Institutional and civil society reactions to Rosarno riots

Policy Response DateJanuary 28, 2009 Country: Italy Address: Rosarno General Type: Racist violence, Racist discourse, Discrimination, Institutional discrimination, Equality/Integration Racism and discrimination phenomena: Extremism - organised Racist Violence, Anti-migrant/xenophobia, Afrophobia
Groups affected / Interested in: Migrants Key socio-economic/institutional areas: Policing - law enforcement, Employment - labour market, Housing, Health and social protection, Anti-discrimination, Anti-racism, Integration - social cohesion, Daily life Hate speech/Racist Discourse Medium: Political Discourse

Related Case Studies

Referring to the violence in Rosarno after a special session of the council of ministers in Reggio Calabria on January 28 2009, Berlusconi said his government had achieved positive results in its fight against irregular immigration and that "a reduction in the number of foreigners in Italy means fewer people to swell the ranks of criminals". At the height of the violence in Rosarno, Interior Minister Roberto Maroni blamed the situation on excessive tolerance of "illegal immigration".

Non governmental organizations indicated that the situation turned violent because migrants were exhausted by the extremely harsh living conditions, the widespread illegal nature of the work and the way they were treated as well as the presence of the mafia. Migreurop pointed to the Italian "governments responsibility for encouraging racism and violence through legislation and the declarations by some of its representatives, while it ends up being absent in places where conflicts take place". The group explains what happens as a result of two factors "the criminalization of migrants and the absence of the State in places where the law of the mafia rules". Arci has denounced the fact that the state only deals with seasonal workers by carrying out work inspections, while employees have been waiting for a simplification of legislation on seasonal workers and a standardised format for contracts. Human Rights Watch denounced national government's response to the events of Rosarno: political declarations focused more on irregular immigration and employment than on the victims. The events or Rosarno are the epilogue of a situation of degradation, violence, the total absence of the public institutions that has not changed for years and that it is not a coincidence that the situation exploded in the year of the security package.

Also in response to the facts of Rosarno, International Labour Association (ILO) stated that they intend to monitor the policies of the Italian government toward migrants. In particular, the international organization will evaluate the application of Convention ILO 143 on the rights of migrant workers, and of norms on forced labour, especially in the agricultural sector.

Source:

Human Rights Watch – Everyday Intolerance. Racist and Xenophobic Violence in Italy, 2011 -