about migration, such action would undoubtedly face significant legal and diplomatic obstruction, and the use of economic threats and incentives to persuade countries to take back the mass of migrants, as set out in Lega Nord’s programme, would be hugely controversial in Europe. The process would carry a heavy price tag, not to mention the level of bureaucracy it would require. Reluctance from other countries to take back those who had left would add further complication. A more effective way to address high-scale migration, analysists claim, would be to allow migrants to cross northern borders, encouraging a fairer distribution across Europe by increasing pressure on neighbouring countries.
A source of encouragement during such political turmoil comes from Médecin Sans Frontières, the leading humanitarian group which is intensifying pressure on the Italian government to improve the handling of what it claims is a relatively manageable number of migrants. In a report recently published by the organization, it states that, regardless of their legal status, migrants should be guaranteed access to basic goods and medical care during their stay in Italy, and the relevant institutions have a duty to ensure this. Despite the laws in place, there is an absence of services aimed at assisting social inclusion of arrivals, and the criminalization of migrants is becoming increasingly common. The report sets out a list of the NGO’s requirements of Italian bodies, which includes, among others, an end to evictions where no alternative housing solutions are provided, improvement of the reception system, and facilitated access to healthcare. However, if right-wing leaders are to win the votes in the upcoming elections, the likelihood of the Italian government conforming to MSF’s requests is expected to be low.
For those who make the journey to Italy in search of an alternative to the war-ridden and collapsed societies at home, is there any hope? Depending on the outcome of the elections, troubling times may well lie ahead for Italy’s migrants. However, beneath the incessant and unsettling anti-immigrant headlines gracing the country’s papers, small but significant cases of successful integration and effective situation management show glimmers of hope. The most recent of these cases, which offers refreshing signs of optimism, comes from Sesto Fiorentino, a suburb of Florence. The town mayor’s scheme, which began with a joint mission between new migrants and local pensioners to remove cigarette ends from the town centre, quickly evolved into weekly catch-ups between newly-formed friends. Within weeks the migrants’ days were filled with Italian classes, computer training and lessons on how to write a CV, all run by locals, and now Sesto Fiorentino is to become home to a mosque. This successful development in a small town in Tuscany is evidence that a thoughtfully-led campaign can result in migrants being integrated in a respectful and dignified manner, whilst keeping local residents onside.
If Italy really is to control its migration levels, it must first focus on changing public attitude, rather than focusing on economic sanctions and forced evictions. For any development to take place, the country must recognize that immigration is not, and never should be, exploited as a crisis or ‘a social bomb ready to explode’, as was done by Berlusconi earlier in the month. Rather, as Sesto Fiorentino perfectly indicates, immigration is a phenomenon and, when approached rationally, it can be controlled.