Falling temperatures and the disappearance of blankets used by homeless migrants has made the situation even more difficult in the Italian city of L'Aquila in the mountains of the Abruzzo region.
With wintry temperatures dropping to three degrees Celsius and only cardboard to shield them from the biting cold in the Italian city of L'Aquila, in the mountains of the Abruzzo region, about 30 migrants have in recent nights been sleeping on the ground, in underpasses, and in the corners of parking lots.
The blankets that they had been using, meanwhile, have disappeared. Given a lack of available places in the city and the rest of the region, they have been spending the early November nights in the Fontana Luminosa underpass and in basements near the police headquarters.
"There are no places. We have to wait," say migrants who have attended the local soup kitchen where they can get a hot meal for lunch and dinner and something for breakfast too.
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Disappearing blankets
Outside of mealtimes, many of the migrants, who are homeless, try to find shelter from the wind. But, a pile of blankets that they had left in an underpass and a corner of a parking lot ended up disappearing in recent days.
The migrants say that the blankets had been taken while they were eating. Some residents of the historic center say that the blankets and cardboard used by the migrants had been taken away for "security and hygiene" reasons.
Comments made on social media claim that they had been removed following reports to the Aquilana Società Multiservizi (ASM) after residents complained about the makeshift sleeping arrangements of the migrants near emergency exits.
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Young migrant hospitalized for cold exposure
"That there is an emergency is clear. We have already accompanied a young man to the emergency room for cold exposure," said Pierino Giorgi, head of the Fraterna Tau association managing the Mensa Celestiniana, which serves as a gathering point for the homeless in the city.
"We must give food to the hungry, water to the thirsty, and clothe them because nights are cold," he stressed.
The association Fraterna Tau collects and distributes blankets and clothing and provides showers and hot meals.
"Associations carry out a humane service of Christian charity. We can handle the emergency but the problem is bigger than that," he added, echoing the alarm previously voiced by the mayor of L'Aquila.
"Perhaps it is not a case of 'exploitation', or using a term that is alien to me," he stressed, but in any case "the concerns of residents are understandable. L'Aquila is a small city. It cannot deal with such a disorderly flow -- and not only at the level of the emergency itself but also that of integration."
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Helping hands
In addition to Fraterna Tau there is also a network of others that try to offer a helping hand. Father Osman Prada, priest of the Roio district, has organized the distribution of things that can provide comfort to those in need, while the Torrione San Francesco social center collected blankets and warm clothing to give to them. Residents are also donating sleeping bags and warm coats.
Migrants have been arriving in L'Aquila in recent weeks, following tips on social media, indicating that the process for claiming asylum might be slightly quicker and easier here than in other places in Italy. Many have since filed asylum requests at the police headquarters and are waiting for responses.
The majority of those recent arrivals are young and almost all Pakistani and Afghan nationals who journeyed to the city after rumors circulating online claimed that the city is a place where asylum "procedures are easier."
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Videos taken down
Many of them show others messages in Urdu and screenshots of videos and social media posts.
For weeks, a video in Pashto was online claiming that the city is a good place to request asylum.
The video was later removed by its creator, who posted a message apologizing and clarifying that they did not want to bring people to the city but only to share "useful information."
The creator added that they had been contacted by the Italian police. The prosecutor's office has opened an inquiry into videos that circulated on social media platforms like TikTok urging those wanting asylum to go to L'Aquila, with a focus on the one in Pashto.
Police have also stepped up checks at the entrances to the city and at bus stops.