on migrants the solution is very urgent – Corriere.it

Noand he has spoken many times, but never in such anguished terms, allowing himself the absolute superlative to define the urgency of the refugee question. Now Sergio Mattarella is changing tone, while the emotion for the latest tragedy in the Mediterranean is still strong, which saw hundreds of migrants disappear off the coast of Greece. And he wants to give a few numbers, as a premise. About 100 million men, women and children on all continents are forced to leave their homes to find protection against persecution, abuse and violence. The sense of humanity and respect for the values ​​of the Constitution require not ignoring their drama. Therefore, celebrating World Refugee Day, it seems right to him to reiterate that initiatives to assist these people – especially refugees who are in particularly vulnerable conditions – must be accompanied by the search for an indispensable and urgent long-term structural solution. In order to overcome the emergency management of these phenomena, action on a European and international scale is needed, and by now cannot be postponed, capable of intervening on the root causes that drive such a large number of needy human beings to abandon their countries. They deserve alternative opportunities to the risky journeys that, driven by circumstances, they undertake even in prohibitive conditions. This is what the President of the Republic is asking for, calling the EU and the United Nations into question (for which the High Commissioner thanks anyway). Two supranational entities which have so far proved to be too often distracted and deaf to the problem. Something that cannot, on the other hand, be contested against Italy.

Mattarella, in fact, recalls that We have always been at the forefront in fulfilling the duty of solidarity, assistance and hospitality, in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution for those who are prevented from effectively exercising democratic rights and freedoms in their own country. Also for this commitment, he expresses his gratitude to the various state administrations, which work daily to alleviate the suffering of refugees and guarantee them access to essential services. An appeal, that of the president, in full harmony with the thought of another moral authority who is in Rome, Pope Francis. With the bare words of a tweet released for the same anniversary, the Pontiff says that, thinking of Christ present in so many desperate people fleeing conflicts and climate change, it is necessary to face the problem of reception, without excuses and delays. And he adds: Let’s face it together because the consequences affect everyone. A coincidence: on June 20, 1979 the Courier published an editorial by Alberto Cavallari on boat people fleeing Vietnam and being pushed back into the sea by neighboring states. The article ended with a prophecy whose accuracy we are verifying today: The next fortune is only a civilization of boat-people on a planetary scale.

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