The theme of hospitality for immigrants is now extremely relevant, not only in Italy but in the whole of Europe. For a few years, the association Oxfam Italia has been carrying out an initiative with the objective of helping the integration of a few groups of refugees who, after a taxing journey, have arrived on the hills of Chianti, in Tuscany. They are often people victim of abuse and exploitation, whose only desire is to improve their quality of life, and who are escaping from even more problematic conditions.
On the 4th November last, the association organized a trekking day in the Chianti area: a shared journey of 9 kilometres aiming at bringing people together and creating human relationships by simply walking together. Accompanied by music and good wine, the participants discussed the dramatic theme of the exodus millions of immigrants experience every day, stimulating a deep reflection on such a current topic.
The initiative was conceived and promoted by the association Oxfam Italia in collaboration with the city of Gaiole, the wine farm Badia in Coltibuono, Gaiole’s Pro Loco and the Trekking Group Berardegna.
Many were the participants in the excursion, with some coming from the neighbouring areas, who have this way shown their solidarity and their will to concretely help the immigrants. Everybody else can still support the initiative though, signing the petition “Welcoming Europe”, also backed by Oxfam Italia. It is an Italian project aiming at promoting a different model of hospitality taking into consideration three main themes: favouring solidarity among people, creating safe passages for the immigrants and supporting human rights.
Most people in fact don’t know that in 12 EU countries supplying food and water to the refugees, financing their passage and offering them accommodation is illegal. Since 1990, 34.000 immigrants have died trying to reach the European coasts. The ones who have survived this ordeal have often been exploited, abused and denied basic human rights, which should apply to anybody, whatever the colour of their skin or their religion are. Signing this petition would therefore mean opposing the dramatic consequences of an issue regarding us all, without exception.
We read on the petition’s website: “It is an instrument of direct democracy with which we can address the European Commission and Parliament, and have these instances debated: the change of the European policies on immigration, the creation of new safe passages for the refugees and the protection of victims of abuse, exploitation and violation of human rights.”
The association is hoping to collect a million signatures from 7 different EU countries by February 2019. The objective of this petition is to advocate hospitality, solidarity and tolerance, encouraging humanitarian aid.
