Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has taken aim at Italian judges for refusing to order the detention of some refugees who should have been repatriated in accordance with the government’s most recent measures, accusing them of politicising the issue and going against Italy’s efforts to regulate migration flows.
Tensions are once again high between the government and the judiciary, which has decided not to validate the detention of some refugees who arrived in Sicily irregularly – a move that the government says shows the judge’s motivation to undermine attempts to curb the recent high influx of migrants arriving from North Africa.
“I was stunned by the judge’s decision, which, for unbelievable reasons, released an illegal immigrant who had already received a deportation order, unilaterally declared Tunisia an unsafe country and opposed the measures of a democratically elected government”, said Meloni in reference to the ruling which concerned returning to Tunisia to be recruited to work in gold mines as a risk.
“This is not the first time this has happened”, but “we will continue to defend the borders”, assures Meloni, who also stresses that it is not the role of the judiciary to define what constitutes a safe or unsafe country like Tunisia.
Representatives of the governing parties, Fratelli d’Italia, Lega (ID) and Forza Italia (EPP), have repeatedly suggested that “external factors” are trying to undermine the government’s action, including by encouraging the wave of migration and preventing agreements on common solutions at EU level, and by destabilising markets and frightening investors.
“Everything becomes much more difficult if, in the meantime, other states are working in the diametrically opposite direction, and if even a piece of Italy is doing everything it can to favour illegal immigration. And I’m not just talking about the ideologised left and the circuit that has its own rich interests in reception”, Meloni said on social media.
The National Association of Magistrates (ANM) in Catania quickly responded to Meloni’s accusations, rebuking her for how she commented on the judge’s decision.
“What we have read are words that are wrong in tone and content and are not in keeping with the relationship between the judiciary and the executive”, said Catania ANM President Alessandro Rizzo.
Democratic Party (S&D) Secretary Elly Schlein also intervened, and said Meloni is fueling an “institutional clash” that harms the country.
“They should stop looking for an enemy a day to hide their responsibilities. If they are looking for those responsible for the disaster on reception, they should look themselves in the mirror: it is the right wing that writes blatantly unconstitutional laws and then lashes out at judges who are doing their job”, Schlein added.
(Federica Pascale | Euractiv.it)
Read more with EURACTIV
Poland says not invited to Ukraine’s defence forum
Source: euractiv.com
