Violante: “The left must take the issue of immigration seriously”

To put the current debate on immigration and security into context, Luciano Violante makes a preliminary remark: “We are now in a pre-election climate. Emotions are running high and, as always, reason is the first casualty.” The issue at the moment is Ceuta, where thousands of migrants are arriving in Spain from Morocco: the Italian government has suspended the Schengen Agreement, whilst Vannacci is under fire. The opposition is attacking Giorgia Meloni and the right. “What has happened in Ceuta has very little to do with immigration. It is clearly an organised exodus aimed at putting pressure on the government in Madrid, due to the positions taken by Sánchez on that part of the Sahara disputed between Morocco and Algeria,” says Violante – a former Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and magistrate – who has seen all phases of the left, from the Italian Communist Party (PCI) to the Democratic Party (PD). “The governments will decide on Schengen. However, the issue of managing migration flows remains open.” The right, amidst naval blockades and closed borders, is proposing a radical, opportunistic but recognisable solution. And the opposition? “I believe that the left, too, must take this issue seriously and devise a strategy on immigration. If they were actually to form a government tomorrow, what policies would they put in place?”, asks Violante. And this is no trivial question. “Immigration is a complex phenomenon, which cannot be tackled with hasty measures born of excessive sensitivity or emotional reactions. In Europe we also face a major demographic challenge, whilst many people would like to come here. The problem that the centre-left – and others – must address is how to ensure that immigrants can receive training in their country of origin and arrive in Italy with specific skills.”

Meanwhile, the opposition is home to a range of viewpoints, and this inevitably makes reaching a consensus more complicated. “On the one hand, there are viewpoints closer to the Church’s stance. On the other, there are more rigid positions. But in any case, we are unable to support a blanket policy of acceptance. Giving migrants the false impression that they can all be welcomed here in Italy is a huge mistake, because we know how it ends up. Those who do not enter the labour market end up in the world of drugs, prostitution and crime.” This creates security issues, another area where the progressive camp struggles to impose its own vision. “Security often concerns the most vulnerable, and so the left should address it.” However, it does not always seem to do so effectively. “Security, in any case, is not a single problem, but a series of problems. Generally speaking, I don’t believe there is any state of emergency in the country. If anything, there are isolated incidents, but we’re not talking about systemic phenomena.” Recently, there was the case of the clashes between the No Tav protesters and the police. “The mistake in that case was allowing the protesters access to the construction site. The access points should have been blocked; it was known they were coming.” But security policies are another matter: “It’s about devising and implementing a series of policies concerning the policing of the streets, education, and the relationship between society and marginalised people. We need a holistic approach. Merely threatening years in prison is nothing but repressive illusion,” says Violante.

Still on the subject of the centre-left and security, the figure of former police chief Franco Gabrielli has been gaining prominence in recent weeks. What do you think of him? “I hold him in high regard. All professionals can lend a hand, but there’s no such thing as a magic solution. One person alone isn’t enough. Instead, we need strategies and ideas that the governing parties must pursue. Indeed,” concludes Violante, “on an issue such as security, it would be good if the majority and the opposition could find some common ground.”