In Rome, Violent Eviction of Migrants ‘Touched a Nerve’
"They say we have to disappear, but where will we go?" With elections expected next spring, the forcible eviction last month of hundreds of migrants, many from Eritrea
and Ethiopia — former Italian colonies — shocked Rome for its violence and inflamed a wrenching national debate over migration.
Ms. Sami met with Mayor Raggi on Thursday to discuss the what to do with those who have been evicted, "because it is the most immediate emergency." She said
that the mayor was "very open to collaborating," but that there was "no certain response." Alem Adhanom, 28, from Eritrea, who has been in Italy four years, said on Monday that representatives of the evicted group had met with city and interior ministry officials, but were not satisfied with the offered solutions.
For others, the episode stands as a vivid demonstration of how Italy —
and Rome, especially, saddled with a chronic housing crisis — has too many migrants to deal with already, even as arrivals from across the Mediterranean have significantly dropped this summer.
Carlotta Sami said that Many of the residents of these occupied buildings have been in Rome for years, but have had no system of assistance,
"They are left to themselves." She argued that refugees who have lived in Italy for years "should have the same rights as Italians when it comes to housing,
but instead we hear the slogan ‘Italians first,’ and they remain in the margins." Others cast doubt on the innocence of some of those who had been squatting in the building.
"Political parties in Italy are capitalizing and nurturing a nativist response, which comes out very clearly in issues like public or decent
affordable housing." For well over a decade, hundreds of asylum seekers have illegally occupied dozens of buildings throughout Rome.
The eviction has raised broader questions about the thousands of refugees who live in occupied buildings in Rome
and other Italian cities where public housing falls far short of demand.