Italy’s deportation drive hits new low with mentally-ill African migrant
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Elisabeth Janaina
May 6, 2017, 2:05:57 AM5/6/17
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Italy’s deportation drive hits new low with mentally-ill African migrant
By Leanne Tory-Murphy
May 3, 2017
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The forced expulsion of a Moroccan student who’s been in Italy for
nine years and suffers from mental health problems sets a scary
precedent.
Protest against Italy deportation of African migrant
A rally in support of S held on 18 April outside of the Prefecture in
Palermo. The middle sign that reads Curare non espellere translates as
“heal, don’t deport”. Credit: Rabih Bouallegue.
On 9 April, a scholarship student at the the University of Palermo, in
Sicily, Italy, walked into the school cafeteria and purportedly
yelled: “Whoever is a Satanist and wants to die, remain here. Those
who are Christians, Muslims, Jews, get out.”
The incident caused panic amongst diners who fled the building. The
unarmed student, who is being referred to publicly by his initial S,
was questioned by the police, who gave him a verbal warning and
quickly left after they deemed that he posed no threat.
S, who moved to Palermo from Morocco in 2008 to join his family, has a
history of well-documented mental illness and was under medical care.
Nevertheless, when he went to hospital for treatment four days later
in an agitated state, the hospital called the police who apprehended
him. He was taken to the police station where a deportation order was
issued, and then to an immigrant detention centre to await his
expulsion. The unarmed schizophrenic young man was deemed a “danger to
society”.
Volunteer, friend, resident
The right to healthcare for all people residing in Italy is guaranteed
by the constitution. The fact that a person suffering from mental
health problems is set to be deported as a direct result of his
illness sets a dangerous precedent. His removal would indicate that
any foreign-born resident, even those with legal permits of stay, can
be sent away if deemed to be a “danger to society”. Even on highly
questionable evidence and when those people are gravely ill.
“What our Constitution and international conventions say is that
health should be safeguarded,” said Ilenia Grottadaurea, S’s lawyer.
“S. is a young man who is perfectly integrated into Palermo, and is
active in voluntary associations. He is not at all a danger to
society.”
Members of the Italian Senate have launched a parliamentary inquiry
into S’s case, asking legislators if they “no longer find the support
of a health care facility more appropriate than an expulsion order”.
The result of this inquiry may reveal how a mentally ill young man was
criminalised instead of offered the care he needs.
The pro-immigrant Mayor of Palermo, Leoluca Orlando, has also voiced
his support for S and raised concerns about the legal basis of his
deportation. “We are faced with measures of questionable
constitutionality, and for this reason the City will undertake any
initiative to guarantee assistance to our fellow citizen”, he said.
National unions, non-profits, associations, and immigrant service
providers have expressed support for the student as well.
Nevertheless, S’s deportation was affirmed yesterday, when a judge
rejected the appeal filed by his lawyer, stating that S’s removal from
Italy would not cause “irreparable harm” to his health.
Daniele La Barbera, the Director of the School of Psychiatry at the
University of Palermo, disagrees. “Deporting someone who really should
be in care is a racist and shady act of unspeakable violence,” she
said in a press release. “It is never acceptable to replace therapy
with punishment. The consequences can be extremely serious, precisely
because the patient is so fragile.”
S’s friends echo this, emphasising that deporting him to Morocco would
mean removing him from his community in Palermo to a place where he
has no support network, and where his treatment will be interrupted.
In a statement released this morning they called S, who has lived in
Sicily for nine years, a “volunteer, friend and student of our city”
who, “notwithstanding his problems, has represented an example of
generosity, warmth and civic duty”. They have begun an advocacy
campaign called S Libero and will continue to push for him to be
offered a permit of stay for ongoing medical care. But legally now, he
could be deported at any time.
