Presentation of Altreconomia, Italy
There are more than 100 million forced migrants in the world: they are fleeing poverty, wars, violence, in search of a better life. However, “democratic” Europe, including Italy, has turned a blind eye and borders, delegating the “dirty work” to third countries, denying human rights and sowing obstacles on the roads.
What does Madina, a young Afghan, have in common with the young Kurd Abdul or with Awira, a Syrian? They are all “rejected”, people whom rich Europe has relegated to the margins of its borders and history. This book does not limit itself to explaining the meaning of dark words, such as “rejections”, “readmissions”, “lockdowns”, but patiently reconstructs – facts in hand and stories in the heart – the pieces of the “strategy” that the EU countries, Italy in primis, have adopted, in the silence of the media, to defend the “dirty borders” of the sea and the land. The denial of the right to asylum, the disgrace of the camps, the constant violence against defenceless people, forced to live in suspension and inhuman conditions, to risk their lives in crossings, between dunes, waves, woods, river currents and barbed wire. A strong denunciation of the hypocrisies of the governments and the European institutions (including the Frontex agency), ready to welcome the Ukrainians, by applying an odious “double standard”. A note of hope thanks to the commitment of NGOs and “solidarity activists”, individual and organized.
With a preface by Gianfranco Schiavone and precious texts by Caterina Bove, Anna Brambilla, Riccardo Gatti, Maurizio Veglio, Cristina Molfetta.
The hypocrisy of Europe, which kindly opens its doors to Ukrainians but closes them to other -more embarrassing – non-white migrants.
“Ukrainians, rightly, will be able to have social services, schooling, enter the labor market immediately. Meanwhile, a few thousand Afghans, Syrians and Iraqis are still being held outside Poland’s borders. Among them, women and children, who were hit by water cannons and who did not even have the opportunity to be treated and alimented. At the time of writing, Italian funding for the so-called Libyan Coast Guard, which brings migrants back to real camps, continues. For those who come from Africa, even if they are fleeing conflicts, extremist factions and dictatorships, legal pathways have never been activated. Admittedly, these conflicts are less likely to affect us directly. Of course, the victims of these conflicts are not white. But aren’t all children the same?” Cristina Molfetta, Migrantes Foundation
The authors
Duccio Facchini
Duccio Facchini is a journalist, writer and editor-in-chief of the monthly Altreconomia. He is the author of many books including “Armi, un affare di Stato” (Chiarelettere, 2012), “Mi cercarono l’anima. Storia di Stefano Cucchi” (2013), “L’economia in classe” (with Luca Martinelli and Pietro Raitano, 2017) and “Alla deriva. Migrants, Mediterranean routes, NGOs: the shipwreck of politics, which denies rights to build consensus” (2018), and “Respinti. Le “sporche frontiere” d’Europa, dai Balcani al Mediterraneo” ” (2022) with Luca Rondi, all published by Altreconomia.
Luca Rondi
Luca Rondi (Biella, 1995) is a journalist and writes investigations and reports for the monthly Altreconomia. He is a social worker at the reception office for victims of human trafficking of the Gruppo Abele association. He is the author of “Respinti. Le “sporche frontiere” d’Europa, dai Balcani al Mediterraneo” (2022) with Duccio Facchini, for Altreconomia.
