Short memory

Obviously Prime Minister Berlusconi and his colleague Mr. Aznar never needed to do what millions of their fellow country men in Italy and Spain had to do in the fifties, sixties and seventies: Migrate to find a job. Many of those Italian and Spanish migrants, in their new countries, were called and considered lazy, dirty, less intelligent and some times even criminals. These allegations were unjust and inhumane, and in many instances took years to overcome. But mankind has a very short memory. Today, in exactly the same way, millions of migrants entering Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Holland and Britain, to name a few, are now experiencing the same prejudice. Xenophobia, racism and a fear of the unknown is producing some of the worst anti-migrant sentiments to be seen in Europe in recent history. I just wonder what Italy and Spain would look like today if the millions of people that left had stayed home. Probably both countries would have been as underdeveloped as they were just a few decades ago. It is a bad sign for a democratic and free Europe that two countries that used to export a great number of workers, are now the driving forces behind the hard-line being adopted in Europe to kick out workers and families that are looking for a better life. The Italian Parliament has just ratified a law that forces every work permit waiver to be identified by fingerprints. The Spanish Government is soon to follow. At the European Union top meeting in Seville at the end of June, this issue will be brought up and, if the few progressive forces in the European countries do not turn it down, we will soon experience many tragedies. It is an illusion to believe, as it would appear Tony Blair does, that one can stop desperate and hungry people from landing by using military force. Or that introducing humiliating methods such as fingerprinting, will counter-act the predicament that motivates people to leave their country in the first place. A productive investment in the countries where migration originates from, is a far better way to solve the problem. People do not want to move unless they absolutely have to. If Berlusconi, Aznar, Blair and others want to use their powers at hand, then they should use it to repress the traffic controlled by mafia and gangsters in many countries, including Italy, Spain and Britain. Prime ministers, go back to your own history and read about what happened to all migrant workers and learn. Your memory needs to be refreshed.