Emotional Blackmail! Migrants and Gypsies Claim They’re Worried About Salvini’s "Genocide"
The agitated leaders of the EU have launched an emergency, informal, working, preparatory — whatever they call it — summit in Brussels today.
Recently, French President Macron and Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Salvini have been exchanging blows. Macron accused Italy of lying about their issues with migrants and provoking a political crisis in the European Union. In response, Salvini called the French President "arrogant" and said that instead of throwing insults France should accept more migrants. The conversation is already in a raised tone of voice.
Today's summit in Brussels is informal, so no signatures are expected. But Conte, Italy's new prime minister, went to Brussels, determined to repeal the Dublin Regulation which forces the state in which asylum seekers first enter the EU, to accept the migrants. Italy is fed up.
Asya Yemelyanova with the details from Italy.
If not for some details this could be called a usual field trip. The leaders of the Chiaramonte Gulfi camp are taking their students to the big city. The second-level residents of the migrant center (second-level means they've passed sanitary control and had their fingerprints taken. are admiring the treasures of Syracuse. A true wonder — the Ear of Dionysius. According to a legend, the tyrant Dionysius the First ordered this cave to be carved in order to listen to the captives' cries in the torture chamber. A Greek theater built in 5th century BC. The migrants are sitting on the marble steps where, according to the staff, the great history of Syracuse and the beginning of the fall of the North Africa's Carthage will reveal its glory to the migrants.
"It's a very important day — Refugee Day. They brought us to Syracuse and told us how important this place was for Italy. There was a conflict between the Greeks and the Romans".
It's better not to compare the current situation with the final years of the Roman Empire. The Italians are trying their best. Both the trip and the lunch in a trattoria with risotto as the first course are organized to make the migrants feel at home and forget about their past.
"We believe we can be an example for all of Europe. You shouldn't be afraid of somebody different. Syracuse is a great example: the Greek colony used to accept everybody".
Tunisian couscous — a rival of the Italian risotto.
- What do you have here?
- It's couscous.
- With vegetables? OK, so it's your main course for the Doors Open Day.
The Friendly Family center organized an Open Doors Day to celebrate Refugee Day. The Italians are tasting something new and foreign and trying to get used to it. Because this third generation of migrants isn't going anywhere. They have no ties to France. Next year, they'll receive their residence permits and settle down.
- What are your plans for life?
- I hope to stay in Italy.
They are even better at soccer. It's another Doors Open Day at the refugee center in Comiso. It's obvious who has superior strength and stamina. The refugee center residents pierce the Italian defenses. Italy already lost this game with a lopsided score. And we're not just talking about soccer.
- We just came back from Ragusa, The Chiaramonte Gulfi staff and residents traveled together to Syracuse and visited the Greek theater. It's a great idea to make them more familiar with their host country. Then we went to Comiso to watch the refugees play football against the city's team. Isn't there a contradiction between the official policy of Rome and the integration programs of those camps?
Matteo Salvini, Interior Minister of Italy: "It's all about the numbers. During the last four years, we caught 650 boats and received 430,000 political asylum requests. 130,000 of them are still being processed. The process is lengthy and costs money. We have no time to protect the genuine refugees the ones who are legally allowed to stay. Which is only 7% of them. We need to reduce the number of Libyan refugees reduce the number of those who die in the sea and speed up the procedures for those who have a right to stay. We can't accommodate half of Africa and take them on field trips to theaters and ski resorts."
We met the Interior Minister and the leader of the Lega party 20 days after he'd sworn his oath. While we were getting ready for the interview and preparing microphones Salvini was solving public matters.
Matteo Salvini: "Prepare the announce, we're not letting them in".
A humanitarian ship is requesting entrance to the harbor. Last week, it picked up migrants in Libya's territorial waters. Most likely they made an arrangement with the crew which means Italy will kick them out like it did with the Aquarius. Italy loves its new Interior Minister. 64% of citizens support him. No one before him could turn back the ships in the Mediterranean Sea and say "no" to Brussels and Paris. Nobody knows how long the new cabinet will last but they'll face their first challenge in a week at the summit in Brussels where Italy will demand to have the Dublin Regulation changed. When it was signed, there were no crowds of refugees fleeing from Libya.
- The EU summit is almost here. Italy has to accommodate 170,000 refugees thanks to the Dublin Regulation. What will you do about it?
Matteo Salvini: We want concrete facts. Angela Merkel keeps repeating that Italy shouldn't be left alone. France says we're right. Everybody says we're right but nobody does anything. Prime Minister Conte has a mandate to sign any proposal if it's concrete. If it isn't, he'll stand up and say: "No, thanks. Bye." Once again, the concrete aspects are money, ships, and people.
Soon, there will be many reasons for the left opposition and Brussels to be angry. Italy promised to not only deal with the refugees and humanitarian ships that are colluding with Libyan traffickers but also the gypsies. Rome still doesn't know how many of them live in the camps: 20, 40, or 100 thousand. Do their kids go to school? The word "census" said by Minister Salvini has already been translated as "genocide." Italy's struggle for its national identity leaves few people indifferent.
Asya Yemelyanova and Viktor Kazakov Vesti: News of the Week, Ragusa, Syracuse, Rome, Italy.