The Italian city of Ventimiglia along the French border sees daily incidents of inter-ethnic migrant violence as hundreds attempt to cross into France.
Inter-ethnic brawls between migrants often take place at night and are almost always fueled by the consumption of alcohol, with most of the conflicts taking place around the city’s train station.
According to a report from the newspaper Il Giornale, hundreds of migrants have gathered in Ventimiglia, a final stop on their way to illegally cross the border into France, and conflicts have become constant and are repeated daily.
In one incident, a Moroccan migrant attempted to steal a handbag at a nightclub but was pushed out and ended up in a coma after falling backwards and hitting his head. Two young men, both locals, are being investigated over the incident. Thefts by migrants are also becoming more common in the city.
Added to the problem is the fact that the city no longer has a migrant reception entre to house and feed migrants. The mayor of Ventimiglia, centre-right Gaetano Scullino, is opposed to reopening a reception centre.
Ventimiglia has been a hotspot for migrant activity for years, particularly for Tunisian migrants who want to get to France. Italy has also seen a surge of landings from Tunisia to the island of Lampedusa, and migrants are often later sent to the Italian mainland.
Since May, Lampedusa has seen another surge in migrant arrivals, with well over 1,000 landing on the island over the last month and a half.
Migrant taxi NGO ships have also resumed operations off the coast of Libya, dropping off hundreds of migrants in Italy as recently as last week when Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF/Doctors Without Borders) dropped off 410 migrants in Sicily.
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