(AFP) “It’s just words, words,” complains Pino D’Aietti, who like many residents of the tiny island of Lampedusa feels abandoned by Italy’s politicians — except when a surge in migrant arrivals makes the headlines.
The 78-year-old retired plumber is sitting outside a restaurant on the island, where anti-immigration leader Matteo Salvini has spent the past two days as part of his campaign for September 25 elections.
Located between Sicily and Tunisia, Lampedusa is known for its beaches and turquoise waters, but also as the landing point for thousands of migrants on boats from north Africa.
On Thursday, Salvini visited the migrant reception centre where as many as 1,500 mostly young men were packed this week in a facility meant for 350.
