In the days of the umpteenth tragedy of the sea and despite the rigors of winter,
attempts to cross the Alpine border by men and women on the go continue. And theStura di Demonte valley in the province of Cuneo is confirmed as one of theobligatory transit points for anyone trying to go to France. ---- 39 migrants,all adults, mostly of Pakistani origin but also Indians and Bangladeshis, werefound last week aboard a van for the transport of goods in Bersezio, a hamlet inthe municipality of Argentera. The men were trying to cross the Colle dellaMaddalena, at an altitude of 1996 meters, at that moment closed due to snow. Themayor of the town Monica Ciaburro who saw the vehicle stopped near the square ofBersezio (town hall) and some passengers near the road. After reaching them, sheordered them to stop, blocking the road with the help of Anas vehicles andspecialized snow clearing companies. In the meantime several patrols ofCarabinieri intervened, coming from Demonte, Vinadio and Borgo San Dalmazzo.According to reports, three of the migrants tried to flee in the snow by takingrefuge in a nearby farmhouse but were identified by a city councilor who promptlyintervened and were forced to return to the square together with theirunfortunate travel companions.Despite the snow, the prefecture has sent a bus to transport the unfortunatepeople to the police station in Cuneo for identification procedures. The policeannounce that they have identified the driver of the van, a Pakistani who wasarrested on charges of aiding and abetting illegal immigration and sent to prisonin Cuneo."We need constant supervision up here, because the trafficking of human beingsmust be stopped", commented the mayor Ciaburro, a deputy elected from theBrothers of Italy list, who from Argentera, with a handful of votes and thanks tothe support of the current minister Guido Crosetto, began his political career.In the same days of the Cutro massacre, the mayor of a small village lost in themountains on the border with France, gets in the way with lots of heavy vehiclesand then repeats the same hypocritical speech of her ringleader at Palazzo Chigi:passeurs like smugglers, it's their fault!Thus confusing the causes with the effects: it is clear that human trafficking isthe consequence of the impossibility of people to exercise freedom of movement,it is the consequence of border closure policies and their militarization.The municipality of Argentera is located in the upper Stura valley, at analtitude of 1600 metres. The hairpin bends that lead to Colle della Maddalena, onthe border with France, start from the capital. Colle della Maddalena is morethan 60 km from Cuneo, an hour and a half by car on the state road 21.It has about 80 residents.Episodes like last week's are less and less sporadic and confirm that the Sturavalley, together with the Susa valley, is increasingly one of the main routes forthe passage of migrants from Italy to France.There are already more than fifty, in just two months, the men stopped by thepolice. And five people arrested as they were identified as passeurs. There arepresumably many more who, fortunately, managed to leave Italy and reach Franceclandestinely.One January night, while the storm was raging, seven men of Pakistani origin hadfound refuge in a French car stuck in the snow by the roadside near the hill.In Demonte, around midnight on 13 February, a daring accident: an Audi stationwagon, which was already being chased from Borgo San Dalmazzo by two Carabinieripatrols after failing to comply with the stop for a check, arrived at high speedin the town di Demonte, overturned in a curve, breaking through a low wall. Onboard the vehicle, in addition to the driver, there were eleven people: youngpeople of Pakistani origin, without documents, who were trying to reach France.None of those involved suffered serious injuries, only minor bruises.The latest episode in chronological order was that of March 2, around 4 in themorning, when the carabinieri were alerted to the presence of some men inside acar, stuck in the snow above Argentera. Inside the car were six men, aged between25 and 35, all of Pakistani origin too. The version of the carabinieri isincredible: "There is no trace of the passeur. Given the impossibility ofproceeding, in fact, the person must have decided to abandon the car andpassengers and to leave on foot, headed who knows where, perhaps expected by anaccomplice further downstream."Pakistanis mainly arrive from the Balkan route. The reason for leaving thecountry of origin is mainly economic but the request for protection or asylumrepresents the only possibility of entry into Italy. According to statistics,however, 82% of Pakistani asylum requests are rejected.To remain in the province of Cuneo we must consider that the Colle di Tenda(traditional transit route towards Ventimiglia and the south of France) is closedafter the dramatic flood of 2020 which swept the Roja valley and the Colledell'Agnello, in the Varaita valley , one of the highest hills in Europe, is onlyopen from May until the first snow, usually around mid-September.Instead, goods can pass freely through the Maddalena hill (snow permitting!), avalley normally invaded by trucks, hundreds every day with devastating effects onthe road network and air quality, trucks carrying plastic bottles of Sant 'Anna,which has its own factory in the valley.Naturally, tourists can also pass freely.However, the speech does not apply to those who do not have the right cards!According to a police report, 7 people were arrested in 2022 for aiding andabetting illegal immigration: Pakistanis, Egyptians, Tunisians, and Congolese.According to this report, the collaboration of the Cuneo border police with theFrench PAF was fundamental, on the basis of agreements already made in 2019 "forthe joint fight against illegal immigration through mixed units active both inItalian territory and in French territory as already it happens at other bordercrossings."The agreement provides that personnel will be trained "to cope with the changedoperational needs deriving not only from the exponential increase in the volumeof traffic but also from the change in migratory dynamics at the borders."Lele OdiardoListen to the live coverage of Blackout with Lele from the Saluzzo anti-racistcoordination:Alpine route. Storm at the borderhttps://www.anarresinfo.org/rotta-alpina-tormenta-alla-frontiera/_________________________________________A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C EBy, For, and About AnarchistsSend news reports to A-infos-en mailing listA-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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