Asylum Seekers Hold 'We Want Freedom to Pass the Border' Sign as Italian Police Clear Camp

Italian police dressed in riot gear cleared migrants and refugees from a makeshift camp near Ventimiglia, on the Italy-France border, on Wednesday, August 30, following a tense standoff. After hearing about the impending operation to clear the site, 20 members of the pro-refugee activist group, “No Borders,” and 30 asylum seekers moved to the shoreline before police arrived in the early hours of Wednesday morning, AFP reported.

The site near the French border has been home to scores of people, up to 250 on any given day, since June, when it became one of the first flashpoints of the refugee crisis in Europe.

The order to clear the area was reportedly given by the prosecutor of Imperia, because the people living there were using electricity and water without paying for it. Credit: YouTube/Riviera24