When the Italian elections were brought forward to September 25, after the unexpected fall of the Mario Draghi government, few realized that the election period could coincide with the height of an old crisis that hits Italy at this time of warm waters – the landing of immigrants arriving via the Mediterranean Sea.
For many, the issue seemed outdated as a campaign theme in the face of negative indices in the economy, such as inflation of 8.4% in August, the highest in 37 years. But for the right-wing coalition, which leads polls, scenes from the past few weeks of crowded reception posts dovetail well with priority topics on the program of proposals.
Until last Sunday (28), 79,200 people arrived in Europe via the Mediterranean, with 54,800 going to Italy, the country that received the most immigrants, ahead of Spain, with 18,700. Landings on the Italian peninsula via sea routes rose 44% compared to the same period last year, according to UNHCR, the UN refugee agency. About a thousand people died or ended up missing.
Stimulated by favorable weather conditions, the crossings reached the highest level of the year in August, according to the Italian Ministry of the Interior, which counted 15,700 immigrants disembarked. Only on Saturday (27), there were 1,909 people. Most are from Tunisia, Egypt and Bangladesh – the latter are trying to reach Europe after passing through Libya.
The crisis in the Mediterranean comes at the same time as another maritime immigration emergency in Europe. In the English Channel, 12,700 people arrived in the UK in small boats in the first six months of the year, more than double the same period in 2021, according to the British government. Most are Albanians, Afghans and Iranians. On the 22nd, a record was broken, with 1,295 immigrants in a single day.
Although not directly linked, the two situations involve both refugees from conflict zones and people traveling due to deteriorating socio-economic conditions. In both cases, UNHCR told Sheetit is necessary to maintain and expand safe roads so that people are not forced into dangerous crossings.
However, just as irregular maritime immigration has fueled the hard-line discourse of candidates vying for the post of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, in Italy, the Mediterranean crisis has become one of the main themes of the electoral debate, stimulating politicians in the far right to present their toughest promises.
On Monday (29), both Giorgia Meloni and Matteo Salvini, from the same coalition, held separate acts in Sicily, the island in southern Italy that is the region most affected by arrivals via sea, with 42,000 immigrants. Meloni defends the need for a “naval blockade”, defined by her as a European mission in agreement with the North African authorities to prevent illegal crossings. “A serious state controls and defends its borders,” he said.
For experts, the initiative does not respect the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, according to which everyone has the right to freedom of movement and to leave a country. “It’s a proposal that can’t even be taken into consideration, because it can’t be carried out”, says Valentina Brinis, advocacy coordinator at the NGO Open Arms, who in three months helped rescue 1,000 immigrants in the Mediterranean.
Salvini, a former Minister of the Interior between 2018 and 2019, intends, if he returns to the government, to rescue a package of measures that, in addition to barriers to those seeking asylum, provides for fines for NGOs that provide relief in the Mediterranean. “No need for a naval blockade, just retrieve my decrees.”
This Wednesday (31), Salvini did a live on social media during a visit to the Lampedusa reception post, which houses about 1,300 people, despite the capacity being 350. In the scenes, it is possible to see overcrowded rooms and women and children. lying on the floor outdoors.
Praising the Italian government for the transfer of 38 asylum seekers to France and for responding to the increase in landings with “humanity”, UNHCR said it was concerned about the situation on Lampedusa. “Especially with the lack of adequate separation of the different profiles of people, lack of sanitation and housing due to overcrowding.”
The scenes and speech of the far-right contrast with the reactions observed six months ago, when the Russian invasion triggered the mass flight of Ukrainians – out of the total of 7 million, around 160,000 refugees were received in Italy.
“Europe and Italy have shown an exemplary response. If the approach has proved to be effective for the situation in Ukraine, why can’t it also be used for people fleeing wars and persecution in other parts of the world?” asks the UNHCR. “All refugees have the right to be protected and to rebuild their lives in dignity, whatever their country of origin.”
