Refugee crisis: latest news from across Europe 12-13.11.16
Topic
01 November 2016
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ITALY-SUDAN MOU: ASGI/Italy: Memorandum of understanding between the Italian public security department and the Sudanese national police. A reading guide (pdf):
"The repatriation of around 40 Sudanese refugees on the past 24 August 2016 - taken from Ventimiglia, transported to the Hotspot in Taranto (Apulia) and then led, always by force, to the airport terminal in Turin - has uncovered the existence of an agreement between Italy and Sudan which has been vigorously criticised by the Tavolo Nazionale Asilo [a consultation group on asylum comprising Acli, Arci, Asgi, Caritas italiana, Casa dei diritti sociali, Centro Astalli, Consiglio Italiano per i Rifugiati, Comunità di S. Egidio, Federazione delle Chiese Evangeliche in Italia, Medici per i Diritti Umani, Medici Senza Frontiere, Senza Confine].
In a reply handled through an interview with [the newspaper] Avvenire on 29 September, the chief of police, prefect Gabrielli, explained that the Memorandum in question is merely one of 267 agreements underwritten by Italy with other countries for the purpose of perfecting police cooperation and, hence, it does not require any parliamentary oversight....
The Italian-Sudanese memorandum entails the distortion of the guarantees provided by the legal order in the field of returns, which are already weak as things stand."
Golden Dawn rallies on Chios, Lesvos fuel concerns (ekathimerini.com, link):
"Rallies scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday by the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party on the the eastern Aegean islands of Chios and Lesvos have placed local authorities on alert, fearing outbreaks of violence as counter-demonstrations are also expected to take place.
According to flyers distributed across both islands by party loyalists, the events will discuss Golden Dawn’s proposals on the refugee crisis."
Erdogan: “If 3 million refugees march to Europe, the EU will not know what to do” (Keep TalkIng Greece, link):
"The choleric man in Bosporus, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdodan fired another threat at the European Union. He said that Turkey currently hosts 3 million refugees and that if they were to march to Europe, the EU would not know what to do with them."
Alongside Amnesty International - 44 NGOs sign up in supportlo
Associazione Diritti e Frontiere (ADIF):
"We address the following appeal to all the associations, social and political forces and sections of civil society which consider the attack against Amnesty International unacceptable and intend to continue to advance any effort to shed light on what is happening to the migrants who arrive in Italy."
Barbara Spinelli MEP writes to the President [of the Council of Ministers], Renzi: an independent inquiry into ill-treatment in hotspots is necessary
Barbara Spinelli MEP has sent a letter to Prime Minister Matteo Renzi - and in copy to the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker and to the Interior Minister, Angelino Alfano, asking to know the truth about the ill-treatment in Italian hotspots reported in the Amnesty International report published on the 3 November 2016.
See also: AI: Hotspot Italy report (pdf) and Statewatch Viewpoint: In support of the Amnesty International report: Other stories of violence in the hospot system
Calais update: confusion and mistreatment continue (Doctors of the world, link):
"It’s only been two weeks since the Calais camp demolition, but already the system to house refugees at “reception and orientation” centres (Les Centres d'accueil et Orientation, CAOs) across France is failing to meet basic human needs.
We’re hearing reports that refugees are unable to access healthcare and aren’t being provided with enough food: sometimes only one meal per day. Many organisations responsible for the CAOs have not been trained to work with refugees, which is a concern as people’s mental health could easily be worsened if they are not treated professionally."
Refugees struggling with mental health (ekathimerini.com, link):
"Refugees and migrants stranded in camps across Greece suffer from increased instances of mental illness, according to a report, Greece in 2016: Vulnerable People Left Behind, published by the international aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders).
In its report, the Paris-based humanitarian group said that refugees in Greece suffer from conditions ranging from insomnia and persistent headaches to depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychosomatic problems.
“Sleeping disorders, a loss of appetite, an inability to concentrate and depression-related reactions are just a few of the symptoms that refugees display, ” Christina Sideri, a Medecins Sans Frontieres psychologist in Malakasa, told the Athens News Agency, adding that older people and children suffer from back pains and stomach aches."
The Refugee Crisis and Our Connected Histories of Colonialism and Empire (link) by Gurminder K Bhambra, University of Warwick.
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