Palermo mayor: refugee crisis 'a genocide'

DW: Mr Orlando, how many refugees' corpses had to be taken in at Palermo port on Thursday?

Leoluca Orlando: We had to provide coffins for 25 people. Among them were three young children who were not much more than a year old. It's a tragedy. No, it's more than a tragedy - it's genocide.

Genocide is a very strong word. So in your opinion Europe is committing mass murder, genocide against Syrians, Eritreans and Afghans?

If the whole of Europe could see what is happening in Palermo then it would be ashamed of itself. The refugees come from all sorts of countries, including Bangladesh. They have a long journey behind them, first to Libya and then to Europe by the sea. Europe must show responsibility for the genocide of these people.

The EU is violating basic principles upon which it was built.

It's a disgrace that Europe doesn't understand that migration should not be punished with death. This spring, the city council adopted the 2015 Palermo Charter. For us, mobility is a human right. We advocate the abolishment of resident permits. Every Italian, Briton or German can travel to Bangladesh. However, the European right of entry can be a death sentence for a Bangladeshi refugee.

What happened to the survivors who arrived in your city today?

There's humanity at our port. There are charities here that provide food for the survivors. Today, we welcomed almost 300 survivors. The relatives of the deceased will definitely stay here at first to mourn near their loved ones. Others will continue to travel north.

Is your city not overwhelmed by the number of boats arriving there?

Yes, the shelters are full, but we're nevertheless always ready to welcome these people. We have no tents for migrants. After their trauma they need permanent homes. This is a human right, at least for us in Palermo, in Sicily.

Today, the cameras were in your city. Will Europe forget tomorrow what happened in the south of the continent?

We can not accept this logic of the media. Today, they reported about the 25 corpses which have been brought to Palermo. But there are hundreds of deaths each month which nobody talks about.

What are you asking of Brussels?

Brussels should simply remember that the European Union no longer makes sense without human rights.

Leoluca Orlando has intermittently been the mayor of Palermo, Sicily, since 1985. He is deemed as the town hall leader who largely freed the city from the Mafia.