Give and take

So with thousands of people crossing the Med in dangerous boats to land on her shores Italy has now refused asylum to the 600 plus migrants who had to be rescued recently.  Whilst we can all condemn the new government for this perhaps you need to know a little more about the impact and the cost of all these people who cast off in dangerous craft no doubt having handed over all their money to the traffickers.

Firstly you cannot go into an Italian supermarket without being accosted by migrants at the trolley park for money, I refuse to hand over any.  When you come out with your shopping you are asked again for money and often followed back to your car.  One persistent migrant once watched me unload my groceries into the car and had the cheek to say you have money for ice cream but you won’t give me anything.  I was furious and explained to him that I had worked for 42 years to earn my money not stood with my hand out.  The larger the supermarket the more migrants and the more intimidation, sometimes I dread taking my trolley back to be harassed for the Euro deposit.  These people all have fancy mobile phones, apparently they need them to keep in touch with their family even though they need my money to buy water.  

Once a guy asked Mr FF for a few euro, Mr FF suggested that rather than just hang around the guy spend his time picking up litter in the car park while we shopped and we would pay him for doing this.  When we came out the man had done nothing and still wanted money.

Even shopping at Ikea in Rome we were harassed by someone wanting to help us unload our shopping, he said he worked there, maybe in his mind he did but not for Ikea and not in any official tax paying way.

Our little village with 700 inhabitants took in, housed and fed, about 30 people. Not all migrants but all adult men with problems, homelessness, abuse, addiction.   They used to congregate in the palazzo near the church waiting for their next meal provided by the ladies of the church.  Few of them spoke when greeted, none of them did anything like help keep the village clean and tidy, and believe me litter is a huge problem throughout Lazio.  Now the church is concentrating on its own community, the number of priests we have has reduced and there is less help for outsiders.

Then there are the black prostitutes who stand on the country roads waiting for business and wearing very little.  I have no doubt they are pimped, controlled and probably on drugs, I feel very sad for them and worry for their safety.  Or I would if they didn’t appear to relish what they are doing, even pulling down their pants and shaking their bare bottoms to passing traffic.  Did they leave their country in search of a better life to end up on the streets,  do the supermarket men think they have a better life begging.   I have no idea of the horrors they left behind, no idea what they endured to get to Italy but I do know they need to start making this better life happen for themselves and giving something back would be a good start.