Chronicles of ordinary racism 2011 - Cronache di ordinario razzismo

consequently, kept in a state of awkward (to say the least) suspense that could easily
spark episodes of unrest jeopardizing the centers’ internal security, or wreak serious
havoc on the physical and psychological wellbeing of interned immigrants. 192
Despite this new organisational framework, several unchanging factors remain:
immediate implementation of deportation orders (which continue to be labeled in this
manner, rather than being re‐branded “displacement” as called for by the repatriation
directive), endorsement of the measures restricting individual freedom, adopted when
terms for voluntary departure (largely speculative and with no attempt at genuine
mutual discussion between the parties involved) are agreed upon, and lastly an
established criminal sanction against the violation of said terms.
5. The sweeping tide from Northern Africa and the human rights emergency.
To conclude, events linked to the tide of freedom that has lately swept thorough
Northern African have provided inspiration for a series of measures 193 aimed at
“tackling the state of humanitarian emergency in our country in relation to the
exceptional influx of North African citizens”. Indeed, in February 2011 the government
declared a state of national emergency with reference to said exceptional influx and
approved, as a proviso, ex art. 20 T.U., the release of temporary residence permits, for
humanitarian reasons, to all North Africans who had reached Italian shores between the
1 st of January and the 5 th of April 2011. What appears odd is that, in April 2011, the
Italian government, exceeding its own mandate and constitutional restrictions declared
a state of humanitarian emergency in North African countries in order to enable “an
effective handling of the exceptional influx of individuals to our country”.
In actual fact, this declaration of a state of emergency allowed collective rejections
of many immigrants to become common practice, and it remains unclear on what
grounds 5 April was chosen as the date to mark out those who will be granted a
residence permit and those who will not. On top of this, as many activists belonging to
humanitarian organizations point out, we often find failure to comply with the correct
procedures that confirm the detention of these persons, insurmountable difficulties
encountered by lawyers attempting contact them when they are detained in the
reception centers, failed enforcement of the current legislation regarding access to
international protection.
Thus we are faced with a true emergency, not humanitarian in nature, as the
government would have us believe, so much as democratic, given the failure to observe
basic constitutional principles and unassailable human (and individual) rights thereby
putting thousands of immigrants at risk.
192 Most recently with a decision dating to April 2011, the Interior Ministry denied journalists access to immigration
centres of any sort.
193 The most recent of these ruling is designated as number 3958 and dated 10 August 2011. Before this came the
Decree of the Prime Minister’s Office dated 12 February 2011 that declared a state of national emergency until 31
December 2011 with regards to the exceptional influx of North African citizens, and, subsequently, various decrees
and rulings again linked to said urgent situation.
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