Solidarity and actions against the violent evictions in Milan
The dramatic news from Milan are just the latest in a long series relating to evictions, often violent, violating the right to housing and human rights of the inhabitants of this city.
The forced evictions are violations of the Article. 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, ratified by Italy with Law no. 881 on 09.05.1978, to be observed by all public authorities and prevailing over other laws. General Comments N. 4 and N. 7 of the UN Committee on the Rights on Article 11 ICESCR, prohibit all forced evictions, without any distinction between tenant, owner, occupant, particularly the evictions without agreed, decent and respectful of human rights.
In Milan and in many other cities of Italy the evictions, even violent, are unfortunately commonplace.
So the inhabitants organizations, such as the community centers and the Unione Inquilini
(Tenants Union), are engaged daily to resist the evictions and, for some time, they are demanding their moratorium.
For these reasons we have decided to transfer from Geneva to Milan the 4th Session of the International Tribunal of Evictions (9-10 October 2014)
in the framework of the World Zero Eviction Days
of October. The Recommendations
, compiled by a Jury of international experts on the basis of the cases received, were delivered with a sit-in under the Prefecture of Milan
, to the European Ministers of social cohesion gathered those days in the city. In particular, we have formally requested the Prefect of Milan to implement an immediate moratorium on all evictions.
So, first, we confirm the utmost solidarity with the people evicted and the inhabitants organizations that support them. Enforce the law must begin by the social use of hundreds of thousands of vacant housing because of speculation, first the more than 9,000 of public property in Milan, even with the requisition and the self recovery, not by violent evictions.
At the same time, we send a formal warning to the Prefect of Milan to respect of the L. 881/78 by immediately stopping the use of public force in evictions. A stop to be extended throughout Italy.
In addition, we asked Leilani Farha, Special Rapporteur of the United Nations on the Right to Housing, to remind the Italian authorities their legal obligation to comply with the regulations, to shed light on the violence that accompanied the recent evictions in Milan, to ask for their immediate end and for the repair of the damage suffered by the people involved.
It goes without saying that the International Alliance of Inhabitants subscribe the proposed Call for solidarity and that we are committed to disseminate it internationally.
The Unione Inquilini has already issued a statement on 20/11/14: Milan: Evictions at Giambellino, Arrests unworthy of a civilized society
.