Italian islanders reject immigrants

Italian authorities have pledged to clear the southern island of Lampedusa of immigrants after hundreds of north Africans clashed with residents and police for a second day.

Lampedusa, roughly midway between Sicily and the African mainland, has been the point of arrival in Europe for hundreds overcrowded boats from Tunisia and Libya.

Trouble erupted on Tuesday when some migrants set fire to a holding centre on the island in protest over plans for forced repatriation and clashes between some residents and migrants broke out again yesterday.

Interior ministry undersecretary Sonia Viale condemned the violence and said repatriation plans would go ahead after bitter complaints about government inaction from local officials.

“Within the next 48 hours, all the illegal immigrants present in Lampedusa will be transferred from the island and then repatriated,” she said.

In normal times, Lampedusa is a sleepy place, living off fishing and tourism, but it has been transformed by the immigrant crisis which has placed it under increasing strain. At times, the island’s 5,000-strong population has been outnumbered by the immigrants, most of them young men in search of work in Europe.

“The situation is tragic. We’re tired of being exploited by this government,” mayor Bernardo De Rubeis told SkyTG24 television, adding that the island had taken in more than 55,000 migrants since the beginning of the year.

“We’re facing 1,500 delinquents who burned down the reception centre, who have endangered the lives of our citizens and the police,” he said.

“We’re asking [interior minister Roberto] Maroni to empty the island at once and we will not accept a single extra migrant.”

Migrants arriving in Lampedusa are held in reception centres before being transferred to the mainland.