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If you treat men like slaves, their only chance to defend their rights will be a violent uprising. What happened in Calabria is the result of years of criminal indifference on the part of citizens, national and local politics, to the benefit of organized crime. Immigrants who work in agriculture, in Calabria, as in many other places in Italy, live in inhumane conditions, controlled by a system of overseers. And their situation suits many.

Because illegal immigrants are completely without rights. The only social and health care they receive is provided by the CGIL, by the Caritas or Doctors Without Borders, relief organizations such as in third world countries. And in fact they live in conditions worse than many of them had in their homeland. But once you become illegal is not easy to go home, get a legal job or decent housing. The only way out is continue to work illegally in the fields in the hope of raising enough money to leave hell. Most of our agriculture now works like that since years, but the Italians pretend not to see. 
The politics pretends not to see because the national one prefers propaganda instead of really addressing the problems, and the local one often works closely with mafia organizations to keep the immigrants in a state of slavery. The spark that blew the revolt of Rosarno is yet another episode of cruel intolerance: shots against the immigrants for the second time in little while. But it was inevitable that sooner or later the revolt broke out. You cannot treat people that way, forcing them to live in inhuman conditions, no light, no water, no heating, exploiting their labor for a pittance and then also intimidate them with racist attacks. 
Situations like Rosarno in Calabria, or that of San Nicola Varco in Campania have been denounced for years by the UN, humanitarian associations, very few newspapers and a few websites, but no one has ever considered these complaints. 
The inhabitants of Rosarno now of course are angry because the immigrants in revolt damaged cars, windows and objects, and certainly the rage in these situations end up hitting innocent targets. But where were all during the 10 previous years in which the situation of immigrants has always been dramatic? We cannot wake up only when something happens, the problems of integration should be prevented. But to say things like this today in Italy is science fiction, the mere reasonableness is accused of "do-gooders" in the media of the regime. This government has always the same answer, made of racism, unjust and repressive laws. Indeed the Minister of the Interior already exploited the situation for the empty racist propaganda of his party, the Northern League. The previous government for its part had not done anything useful, too cowardly to abolish a law wrong and counterproductive as the Bossi-Fini. 
Now, unfortunately we cannot expect that a criminal government, one of the main culprits of this situation of decay and lawlessness, can resolve the situation properly. They will use the usual method, send more police, send the army, making arrests here and there. But they cannot detain all of the 20,000 immigrants who work in the fields of Calabria, because if they do it, how local agriculture will survive? Where will be found 20,000 Italians willing to be exploited for a pittance? The only decent solution would be to fight illegal employment, provide acceptable living conditions to seasonal workers, regularize immigrants and so achieveìing legality, justice and social peace. But it is difficult to hope that this could take place in an increasingly racist Italy, drowned in propaganda and lies.

Francesco Defferrari

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che vergogna... sfruttare indegnamente esseri umani e poi prendersela con tutti senza pensare mai come li fanno vivere....

Friday 08 January 2010, 19:13

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