Syrian refugees in Italy and growing racism

Abstract

The number of people who migrate due to economic, political, war, geographical conditions or other reasons is increasing day by day. Especially as a result of the Syrian civil war that started in 2011, millions of people had to migrate to different countries. Members of the European Union (EU) are countries that are the target of immigration.

In the Member States of the European Union, the procedures to be applied to refugees from third countries to the borders of the Union are set out in the Dublin Convention. According to the Dublin Convention, refugees should apply for asylum in the country where they enter EU territory. Italy is the closest EU member to the territory of Africa. Hence, every year, hundreds of people are trying to reach the coasts of Italy via illegal roads. The number of people who lost their lives due to illegal immigration in the Mediterranean in only 2 years is around 8 thousand. Therefore, Italy takes measures to protect its borders.

It is also argued that the measures taken have led to an increase in racist attacks in the country. In the last 1 year, the Italian press has reported that the cases of racial violence have tripled. After the Syrian crisis, about 500 thousand people came to Italy. The Syrians, who are trying to survive under difficult conditions with insufficient admission policies, are also exposed to growing racist attacks.

With this study, it tried to explain the problems of Italy with the refugees after the Syrian Crisis, the measures it has taken and the increasing racism dimension in recent years. The research was conducted by scanning literature and media.