By Sarah Lafen
Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

BUDAPEST, Hungary — Eight people have been hospitalized as the result of a massive brawl at a migrant processing center in the southern Hungarian town Kiskunhalas.  The refugee camp at Kiskunhalas is one of three closed camps in Hungary where asylum seekers are processed.  Over 200 asylum seekers participated in the fight, and approximately 200 police officers were sent to the camp to subdue the uprising.

Though the exact cause of the fight is not clear, Gyorgy Bakondi, chief advisor to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, believes the fight was triggered when a group of 20 asylum seekers from Algeria, Syria, Pakistan, and Mongolia threw furniture at each other.  Bakondi also stated that other incidents have occurred at the camp within the past week.

Through a report released in mid-July, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) denounced Hungary for “cruel and violent treatment” of migrants in April and May.  The report accused police officers and soldiers manning the camp of beating refugees, then forcing them to return to Serbia.  Other human rights organizations have recently admonished Hungary for breaking its legal obligations to accept war refugees by making it nearly impossible for those seeking asylum to attain refugee status in the country.  The Hungarian government rejected these accusations, stating that the HRW misconstrued the rules of asylum proceedings.

As of July 5, any illegal migrant detained by Hungarian authorities within 8 kilometers of the Hungarian Serbian border can be returned the Serbia without any legal processing in Hungary.  Hundreds of migrants each day enter Hungary through Serbia, who enter Serbia through Macedonia and Bulgaria.  A majority of these migrants are expelled from Hungary and are sent back to Serbia.  Fearing a backup of migrants as a result of this new system, Serbia has deployed army and police teams to better patrol its borders.  Serbian Prime Minister Aleksander Vucic emphasizes that Serbia cannot be a “parking ground” for migrants whom no other European country is willing to accept.

For more information, please see:

Global Post — Migrants Injured in Mass Brawl at Hungary Refugee Camp — 18 July 2016

The Irish Times — Migrants Brawl in Hungarian Camp as Border Tensions Grown — 18 July 2016

Reuters — Migrants Fight in Hungarian Camp Near Serbian Border, Nine Injured — 18 July 2016

By Sarah Lafen

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

BERLIN, Germany — In what authorities are calling the most violent protest in Berlin in over five years, 3,500 leftist protestors marched Saturday through Friedrichshain to oppose the gentrification of a district in the eastern part of the city.  Over the past decade, investment money has flowed into the German capital, making its way to previously run-down neighborhoods of Berlin.  This surge has increased rents in neighborhoods formerly home to artists and squatters.

The protest began peacefully, and police used a helicopter to monitor the crowd.  The scene quickly turned violent as missiles, cobblestones, firecrackers, flares, and glass bottles were eventually thrown at the police officers.  123 of the 1,800 officers on scene were injured, and 86 protestors were arrested on charges of disturbing the peace, resisting arrest, causing injury, and illegal use of explosives.  Police used tear gas, pepper spray, and billy clubs to break up the riot.  Residents who live in housing collectives in the neighborhood banged spoons on pots and pans in support of the leftist squatters.

Since June, there have been movements to evict squatters on the land in furtherance of efforts to gentrify neighborhoods that have been home to the squatters for decades.  The eviction of a house called “Rige Street 94” (R94) occupied by squatters in Friedrichshain on June 22 sparked the onset of aggressive demonstrations, the smashing of shop windows, and the burning of dozens of cars in opposition to the gentrification movement.

These leftist activists protest the invasion of what they call “yuppies” and “big shots” into the area of Berlin which they currently occupy.  Various leftist websites have supported the anti-gentrification movement, encouraging their followers to cause as much disruption as possible to voice their opposition to the gentrification.

Frank Henkel, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, categorized the riots as “arbitrary terror” and stated that his political party will not allow “lawless areas” to exist in any part of Berlin, including R94.

For more information, please see:

BBC — Berlin Riot : 123 Police Injured in Anti-Gentrification Protest — 10 July 2016

NY Times — Berlin Protests in Support of Squatters Turn Violent — 10 July 2016

Wall Street Journal — Berlin Leftist Rioting Leaves 120 Police Officers Injured — 10 July 2016

Breitbart — Berlin Rocked by Nightly Riots from Left-Wing Extremists — 5 July 2016

By Sarah Lafen

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

ROME, Italy —  The Italian Police have issued detention orders for 38 people suspected of smuggling migrants into Italy.  On Monday morning, 23 of the 38 people were taken into custody. Those arrested were were a mix of Eritreans, Ethiopians, and Italians.  The remaining suspects who have not yet been caught are all South African nationals.  These arrests occurred in ten different cities across Italy including Rome, Palermo, and Milan.

Investigations last May led to the discovery of the large migrant-smuggling network between Italy and Africa.  According to the investigation, migrants paid smugglers through a system called ‘hawala’ which is a cash transfer system based entirely on trust, and leaves no paper trail.

Investigators were able to gain more insight into the network through the testimony of Nuredin Wehabrebi Atta, an Eritrean man who was arrested in 2014 for his connection to the smuggling network.  Atta’s testimony led to the police raid of a perfume store in central Rome.  Migrants would bring cash to the store and give the cash to two intermediaries who were then caught on film transferring the money to smugglers in several African nations via the hawala system.  At the perfume store, Italian police seized nearly €526,000 ($600,000) and $25,000 in cash, as well as an address book with the names and phone numbers of members involved in the migrant-smuggling network.  According to Atta, migrants who were unable to pay in cash for their voyages were involved in the removal and selling of their organs.

