Messina: A Mega Tent-City for Migrants in the Old 'Gasparro' Barracks. The €1,932,000 Contract Already Announced in the Official Gazette. And that's not all...

By Stampalibera.it

In a few months' time the former barracks of 'Gasparro' in Messina (in the urban area of Bisconte) will be transformed into one of the largest centres in Italy for the forced “welcoming” of those migrants awaiting the authorities' decision on whether they will be eventually relocated to other structures for asylum seekers in Europe or – as will be the case for the vast majority of them – to be deported by military force to their countries of origin. Dozens of tents and containers will be installed next to the buildings of the 'Gasparro' (where around 200 young migrants have already been stuck for three years) allowing for the tripling or even quadrupling of the number of residents, and – just a short walk from the town centre – replicating the infamous failure of the “Mineo” model of reception.

[photo: Enrico di Giacomo]

Don't Worry Dad, I'll Die Happy Because You're Alive At Least

I cannot but feel pain when confronted by the death of an innocent, and the thought that someone you love might lose their life in such an unjust way sends a long, cold shiver down your spine. The news that a father had to leave his small daughter dead at sea so as to try and save other lives during yet another maritime massacre, the harvest of murderous European policies, has disturbed me deeply. What can we possibly do to help a desperate father who has lost both wife and child?

From Pozzallo to Mineo via Ventimiglia. Migrants detained, deported and isolated.

The images which arrived from Ventimiglia and Genoa this week are images of a police state: beatings, evictions, raids, deportation flights and forced identifications imposed on around a hundred migrants, including pregnant women, children and vulnerable persons. Identifications, barracks detentions and deportation orders have also been distributed to a large number of activists and citizens deemed “guilty” of having given assistance, legal information and solidarity to the refugees camped along the beach at Ventimiglia. At the French border another dark chapter in Italian history is being written, precisely because, whether we want it to or not, the violation of rights, the repression and implementation of political liberticide affects all of us.

A Sicilian Diary of Nina Perkowski - Chapter One: Arrivata.

Nina Perkowski came to Sicily to research the living situation of immigrants from Africa in Sicily for her PhD. For borderline-europe, she reported the situation in Cassibile and Mineo, where there is a collective home for asylum seekers. Within ten chapters Nina wrote down her experiences and her monitorings.

Chapter Two: “My name is Endurance.”

A Sicilian Diary of Nina Perkowski
 
“When will my papers finally come?” “Do you have news?” “I am not happy, tell him that!” “I just need a soggiorno for three months.” “You don’t understand.” “The whole day, I am sitting around not doing anything, I go crazy like that.” “I have a future. I know I have a future and I won’t let them take it from me.”

Chapter Three: Settling in.

A Sicilian Diary of Nina Perkowski

The last few days have been quieter, no more travelling to Cassibile or Mineo - instead, I took some time to explore my new temporary home town, Catania. On Friday, I attended a screening of a film on the US bases in Sicily and worldwide with a subsequent discussion - and ended up leaving early, after 2,5hrs of understanding only the very basics of what was going on. Over the last few days I also went to a concert in an occupied theatre, strolled the market, went for my first ride on the back of a little motorino, explored a bit of the city’s seaside, and took long walks through the city.

Chapter Four: What’s in a Law?

A Sicilian Diary of Nina Perkowski

“There used to be three reception centres in Catania. People would live there and go out, explore the city, integrate into city life. And now they instead put them all in the middle of nowhere, 2000 people grouped together and isolated from society. Rendered invisible to the rest of the world. I just cannot believe it.”

Chapter Five: Without any choice?

A Sicilian Diary of Nina Perkowski

Today is the 20th of June, the day the United Nations has declared as World Refugee Day. Every year, demonstrations, celebrations, and all sorts of actions are organised around the world to raise awareness for the plight of those displaced and to promote tolerance towards and support of them. In Catania, the day was used to present the results of a recent study on the integration of refugees in Italy, especially their (poor) access to housing and work. At the CARA of Mineo, World Refugee Day will be marked tomorrow by celebrations and concerts inside, and a press conference denouncing the conditions in the camp outside its fences.

Chapter Six: Mineo.

A Sicilian Diary of Nina Perkowski

On the occasion of World Refugee Day on June 20, the Antiracist Network Catania organised a press conference on June 21 at the CARA of Mineo. After many protests last year regarding the living conditions for the almost 1900 asylum seekers at the CARA, this year has been much quieter in terms of political mobilisation. To draw renewed attention to the persisting problems, the Antiracist Network organised a press conference which was attended by RAI3, Telecolor, and three local TV stations.

Chapter Seven: Sbarco.

A Sicilian Diary of Nina Perkowski

The last week here has been pretty much bizarre, absurd, almost unreal…. now, Friday night, I am left with a curious mix of anger, helplessness, frustration and a great number of questions on my mind.

On Monday, the Italian Refugee Council (CIR) and a range of other organisations celebrated World Refugee Day with a slight delay, and welcomed a variety of speakers reflecting on current conditions and pressing needs regarding the situation of refugees in Italy. Speakers included delegates of various NGOs but also the UNHCR, the prefecture, and the local police station. Naturally, they came with varying viewpoints and agendas – and I am currently still in the process of writing and reflecting on some of my impressions from this day. Overall, the atmosphere was benevolent, many refugees attended, and it was a rather interesting afternoon and evening, which ended with an impressive movie.

