(CNN) -- The message blaring out of the speakers on the van was stark: "Any black person who is hiding in Rosarno should get out. If we catch you, we will kill you."

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/01/11/italy.migrant.violence/index.html

(CNN) -- The message blaring out of the speakers on the van was stark: "Any black person who is hiding in Rosarno should get out. If we catch you, we will kill you."

Abdul Rashid Muhammad Mahmoud Iddris got out.

He's one of hundreds -- perhaps thousands -- of African migrants taken by bus out of the Italian town over the weekend after violent demonstrations shook southern Italy.

The unrest was among the worst of its kind in recent Italian history, said a spokesman for the International Organization for Migration.

"We have not witnessed such protests in a long time," said Flavio Di Giacomo. "There were several thousand, but I don't know exactly how many people were involved."

Interior Minister Roberto Maroni got involved Friday, declaring an "immigration emergency" and forming a task force under the authority of regional police to guarantee public order.

It was the shooting of an African migrant that sparked two days of protests, Iddris told CNN by telephone from Italy. He said the shooting was unprovoked. Police said they were investigating the circumstances of the shooting.

Iddris lived with other migrants in an abandoned factory outside Rosarno, he said.

On Thursday, a BMW pulled up outside the factory, a man got out, shot one of the Africans living there, 26-year-old Ayiva Saibou, and drove off.

A passing policeman told Iddris and his friends it was not his job to help the wounded man, so they called the Red Cross to take the man to a hospital for treatment, Iddris said. Press reports said Saibou -- who is a native of Togo with regular working papers -- was shot with a compressed air gun.

A few hours after the shooting, a group of about 300 immigrants poured into to the street where the incident took place earlier. "They put on an angry demonstration, hampering the free circulation in the streets, damaging garbage bins, hitting with sticks and rocks numerous passing cars," according to a police report.

Iddris and his friends then decided to march to Rosarno's town hall to protest.

"About 2,000 people came -- all of us," he said. "It started about 6 or 7 in the evening, a few hours after he was shot."

But police forced the demonstrators to turn back, threatening them with tear gas, Iddris said. Six or seven people were arrested, he said.

Police attempted talking with the immigrants, but negotiations did not produce positive results, according to a police statement.

The next morning, Friday, the immigrants tried again, playing drums as they tried to march from the factory to Rosarno's town hall, he said.

That's when they heard the warning.

"People took a van, an information van with speakers, saying any black person who is hiding in Rosarno should get out, if they catch anyone they will kill him," Iddris said.

Iddris -- who is originally from Sudan and has been in Italy for about 18 months, first as an asylum seeker and then without legal documentation, and who picks oranges in season -- said police arrested another 10 to 20 people at Friday's demonstration.

Italian press reports said the demonstrators had burned cars.

Later on Friday, Iddris said, police arranged for buses to move the Africans away from Rosarno to another village.

But the new location was no safer, he said. Police had to keep locals and migrants physically separated Saturday.

"They said they would take us to another place. They said it's dangerous now for blacks to stay there," he said.

Hundreds of people were driven north to Bari on Italy's east coast and Naples on its west coast, Iddris said. He was on one of six buses, each with 45 to 50 people, taken to Bari.

"Right now we don't know what is next," he said Monday.

Pope Benedict XVI spoke out against the violence in his weekly address on Sunday.

"An immigrant is a human being, different by background, culture and tradition, but a person to be respected," he said.

"Violence must never be a way to resolve difficulties," he said, urging people "to look at the face of the other and discover that he, too, has a soul, a story and a life. He is a person and God loves him just as He loves me."

Di Giacomo, the International Organization for Migration spokesman, said Italy has many migrants, often from Africa, living in conditions bordering on slavery.

The migrants who demonstrated last week "were exploited. They were just paid 20 euros (about $29) per day and they lived in slums, the same as slavery conditions. A few months ago in (the southern Italian region of) Campagna we discovered a similar situation. It's unfortunately a reality in many places, especially in southern Italy."

Italy is one of the top European destinations for migrants, the migration organization's figures show. More than 3.6 million legal migrants live in the country -- 6.2 percent of the total population -- and Italy has the European Union's highest annual growth rate of migrants, along with Spain.

It's hard to know exactly how many illegal immigrants there are in the country, Di Giacomo said.

"It is not controlled in any way. They change the area where they work because of the season of the year -- oranges in the winter, tomatoes in the summer," he said. "With economic migrants, many of them arrive with tourist visas and overstay seeking work. They can arrive in so many ways," including paying traffickers thousands of dollars to smuggle them into the country.

Not all the workers involved in the demonstrations were undocumented, he said -- but the line between legal and illegal can be porous.

"Some have lost their jobs, and in Italy if you lose your job you have six months to find work or you become illegal," he said.

Italian media have speculated that the Mafia was behind the shooting that triggered the violence.

But Di Giacomo said it was not important whether they were or not.

"We don't know if the Mafia is involved, but the point is not really the Mafia," he said. "The point is that the conditions for these migrants are so inhuman that they can lead to some violent reactions."

You do know Nordic simply means North man right.

It is really silly for you to use that name cause there are several northern points on the earth depending on where you are located.

