Asylum Seekers and Refugees Break out of Camp in Lampedusa

More than 1,000 asylum-seekers broke out of an Italian reception center on the island of Lampedusa and marched to the town hall a day after the U.N. criticised conditions at the camp. Police said the group forced open the gates of the camp and marched peacefully to the nearby town center. The New York Times reports:

Nearly 2,000 people are crammed into the camp, where Italian authorities hold people picked up or rescued trying to cross the Mediterranean from North Africa in small boats. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) made a rare criticism of Italy on Friday, expressing concern about the camp which it says is only built to accommodate 850 people.

Originally a temporary stop for people waiting for transfer to other centres in Italy, the camp's role has changed this year with tough new immigration rules meaning all those rescued are kept in Lampedusa until being granted asylum or expelled.

Hundreds of people are now sleeping outdoors under plastic sheeting, with overcrowding creating what the UNHCR called a "difficult humanitarian situation".

Local residents on the island held a peaceful protest on Friday against Italian government plans to build a new camp there to identify and expel illegal immigrants.

About three quarters of migrants reaching Italy by sea last year applied for asylum, of whom half got refugee status or protection on other humanitarian grounds, the UNHCR said.