The mayor of Lampedusa has that warned his Italian island is ‘collapsing’ after ‘threats, harassments and thefts’ caused by migrants from North Africa.
The tiny island in the Mediterranean has for years been a reception centre for hundreds of thousands of migrants heading into Europe.
It became world famous for its ‘welcome culture’ as the several thousand locals helped Africans who landed on the island’s shore after making the voyage from Libya and Tunisia.
In an open letter, Martello (pictured) said: ‘Threats, harassments, thefts, Lampedusa is about to collapse’
But new mayor Salvatore Martello, who was re-elected in June, has said that Lampedusa ‘has to change’ its welcoming ways, according to Ansa news agency.
In an open letter, Martello said: ‘Threats, harassments, thefts, Lampedusa is about to collapse.’
He said police are ‘powerless’ and demanded the closure of the island’s ‘useless’ migrant centre.
The mayor also said that – ‘unfortunately’ – ‘asking migrants to respect the same rules that apply to Lampedusans and other Italian citizens, according to some people, means being “racist”.’
He also attacked migrants who had made the voyage from Africa, explaining: ‘The bars are full of Tunisians who are drunk and harass women.
‘I receive tens of messages from frightened tourists, hoteliers, traders and restaurateurs who suffer daily.’
He said there are ‘180 Tunisians in the center’ who are easily ‘circumventing’ security rules.
More than 250,000 people have landed on Lampedusa during the migration crisis, with the vast majority heading north into mainland Europe
Giusi Nicolini – who was given the UNESCO peace prize for her ‘humanity’ in helping migrants – said: ‘This is an attempt to restore the climate of fear that existed on Lampedusa before my election’. Pictured: Migrants on the island in 2015
Pictured: North African migrant children shortly at a detention centre on the small Italian island of Lampedusa
Lampedusa, he added, had been ‘abandoned’.
Martello’s predecessor, however, accused him of promoting panic and dismissed his worries as minor episodes.
Giusi Nicolini – who was given the UNESCO peace prize for her ‘humanity’ in helping migrants – said: ‘This is an attempt to restore the climate of fear that existed on Lampedusa before my election’.
More than 250,000 people have landed on Lampedusa during the migration crisis, with the vast majority heading north into mainland Europe.
In 2013, a devastating boat sinking saw over 350 die at seat off the coast of the island.