Forced deportations
Italy has been at the front line of migrants arriving from Africa for
the last few years. In 2016, over 180,000 people arrived on its
shores, the majority originating from countries such as Nigeria,
Eritrea, Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, the Gambia, Senegal, Mali and Sudan.
[Review: Migrant, Refugee, Smuggler, Saviour – by Peter Tinti and
Tuesday Reitano]
[Between a rock and a hard place: Gambians tackle Fortress Europe]
The official response to mass immigration over this time has become
increasingly hard-line. This has especially been the case since Prime
Minister Paolo Gentiloni came into office late last year, replacing
Matteo Renzi.
For example, in contrast to Operation Mare Nostrum, which provided
support for humanitarian rescue efforts at sea until it was ended in
2014, the current government is attempting to criminalise NGOs who
operate in the rescue area. They allege that they are colluding with
smugglers and human traffickers to bring migrants to Europe.
A few days after the 19 December 2017 attack in Berlin in which a
Tunisian national killed 12 people when he drove a truck into a crowd,
the police and interior ministry sent a directive to police
departments calling for patrols to trace foreigners and expel
irregular immigrants. It cited “growing migratory pressure and an
international scenario characterised by instability and threats”.
Furthermore, the new government has significantly stepped up forced
deportations. By mid-April, 6,242 migrants had been expelled this
year, according to the Interior Minister Marco Minniti. This is a 24%
increase from the same period last year. Italy currently has bilateral
repatriation agreements with Egypt, Tunisia and Nigeria and has
indicated that it is seeking to develop similar agreements with other
African countries.
Aside from forced deportations, which often break up families and
uproot vulnerable and long-standing residents like S, Italy faces deep
challenges regarding the integration of migrants and the renegotiation
of Italian identity. Integration is more than a word. It is an active
practice that calls societies to continually struggle to include all
of their members, particularly the most vulnerable.
There is a saying in Italian: Fra il dire e il fare, c’é il mare.
“Between the saying and the doing lies the sea”.
Tragically, S, a student with serious mental health problems, has been
cast out into that sea between the constitutionally-enshrined right to
healthcare and the anti-immigrant fervour taking over Italian
politics.
By Leanne Tory-Murphy
May 3, 2017
0
Share:
The forced expulsion of a Moroccan student who’s been in Italy for
nine years and suffers from mental health problems sets a scary
precedent.
Protest against Italy deportation of African migrant
A rally in support of S held on 18 April outside of the Prefecture in
Palermo. The middle sign that reads Curare non espellere translates as
“heal, don’t deport”. Credit: Rabih Bouallegue.
On 9 April, a scholarship student at the the University of Palermo, in
Sicily, Italy, walked into the school cafeteria and purportedly
yelled: “Whoever is a Satanist and wants to die, remain here. Those
who are Christians, Muslims, Jews, get out.”
The incident caused panic amongst diners who fled the building. The
unarmed student, who is being referred to publicly by his initial S,
was questioned by the police, who gave him a verbal warning and
quickly left after they deemed that he posed no threat.
S, who moved to Palermo from Morocco in 2008 to join his family, has a
history of well-documented mental illness and was under medical care.
Nevertheless, when he went to hospital for treatment four days later
in an agitated state, the hospital called the police who apprehended
him. He was taken to the police station where a deportation order was
issued, and then to an immigrant detention centre to await his
expulsion. The unarmed schizophrenic young man was deemed a “danger to
society”.
Volunteer, friend, resident
The right to healthcare for all people residing in Italy is guaranteed
by the constitution. The fact that a person suffering from mental
health problems is set to be deported as a direct result of his
illness sets a dangerous precedent. His removal would indicate that
any foreign-born resident, even those with legal permits of stay, can
be sent away if deemed to be a “danger to society”. Even on highly
questionable evidence and when those people are gravely ill.
“What our Constitution and international conventions say is that
health should be safeguarded,” said Ilenia Grottadaurea, S’s lawyer.
