Open the Ports: Caltanissetta in solidarity with Aquarius.

On the 12th of June Caltanissetta also expressed solidarity with the migrants detained onboard the Aquarius whilst simultaneously criticising the racist politics of the newly instated government.

And this was expressed by organizing a demonstration outside the Prefecture of Caltanissetta.

During the demonstration it was requested to speak as a delegation with the District Magistrate, or in their place, the Prefecture’s Chief of Staff to make a tangible signal of the protest and to make the voices of Caltanissetta reach the halls of Rome.

However, after 45 minutes of waiting we were informed that considering that in other cities, where a similar protest no request was made for a meeting with the institutions, and considering also that the request was unexpected it was not possible for our arguments to be brought inside the hall.

The long waiting time made us smile widely: we imagined the Prefecture scrambling to speak with Rome to know what it should do.

What did not make us smile was the distance, always widening, between the institutions and society; a distance that deflates the scope and exercise of civil rights and takes us back to the middle ages.

After all, we were wanting simply to remind the Interior Minister Salvini, through the UTG Prefecture of Caltanissetta, that Italian society is complex and multifaceted and one part of this society remembers the significance of the term “humanity.”

Now we also want to remind him that it is not enough to act like an ostrich and put your head in the sand, or to cover your ears with your hands: the dissent towards his demagoguery, that is, his racism, grows and consolidates every day, even if he pretends not to hear it.

Immigration Office – Via Re D’Italia 14, Caltanissetta

Translation by Meg McLellan