Page 8 - aruba-today-20180823

A8 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 23 augusT 2018
Opening door to migrants, some Italians defy government line

By SIMONE SOMEKH while fasting. He decided
ROME (AP) — Italy has to compromise by break-
made headlines as a hard ing the fast on training days
place for migrants recently, and adding a number of
with racist attacks against fast days after the holiday.
blacks on its soil and a new In the kitchen, Di Clemente
government closing Italian appreciates their cultural
ports to people rescued in differences. "The things
the Mediterranean Sea. he cooks are better than
But not all Italians are on what I cook," she said with
board, and some are even a laugh.
reaching out to migrants. Diarra now works at a sum-
Barbara di Clemente, a mer camp by day and
79-year-old grandmother, plays soccer in the eve-
opened her heart and ning, as he waits for his asy-
home to Moriba Mamadou lum application to be pro-
Diarra from Mali, hosting cessed.
him at her two-bedroom According to data released
apartment in Rome for by Vatican charity organi-
the past four months. The zation Caritas, the Interior
18-year-old says he fled his Ministry rejected more than
country because there, his half of the 41,379 requests
"rights had been denied" in the first half of 2017. It
and he couldn't study and granted refugee status to
build a better future for only 9 percent of the ap-
himself. plicants, while the remain-
She says that taking in Di- der obtained a residency
arra, who dreams of play- In this photo taken on Sunday, July 15, 2018, asylum seeker from Mali, Moriba Mamadou Diarra permit for "humanitarian" or
shares a light moment with Barbara Di Clemente, 79-year-old Italian grandmother, at a sports
ing professional soccer, has centre near their home, in Rome. other motives.
been her own way of help- Associated Press Most applicants reside in
ing someone in need while reception centers across
making a political state- are a minority, but they of respondents view the to become a better per- the country. After receiv-
ment against Italy's populist, exist," she said. "They don't impact of immigration on son." ing the papers, they can
anti-migrant government. identify with these policies the country positively. The Diarra was among some apply to enter centers of
Di Clemente is among a and they feel the time has survey consisted of online 15,000 unaccompanied "secondary reception," but
growing number of Italians come to take action." and phone surveys of 2,000 minors who arrived in Italy fewer spots are available
who have applied to host Some gestures don't rise to people between 2017 and by boat in 2017. For a few there, and some end up liv-
young migrants, stepping in letting a complete stranger 2018. The margin of error months, he lived in a resi- ing in tent camps.
to fill a gap in government move in but are no less sig- was between 0.4 and 2.1 dence for migrant children Despite criticism from many
services even as the num- nificant, and have come percent. in Rome, where he attend- humanitarian groups, Inte-
ber of new arrivals to Italy amid a spate of racist at- Di Clemente, a retired ed school and studied Ital- rior Minister Salvini — whose
plummets. tacks against blacks and therapist, said that while ian. motto is a Trump-like "Ital-
"Something in my soul non-Italians. A coffee shop watching the news she When he turned 18, he was ians First" — has recently
spoke to me," Di Clemente owner in Adria in northern had thought several times transferred to a reception announced that the gov-
said of her decision to host Veneto — a region that about welcoming a refu- center for asylum-seekers, ernment will limit benefits to
Diarra, adding that having has long supported Salvini's gee in her home. After a a 90-minute drive from the migrants who have al-
lived through World War II, anti-migrant League party check-up by Refugees Wel- Rome, where he said he re- ready received protection
she is particularly sensitive — started printing out cash come, Diarra was assigned ceived very little support in status. He's also vowed to
to wars and poverty. register receipts last month to her apartment in Rome. his attempt to learn Italian reduce aid for asylum seek-
She contacted Refugees stamped with "No to rac- "We introduced ourselves, and integrate into society. ers. Salvini often uses the
Welcome, a humanitarian ism, yes to an integrated and I told him: 'My heart is He was relieved to return to phrase "The party is over"
group founded in Germany Adria." Another local busi- racing, and yours?' And he Rome. when he refers to migrants.
in 2015 that helps organize nessman took out newspa- said: 'Mine, too,'" Di Clem- Living together presented Paolo Morozzo della Roc-
migrant hosting and now per ads with the same mes- ente recalled of their first some challenges. At first, Di ca, the Rome-based su-
has chapters in 16 coun- sage. meeting. Clemente was bothered by pervisor of migrant services
tries. The Italian chapter, Although the League's She set two basic rules Diarra's reluctance to look of the Sant'Egidio Catholic
which normally registers popularity has soared since right away: No smoking, no into her eyes when they charity, said it's counterpro-
one or two hosting offers it took power with the pop- drugs. spoke. Diarra explained ductive to keep migrants
per day by Italians, saw an ulist 5-Star Movement after "The truth is that I don't that in his culture young in a limbo without helping
80 percent spike in offers March 4 elections, some 72 smoke, so I felt good about people don't face older them to build a future for
since the June 10 decision percent of Italians support moving in with her," Diarra people out of respect, but themselves.
by Interior Minister Matteo the principle of asylum and said. the woman insisted that Diarra, who stressed his be-
Salvini to turn away a res- 61 percent feel concerned He said he loves their fre- he adapt to Italian culture. lief in the importance of
cue vessel carrying more about the rise of racism and quent trips to a nearby She said she also taught learning Italian and inte-
than 600 migrants rescued discrimination, according sports center, where he him to do the Italian dou- grating into Italian society,
from the Mediterranean. to a survey by pollster Ipsos trains and plays soccer. ble-cheek kiss. said he doesn't pay atten-
Sara Consolato, the group's MORI and commissioned "Soccer is what gives me Diarra, a practicing Muslim, tion to what Salvini says.
spokeswoman, says vol- by More in Common, a the strength to get up in observed the fasting month "I don't like him," Diarra said.
unteers want to show the nonprofit organization that the morning, to go study, to of Ramadan earlier this "He speaks in the name of
migrants that not all Ital- works against xenophobia. work," he said, wearing the year, despite Di Clemente's the Italian people, but I
ians agree with the gov- However, the survey also jersey of the Italian national concerns that he should don't think the Italian peo-
ernment's hard line. "They found that only 18 percent soccer team. "It pushes me not attend soccer practice ple are like that."q