Four men, Tunisians and Egyptians, are accused of setting fires inside a deportation center in Turin, Italy. However, after their arrest, they were released by the judge, who said that it was not legally a “fire” because it was not destructive enough, despite numerous people suffering injuries and toxic smoke inhalation. In addition, the migrants in question reportedly blocked staff from trying to put out the fire.
The ruling has caused shock due to the fact that one of the men directly warned before he set the fire with a ligher, reportedly announcing: “Now, I am going to set everything on fire.”
The main suspect reportedly lit a flame that started a fire in the bathroom of room 2 in the Yellow Wing of the deportation center (CRS) in Corso Brunelleschi in Turin. After the fire spread, a cloud of smoke “invaded the entire area, endangering the safety of all operators.”
The news outlet La Stampa describes a “riot” in the deportation center, one of many that have occurred in recent months.
However, after four arrests during these riots, all of the suspects were released after just two nights in prison at the Vallette facility, after an order from investigating judge Francesca Morelli ruled that the charge against them could not be “fire” but rather “damage followed by fire.” This lesser charge allowed for the “immediate release” of the suspects.
The judge noted that it was not legally a “fire,” because it did not become a “a destructive fire of notable proportions” as “criminal legislation provides.”
The judge questioned the plan to start a riot between the four men, saying it was “outdated in light of their statements.” The fire, she reiterated, was neither “an event voluntarily carried out” nor “a combustion of large proportions.”
However, police presented a different picture, and prosecutor Elisa Buffa charged the men with arson, aggravated injury, and threats.
Her court document stated: “The fire also spread and contaminated rooms occupied by others, generating toxic smoke that made it impossible to breathe, even though the fire had been extinguished with fire hydrants, also thanks to the intervention of the firefighters.”
Reportedly, the incident began with a 40-year-old Tunisian who was in the center for 40 days and was increasingly desperate to return home. He grew angry that his passport had not arrived yet and told other detainees that he was growing nervous before telling them he was going to start a fire.
Police say he worked with three other migrants to start a fire in the center and carry out a riot.
When the fire started, the group attacked one staff member who attempted to put it out, including by throwing a plastic bottle. Another staff member was threatened.
Firefighters arrived and had difficulty controlling the flames, which spread smoke due to a strong wind that “caused smoke to spread throughout the area and endangered the safety of the workers who intervened.”
The assaulted staff member was taken to Martini Hospital while the four suspects were arrested.
One arrested man said, “I’ve been in Italy for 16 years, and yet they put me in the CPR. My document expired, and they didn’t renew it because I didn’t show up on the right day. My friend keeps promising that he will return to Tunisia, and yet he too is forced to stay there. What’s the point?”
There is a long history of migrants setting fire to their own reception and deportation centers in Europe, often out of protest or in the hope that they will be transferred to a new country or facility.
