It was reported that the municipal council on Italy’s Lampedusa Island, which has been subjected to an influx of irregular immigrants in the Mediterranean, declared a “state of emergency” due to the arrival of more than 6 thousand immigrants since yesterday.
The arrival of more than 6 thousand immigrants in the last 36 hours to Lampedusa Island, Italy’s closest landmass to North Africa, which is on the irregular migration route in the Central Mediterranean from Africa to Europe, maintains its place on the country’s agenda.
After a group of Lampedusans protested the influx of immigrants by holding a sit-in protest in front of the city hall, the Lampedusa Municipal Council held an extraordinary meeting and declared a “state of emergency” on the island.
The decision was announced by Lampedusa Mayor Filippo Mannino.
Stating that the density of immigrants they have experienced in the last 36 hours has strained the immigrant reception system and aid opportunities on the Island, Mannino said that the government should intervene with structural solutions.
According to the news of the Rainews24 channel, following the latest immigrant arrivals, the number of immigrants on the Island reached 6 thousand 762 within the day. Taking steps regarding the situation on the island, the Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that 1650 immigrants were taken from Lampedusa to the mainland today, 3 thousand 750 immigrants will be evacuated tomorrow, and 2 thousand 270 immigrants will be evacuated on Friday.
Meanwhile, it was stated that tensions increased from time to time between the immigrants arriving on the island and the security forces.
Lampedusa reaction from the government to the EU
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Matteo Salvini, known for his anti-immigration views, said at a press conference at the Foreign Press Association in Rome, “What happened in Lampedusa is a failure for Europe.” said.
Salvini, who is also the leader of the far-right League Party, criticized the European Union and other member countries that do not show solidarity on immigration, saying, “Italy has been left alone. They are closing the border, but where is the solidarity?” he said.
Stating that he believes there is an “organized criminal system” behind the large number of migrant boats arriving in Lampedusa, Salvini continued:
“The arrival of 120 boats is not a spontaneous event, we are talking about 120 boats, not 3 boats. This is not an event, it is an act of war. It is a collapse for Italian society, this is not just Lampedusa’s problem. I think there is a direction behind this migration. “We will discuss this calmly within the Italian government.”
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