Italy's far right still obsess about the historical ‘eastern border question', while in Slovenia, the right can't forget the actions of partisans in the second world war. For all here, the past is far from over.
The 94-page report, “‘Like We Were Just Animals’: Pushbacks of People Seeking Protection from Croatia to Bosnia and Herzegovina,” finds that Croatian authorities engage in pushbacks, including of unaccompanied children and families with young children. The practice is ongoing despite official denials, purported monitoring efforts, and repeated – and unfulfilled – commitments to respect the right to seek asylum and other human rights norms. Border police frequently steal or destroy phones, money, identity documents, and other personal property, and often subject children and adults to humiliating and degrading treatment, sometimes in ways that are explicitly racist.
The ASGI association has sounded an alarm in Italy over new rules, which require those accessing all public offices to have a Green pass. This, they fear, could potentially compromise some migrants' potential to seek asylum.
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Assistance from authorities is completely absent in the border cities; consequently, it is left to activists and volunteers to receive people in transit and provide them with humanitarian assistance and medical care, with the support of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). In mid-December, two MSF teams travelled to the main transit points in Ventimiglia, Oulx, Bolzano and Trieste and spoke to migrants and refugees on the move and the people trying to help them.
Here are some of their words, followed by MSF’s call to the Italian authorities to provide people with shelter, humanitarian aid and access to medical care in all border areas.