It just goes to show how you surely are the most grimaldi of your species, North man

"You do know Nordic simply means North man right. "

No it doesnt. Read up on it.

NordicRace:

"You do know Nordic simply means North man right. "

No it doesnt. Read up on it.

I've read up on "Nordic" my pale faced northern homo sapien brother.

Its ethmology is conjured up from the old Norse mythology

It is synanymous with Northen European origins aka North men.

and I thought you were at least a bright pale faced fellow, of course in the end you will reveal your stupidity

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=Nordic&searchmode=none

thats good. africans should go back home and build their own countries. let those fucking greasy italians pick their own fruits. bastards.

Moderator; why not ban this racialistic Bastard. I wish i could hit you, silly cow why not talk about your own down fall and stop hating on great africans, Many people here are still better than you, you've got nothing to offer than your racial discrimination. Oloshi oloriburuku

racism atleast i'v learnt what nordic means

there is absolutely nothing wrong in telling an illegal immigrant to leave a country, even the bible is against entering a house via the window. I know that the population of nigerians will be more.

The situation is quite different and the facts reported in the article are not correct.
Here's how it went:
1)most of big land owners near that city have links with 'ndrangheta (the local sort of mafia in that region of italy).
2)illegal immigrants are often hired to pick up fruints in oranges and mandarini plantation.
3)often, after the seasonal campaign, 'ndrangheta men try some dirty tricks in order not to pay those workers (the initial shooting was one of these and was an intimidatory attempt to warn them against claiming the wages they had to receive - if a 'ndrangheta man want to kill you, then you are dead, he does not shoot and miss).
4) those workers were -comprensibly- outraged and manifested against that.
however, in doing so they burned several cars and smashed a few shops - which had nothing to do with the situation
5) local peole -which had nothing to do with the situation, but found their car burned or their shop smashed- got angry with that because they felt attacked, and ended up supporting 'ndrangheta raids.

so, in synthesys, this is a mess, both sides are wrong, the immigrant workers are a bit more right, but it has nothing to do with racism or colonization less

:-x

I hope my ishan queen Michelin89 was not among the protesters tho

From the words of the the African hero FELA

NIGERIANS ARE SUFFERING FROM COLONIAL MENTALITY WHICH IS WHY THEY ACCEPT IDIOTs LIKE NORDIC RACE SPEWING RUBBISH LIKE THIS


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usnznJZ0XvA

who the h.ell is this "nordicRace'? punk ass.ed racist.
this is unadulterated racism.

morpheus24:

You do know Nordic simply means North man right.

It is really silly for you to use that name cause there are several northern points on the earth depending on where you are located.

It just goes to show how you surely are the most grimaldi of your species, North man
[/quo
so NordicRace simply means 'North man race' thanks for the lesson.

Why are blacks the dogs of the human race?
i tire!!

Everytime there's anything black masses, they are being shooed like herbivores.
Tufiakwa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hackney:

Why are blacks the dogs of the human race?
i tire!!

Everytime there's anything black masses, they are being shooed like herbivores.
Tufiakwa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't mind Nordic he is frustrated at his government and knows he cannot reach them cause his voice is too womanly. He decieds to bent out his frustrations in this forum. Its onlyhuman to do that.

He is shouting up and down now, when he sees blood flowing and all types of people dying is when you will see the same mugu shouting. it is enough.

dimwitts like him never learn that life is jsut a repetion of cycles. its not his fault,he is not too bright.\

Hey Nordic try chillaxing to some Jazz always calms me down



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4AA6EuZe-k&feature=related

In as much as i hate racist, i don't know why Nigerians always go where they are not wanted. Please, come back home and help in solving our problems.

Spyker:

In as much as i hate racist, i don't know why Nigerians always go where they are not wanted. Please, come back home and help in solving our problems.

How have you started helping to solve the problem your self. Please list your achievements.

;d ;d

Someone needs to add Italy to the Racist "watch list", as a country of interest.

mr.official:

Must you know? Go ahead and help Nigeria.

I must know 0!

Meanwhile tell MTN to come back to Nigeria as it seems they too are dashing out the country

It says Blacks not just Nigerians. I want to know what the government is doing, they need to bring them back.

buffnaija:

thats good. africans should go back home and build their own countries. let those bleeping greasy italians pick their own fruits. bastards.

Preach my brother.

koolchicco:

I hope my ishan queen Michelin89 was not among the protesters tho 

Is Michelin89 in Italy?

racist, bleeping bastards. oya tomorrow black men go and marry onyibo women.

9ja make una value una country for once . today italy, tomorrow china etc

Nigerians will always travel round the earth. Its our nature and there is nothing anyone can do about it. You deport 100 and 1000 will come right back. (ask Libya). As per not being wanted, the earth belong to the lord,who are you to decide where we should or should not be?

As per not being wanted, the earth belong to the lord,who are you to decide where we should or should not be?

There is no such thing as god, there is n such thing as some big fairy in the sky floating ona cloud you backwards primitive african, in case you are to stupid to notice the majority of europeans are atheists.

Europe belongs to US not some figment of your imagination as for libya italy has struck a deal which allows them to catch africans at sea and send them straight back to libya. The leve of illiterate, useless africans washing up i europeans shores has decreased drastically.

nbo lo ti ja wa