Migrants from Pakistan and Afghanistan have arrived in large numbers in the historic Italian town of L’Aquila, a city with a population of just over 70,000 in central Italy. This surge in arrivals is attributed to an Afghan TikToker, known online as Hayatkhan2.0, who has been posting videos recommending L’Aquila as a favorable place for migrants to settle.
One 19-year-old Afghan migrant reported being directed away from seeking asylum at the prefect's office in L'Aquila, despite having paid over €13,000 to people-smuggling gangs to reach Europe. Another migrant, Ismail Khojni, heard about L’Aquila from others at Rome's bus station, suggesting that information about the town's supposed ease of asylum is spreading through migrant networks, influenced by social media. TikTok accounts like Hayatkhan2.0 are reportedly gaining traction by posting in Pashto, a dialect common in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, and offering advice on which cities provide faster asylum processes.
The Mayor of L’Aquila, Pierluigi Biondi, confirmed an investigation into the sudden influx is underway, noting the town's mountainous location and questioning the motive behind directing migrants there. He stated that L’Aquila lacks the facilities to accommodate such a large number of new arrivals and that if the town had proactively welcomed them, news would have spread rapidly on social media, leading to a much larger, unmanageable influx. This situation is contrasted with Italy's experience in Lampedusa, a common arrival point.
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini commented that the European Union is facilitating this influx of migrants into Italy, claiming it threatens the country's social and economic fabric and values. Currently, the migrants in L’Aquila are rel... download the app to read more
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