Smugglers utilize different schemes to illegally transport the migrants into Italy.  Palermo Prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi singled out the two main hubs of the network – Sicily and Rome.  The smugglers often organize fake events in Italy, such as weddings or family reunions, to allow the migrants to stay in the country legally.  Lo Voi also revealed another network scheme which involved legal migrants within Italy falsely stating that they had relatives who wanted to reach them in Italy.  This scheme operates under the Italian law which gives immediate family members who live outside of Italy permission to enter the country.  Smugglers will also scoop up migrants who were brought to Sicily after being rescued from a ship, so they can bring them to alleged family members in northern European countries.

For more information, please see:

ABC – Italy Detains 38 in Crackdown on Migrant Trafficking Ring — 4 July 2016

Daily Mail — Italian Police Smash Suspected People-Smuggling Ring, Arrest Dozens — 4 July 2016

Express — Italian Police Arrest 33 People Suspected of Smuggling Thousands of Migrants into Europe — 4 July 2016

The Telegraph — Migrants who Cannot Pay are being Sold for Organs, Smuggler Tells Italian Authorities — 4 July 2016

The Wall Street Journal — Italian Police Arrest 23 in Fresh Crackdown on Migrant Smuggling — 4 July 2016

By Sarah Lafen

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

LONDON, England — Britain’s exit from the European Union (EU) is likely to signal a massive influx of immigration into the country from other European Nations as well as from countries around the world.  Negotiations regarding Brexit are expected to take at least two years.

Until those negotiations are final and Britain formally withdraws from the EU, Britain is obligated to continue to grant access to any EU citizen who wishes to enter the country.  An estimated 500,000 Eastern Europeans are predicted to migrate into Britain within the next two years, before Britain’s borders close.  Chris Grayling, a senior minister on the Leave side of the government, predicts Britain will take some action to restrict a huge influx of migrants prior to Britain’s official withdrawal if necessary, however states that doing so would break EU rules of free movement between the countries.

Trade between Britain and EU countries will play a major role in the maintenance, decrease, or increase of immigration into Britain post-Brexit.  If Britain chooses to maintain free trade with the EU, they can remain in the European Economic Area (EEA).  By remaining in the EEA, Britain would have to keep free movement of labor, which would have little effect on the country’s economic and immigration levels.  If Britain chooses to leave the EEA, other EU nations might feel “scorned” by Britain’s departure, and could demand the imposition of certain immigration policies in return for free trade with Britain.  Britain may choose not to remain in the EEA, however, since one of the platforms of the Leave campaign includes the goal of regaining control over immigration into the country.  The Leave campaign maintains their stance on immigration control despite research which has shown that immigration into Britain has helped bolster the country’s economy.

Some predict that Britain will pursue a more selective immigration process once their exit from the EU is complete.  Such a system might mirror that which is currently used in Canada and Australia – a point-based system which invites skilled migration into the country.  This system puts a cap on how many people are admitted into the country per profession.  Britain currently uses a point system to grant visas to non-EU immigrants, however it is unclear whether or not that system will change in light of Brexit.

EU citizens who are currently residing in Britain will be allowed to remain in Britain indefinitely.

For more information, please see:

NY Times — A Lesson From ‘Brexit’: On Immigration, Feelings Trump Facts — 26 June 2016

Mirror — Brexit to Cause Immigration Surge as 500,000 Eastern Europeans ‘Will Rush in Before Borders Close’ — 25 June 2016

Financial Times — What Will Brexit Mean for Immigration? — 24 June 2016

The Daily Signal — How Immigration Fueled the Brexit Result — 23 June 2016

CNN — Brexit: What Will Immigration Look Like if Britain Leaves the EU? — 20 June 2016

By Sarah Lafen

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

WARSAW, Poland — On Friday, the Northern Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) wrapped up a 10-day training exercise simulating a Russian attack on Poland.  NATO sent over 30,000 troops, military vehicles, aircraft, and ships from over 20 countries to the military base in Wederzyn, Poland to take part in military drills and exercises.  This joint-military effort is the largest since the end of the Cold War, and is a part of Anakonda 2016 – a Polish national exercise which seeks to train national forces into an allied, multinational environment.

American units, as well as non-NATO forces such as Sweden and Finland, participated in the training drills in Poland.  Drills included collaborative helicopter attacks which included communications between Polish pilots and American air traffic controllers, hiking through dense forests, clearing houses room-by-room, and live fire drills.  The goal of these training exercises was to train Poland, along with other Eastern-European forces which used to be allied with the Soviet, to work together with the United States and Western European troops.

Many view the joint-military effort as one of prudent preparation.  Polish Defense Minister Antoni Maciarewicz states that they now feel prepared for “the worst” and for “any bad eventualities.”  Evelyn Farkas of the Atlantic Counsel characterized this joint-military effort as one which will send a message to Russia that NATO is prepared to respond if Russia attempts to “step…into one of our allied countries.”  NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said the alliance has maintained communication with Russia throughout Anakonda 2016, however “practical cooperation” has been suspended since the 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Some leaders view the preparation and training as dangerous.  John Mearsheimer, a University of Chicago political scientist who specializes in European security issues, calls the training a dangerous “poke at the Russian bear,” and thinks it will be perceived by Russia as a threat which will give them more motivation to invade the Baltic States.   German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeir categorized the NATO training as “counterproductive to regional security,” and instead urged NATO to replace the training drills with more cooperation with Russia.

Russia has also spoken out against Anakonda 2016.  Vladimir Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters that the “war games” of Anakonda 2016 “do not contribute to the atmosphere of trust and safety on the continent.”

For more information, please see:

NBC — Huge NATO Drills in Poland Prepare West for Possible Conflict with Russia — 19 June 2016

BBC — German Minister Warns NATO Against ‘Warmongering’ — 18 June 2016

NPR — NATO War Games in Poland Get Russia’s Attention — 17 June 2016

U.S. Army Europe — What is Anakonda?