Italy: Migrants to be transferred away in Riace

ROME,Oct 14: The Italy’s interior ministry has ordered to transfer away all the migrants in the southern town of Riace.

The move of the government comes after the arrest of the town’s mayor, Domenico Lucano,on Friday,reports BBC.

Lucano is known around the world for welcoming migrants to the sparsely-populated town in Calabria in a bid to boost jobs and development.

He started the system in 1998 under a previous government, and since then hundreds of migrants have joined the small town of about 2,000 people.

The success of the programme was lauded by many as a model of integration which led to Mayor Lucano being named one of the world’s 50 greatest leaders by Fortune magazine in 2016.

But earlier this month, he was placed under house arrest on charges of involvement in organising “marriages of convenience” for asylum purposes.

His arrest earlier this month had resulted in protests and a national debate about the project.

But, according to the Interior minister Mattei Salvini and his right-wing League party, the arrest of Lucano has showed their government’s “declared war on the immigration business”.

Mr Lucano in return has said that his lawyers will appeal against his detention.He claimed that the government want to destroy them.

According to the ministry,the transferral of the migrants to other centres will begin next week.

The government has been also investigating clear irregularities in the town’s reception system since 2016.

(UNI)

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