“S. is a young man who is perfectly integrated into Palermo, and is
active in voluntary associations. He is not at all a danger to
society.”
Members of the Italian Senate have launched a parliamentary inquiry
into S’s case, asking legislators if they “no longer find the support
of a health care facility more appropriate than an expulsion order”.
The result of this inquiry may reveal how a mentally ill young man was
criminalised instead of offered the care he needs.
The pro-immigrant Mayor of Palermo, Leoluca Orlando, has also voiced
his support for S and raised concerns about the legal basis of his
deportation. “We are faced with measures of questionable
constitutionality, and for this reason the City will undertake any
initiative to guarantee assistance to our fellow citizen”, he said.
National unions, non-profits, associations, and immigrant service
providers have expressed support for the student as well.
Nevertheless, S’s deportation was affirmed yesterday, when a judge
rejected the appeal filed by his lawyer, stating that S’s removal from
Italy would not cause “irreparable harm” to his health.
Daniele La Barbera, the Director of the School of Psychiatry at the
University of Palermo, disagrees. “Deporting someone who really should
be in care is a racist and shady act of unspeakable violence,” she
said in a press release. “It is never acceptable to replace therapy
with punishment. The consequences can be extremely serious, precisely
because the patient is so fragile.”
S’s friends echo this, emphasising that deporting him to Morocco would
mean removing him from his community in Palermo to a place where he
has no support network, and where his treatment will be interrupted.
In a statement released this morning they called S, who has lived in
Sicily for nine years, a “volunteer, friend and student of our city”
who, “notwithstanding his problems, has represented an example of
generosity, warmth and civic duty”. They have begun an advocacy
campaign called S Libero and will continue to push for him to be
offered a permit of stay for ongoing medical care. But legally now, he
could be deported at any time.
Forced deportations
Italy has been at the front line of migrants arriving from Africa for
the last few years. In 2016, over 180,000 people arrived on its
shores, the majority originating from countries such as Nigeria,
Eritrea, Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, the Gambia, Senegal, Mali and Sudan.
[Review: Migrant, Refugee, Smuggler, Saviour – by Peter Tinti and
Tuesday Reitano]
[Between a rock and a hard place: Gambians tackle Fortress Europe]
The official response to mass immigration over this time has become
increasingly hard-line. This has especially been the case since Prime
Minister Paolo Gentiloni came into office late last year, replacing
Matteo Renzi.
For example, in contrast to Operation Mare Nostrum, which provided
support for humanitarian rescue efforts at sea until it was ended in
2014, the current government is attempting to criminalise NGOs who
operate in the rescue area. They allege that they are colluding with
smugglers and human traffickers to bring migrants to Europe.
A few days after the 19 December 2017 attack in Berlin in which a
Tunisian national killed 12 people when he drove a truck into a crowd,
the police and interior ministry sent a directive to police
departments calling for patrols to trace foreigners and expel
irregular immigrants. It cited “growing migratory pressure and an
international scenario characterised by instability and threats”.
Furthermore, the new government has significantly stepped up forced
deportations. By mid-April, 6,242 migrants had been expelled this
year, according to the Interior Minister Marco Minniti. This is a 24%
increase from the same period last year. Italy currently has bilateral
repatriation agreements with Egypt, Tunisia and Nigeria and has
indicated that it is seeking to develop similar agreements with other
African countries.
Aside from forced deportations, which often break up families and
uproot vulnerable and long-standing residents like S, Italy faces deep
challenges regarding the integration of migrants and the renegotiation
of Italian identity. Integration is more than a word. It is an active
practice that calls societies to continually struggle to include all
of their members, particularly the most vulnerable.
There is a saying in Italian: Fra il dire e il fare, c’é il mare.
“Between the saying and the doing lies the sea”.
Tragically, S, a student with serious mental health problems, has been
cast out into that sea between the constitutionally-enshrined right to
healthcare and the anti-immigrant fervour taking over Italian
politics.
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