Chapter Eight: Beyond Italy – Solidarity Activism Across EU Boundaries.

A Sicilian Diary of Nina Perkowski

When I finally set foot on Sicilian lands again, I felt relieved. An eventful week lay behind me, thoughts kept racing through my head, and I had gotten more and more impatient as I was waiting to be allowed to leave the ferry from Tunis, which had reached Palermo with a four-hour delay.

Chapter Nine: Riace, Città d’Accoglienza – a Visit in Utopia?

A Sicilian Diary of Nina Perkowski 

Wednesday morning, 10.30am. I am sitting on the little square in Riace, a 1700-people village in Calabria, southern Italy. Around me elderly men, locals from the village who spend their time chatting, watching what is going on, dozing off in the shade. People here know each other, greet passersby. As a friend in Catania said, “time in Riace seems to be reversing. A visit there is almost like a time travel, like going back to Italy in the 1960s.” Only the children running around and playing with each other don’t seem to fit this description. They show that something has changed in the last 50 years: the small village of Riace has become a truly multicultural community.

Chapter Ten: Goodbye!

A Sicilian Diary of Nina Perkowski

With the blink of an eye, three months have passed and I am finding myself on a plane high above the earth, heading back to Berlin. The last days were hectic, as they usually are when leaving one life and heading towards another. Until now, I have barely thought about the fact that I am leaving Sicily, that my brief stay there has already come to an end. I have not felt the goodbye, have not realized yet that I will not be coming back any time soon.

New transfers from the Lampedusa CSPA -the Centre empties

Following Monday's transfer (27th August) of 180 migrants from the  Lampedusa CSPA (First Reception Centre) to the Mineo CARA (Hosting Centre for Migrants) (CT), a further 79 migrants were yesterday (31st August) taken by ferry to Porto Empedocle (AG). Among the group were around 20 sub Saharan minors and 50 Tunisian adults.

Mineo Cara (Hosting Centre for Asylum Seekers) : a meeting place for different populations or the denial of their rights?

The two day "Carafest 2012" finished yesterday at Mineo: there were information stands, performances, theatre, food tasting, fashion shows, concerts and debates.
It's necessary to ask the governor, the Honourable Castiglione, what there is to celebrate in a place like the largest Cara in Europe; what can possibly interest the asylum seekers and the Mineo citizens about inter-religious debates and speeches on Judaism or seminars on political integration and the process of reception when the situation in the megaCara is becoming ever more unsustainable, is a mystery that can only be justified by the hypocrisy of show and performance. Yet it cannot hide the bitter reality.

Mineo: the authorities on parade at the CARA (Hosting Centre for Asylum Seekers), yet marginalisation remains

by argocatania
A big day of celebrations is underway today at the Mineo CARA (Hosting Centre for Asylum Seekers) to mark World Refugee Day. Illustrious and refined guests have been invited for an event entitled, "From emergency to integration". Those present will include the highest authorities of the State: from the Prefecture to the Police Headquarters; the Bishop of Caltagirone; the Head of the Civil Protection, in addition to representatives from the University, the judiciary and the various organisations that work with the migrants.
The "man in charge", Giuseppe Castiglione, will lead the morning discussion, which will then be followed by the showing of the film Mare Nostro, with performances and music continuing into the evening. Each "partner" will be able to "invite 5 guests of his/her choice to the evening event". They must, however, be named in advance in order to prepare access passes. 

World Refugee Day in MINEO

On the occasion of World Refugee Day on June 20, the Antiracist Network Catania organised a press conference on June 21 at the CARA of Mineo. After many protests last year regarding the living conditions for the almost 1900 asylum seekers at the CARA, this year has been much quieter in terms of political mobilisation. To draw renewed attention to the persisting problems, the Antiracist Network organised a press conference which was attended by RAI3, Telecolor, and three local TV stations.

"A HUMANITARIAN RESIDENCE PERMIT TO SAFEGUARD LIVES”

Help for our brothers and sisters in MINEO

We invite all women and all men showing solidarity to support our demands! The Italian government needs to immediately issue humanitarian residence permits to all those who were forced to flee from Libya due to the war, through the establishment of the temporary protection mechanism (Art. 20 TU) or other forms provided for by the legal system.We came from Libya to Italy because of the war that took place there last year, a war that exploded unexpectedly over our heads. We had to flee leaving behind everything we had.

The mayor Marletto: we will close the Mineo "ghetto"
From the website: comune di Palagonia
Every year across the globe, "World Refugee Day" is celebrated on the 20th June. It began 20 years ago as part of a UNHCR initiative to create a moment to reflect upon the difficult choices that refugees are often forced to make over the course of their lives spent looking for protection. For this reason: "The Hosting Centre for Asylum Seekers in Mineo will be closed as soon as possible because it has proven to be the biggest rip off that perpetrates damage to asylum seekers as well as the local community." The mayor of Palagonia, Valerio Marletta, is in no doubt and his comments do not rest at that.