The first stop in Italy by the Widening Borders Caravan was held in the town of Ventimiglia, on the border between France and Italy. The network that has called the Proggeto20K demonstration has recalled that this is one of the “deadliest” internal frontiers in Europe. “If the Mediterranean Sea is a tomb, Ventimiglia is a symbol of the failure of an open Europe. According to the Schengen Agreement, Europe’s internal borders do not exist; however, they are currently doubling, even militarising. Thus, while goods can be transported freely, people die in them,” the activists denounce in the manifesto read at the end of the demonstration.

Surrounded by Ligurian police, carabinieri and local police, the demonstration began at 4 p.m. In this, more than 4,000 people traveled eight kilometers to communicate their demands aloud in all the streets of Ventimiglia. A wide variety of messages could be seen during the mobilization, such as denouncing the “harsh” policies adopted by both Italy and the other governments regarding migratory flows, as well as the claim of a dignified right to mobility and reception. In addition, they denounced human trafficking and the gender-based violence and exploitation suffered by migrant persons.

Ventimiglia, the failure of reception

The activists report that the migrant people who arrive in Ventimiglia prefer to sleep on the street without any health conditions than to go to the adapted center managed by the institutions because they are harassed “at all times” by the police. According to what they say, this type of center is a tool for disciplining and discouraging migrant people: “These are areas of segregation and deprivation of identity that compromise human dignity.”

According to the data, at least 16,500 migrants crossed the border between Italy and France from Ventimiglia in the last twelve months, of which a quarter were minors. These are often children under the age of 12 who are subjected to abuse, detention and illegal devolution by the French police, according to a report by Oxfam Intermón. It should also be noted that between August 2017 and April 2018, 12 people died while crossing this border, according to several groups working in the area.

In the aftermath of yesterday’s demonstration, the spokesman for the Expanding Borders Caravan spoke. This highlighted the need to combat fascism and racism that is prevailing in the European Union, and he stressed that to achieve this, it is necessary to work in an organized way in society.

On the way to Sicily

Now the members of the Expanding Borders Caravan are on their way to Genoa. There, they will take a ferry today to reach the city of Palermo in Sicily on the trail tomorrow.

Pictures of the demonstration:

There was also a demonstration earlier in Girona:

This news has been published by Hiruka.eus and we have brought it to LUZ thanks to the license CC-by-sa.