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Suppression of People on the Move at the French-Italian border

Eviction of ‘The Bridge’ offering a shelter to people on the move in Ventimiglia, Italy.

By Kathina Müssig

‘The Bridge’ in Ventimiglia, under which people on the move have been seeking a shelter was evicted on the 10th of October, 2024 by police forces. ‘The Bridge’ has been a living site for many people on the move, sleeping in improvised tents under the bridge construction, being surrounded by garbage and debris. They have lived in these conditions for weeks, months, and even years in some cases. Despite the harsh circumstances, for many it was a home.

Thanks to some rumors, the NNK team and local activists arrived 2 hours before the authorities. The first digger accompanied by two men from the municipality was seen at 7:30 a.m. at the parking, Via Tenda, 28G. They shared the information that the eviction will take place at 8:00 a.m. with the activists. Consequently, messages were sent out to the people living under ‘The Bridge’ to inform them about the possible eviction without wanting to create panic. Ten minutes before the eviction started, four activists went into the camp to wake up the people, giving them a few minutes to pack their belongings before the police would arrive. Many were still sleeping or doing their morning prayers in the first light of the rising sun.

At 8:00 a.m. the authorities showed up – different police units such as ‘carabinieri’, ‘digos’ being fully armed with helmets, ‘polizia locale’, the major and the prefect, as well as, different journalists. From the beginning on, one ‘digos’ was filming the operation throughout the whole eviction. The police forces were entering ‘The Bridge’ through gates in the fence from both sides of the camp area, to close in on the people. Around 20 police men were moving from the side of Via Tenda, 28G through the camp, requesting people to leave their tents, pack their belongings and move to the other entrance at the parking of Via Tenda 5. In the meantime, the 4 activists were forced to leave the bridge, after having been identified by taking pictures of their IDs.

One of the first people that came out of the eviction reported that everybody is getting checked and only the ones with valid documents are getting released; the ones without were gathered in a corner under the bridge. This segregation according to the legal status can have a traumatizing impact. Furthermore, he shared that there was no time to pack the tents so that he could only bring his most important belongings. This information was confirmed by many other people that got evicted, as well as, by some activists, that later on negotiated with a police officer to recover some of the tents and blankets. Following the eviction of the people, heavy machinery cleared the area, destroying everything that could not be taken. Afterwards, a man who used to live under ‘The Bridge’ reported that he lost all his belongings including documents and valuables because he was not on site during the eviction.

Those who didn’t have identification were held for hours behind the fence until a voluntary translator from ‘Medici del Mondo’ could help. He was organized by an activist from WeWorld because the police did not provide any translation. The translator spoke only Arabic even though the language needed was Tigrinya. During the waiting time the people in detention were able to receive snacks and drinks from the group of activists. The spread rumor that the people without documents will be deported to Taranto was not fulfilled. Instead, the group of 8 men from Eritrea had their pictures taken to be compared with the database from Lampedusa where they had firstly arrived in Italy, 5 days before. Afterwards, they were released one by one except for one man, who had received a withdrawal of the international protection. All of them had been asking for asylum.

Overall between 40 and 50 people were evicted and left without any place to stay. Several evicted people stated that the police had sent them to Caritas for a shelter, although it is common knowledge that Caritas is only hosting women and children in Ventimiglia. Two minors that were under the ones evicted, were taken to Red Cross. Five men were arrested and taken to the police station during the eviction. All of them have been released shortly after. Two men received a notification being reasoned by drug consumption. One man from Morocco got an expulsion order to leave the state of Italy within 7 days.

Accordingly, the eviction did not only have substantial means for the people that lost shelter and personal belongings, but also legal consequences. The eviction was justified by concerns about a river flooding, but it took place after the storm had already passed, and the municipality did not provide any alternative place for the people to stay. Instead, the operation was executed for the purpose of creating an illusion of security and order in regard to the upcoming regional election of Liguria, on November 27th and 28th, 2024. A video of the eviction has been proudly shared by the local newspaper in the name of the major of Ventimiglia. This populist strategy was carried out on the shoulders of people that already suffer from national and European border politics.