Thread: Pro-Refugee George Clooney's Italian Hideaway Overrun with Migrants

Pro-Refugee George Clooney's Italian Hideaway Overrun with Migrants

What's a compassionate, multi-millionaire aristocrat to do?

7.14.2016 NewsTrey Sanchez

Now that Switzerland has closed its borders to refugees, the Italian town of Lake Como has become overrun with refugees that have no place to go. This poses a major problem to the townspeople who can't take a walk in the beautiful lakeside parks without seeing foreigners camped out on benches and streets.

Also living among the wealthy locals is Hollywood A-lister George Clooney, who enjoys a four-month stay every year in his multi-million dollar, 30-room mansion right on the lake. When he's not staying there, he rents it out to his pals Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Clooney even married his wife Amal at the residence.

But the locals don't have the same luxuries to be shielded from the realities of living there on a daily basis. The Daily Mail published quotes from their perspective:

Restaurant owner Maria Grazia told MailOnline: ‘I don’t want them here. Italy has enough problems without trying to solve the problems of the world. We [Italy] should not have to deal with these people on our own.

Europe [the EU] does nothing to help us. Now they make us – me, my family and other Italian families – pay for them.’

Housewife Federica, 55, said: ‘A small number of immigrants is not a problem but now they are so many. You see them arriving at that the San Giovanni station. They are not poor hungry refugees but they are big and strong. People here in Como don’t like them. There are simply too many of them.’

Tour guide Denise, 67, added: ‘Immigration here in Italy is a problem, a big problem because of the huge numbers who are arriving all the time.’

Chauffeur Santi, 26, said: ‘It is good for Switzerland that they have closed the border to migrants but it is bad for Italy. We simply don’t have the resources to deal with all these new people. Italy has lots of problems of our own without having to try to deal with other people’s problems. It is a complex situation.'

However, Clooney has been a very vocal supporter of refugees and personally offered to help Chancellor Angela Merkel with the refugee crisis in Germany. Not only that, while there promoting one of his movies, Clooney met one-on-one with refugee families.

But what's a compassionate, multi-millionaire aristocrat like Clooney going to do when his standard of living is compromised by having to step over migrants camped out on his lawn?

We're sure he'll invite them in. There's plenty of room!
Image Source

Pro-Refugee George Clooney's Italian Hideaway Overrun with Migrants

Added Link.
http://www.truthrevolt.org/news/pro-refugee-george-clooneys-italian-hideaway-overrun-migrants

Italy close your borders too - Greece do the same. Spain too - high unemployment rated countries should not have to accept "economic refugees". Their invading of other countries is simply because they are too cowardly to fight or organize their own countries and they want the freebies of the western societies but not their mores'. They are disrespectful of other countries' ways and will not assimilate - so why take them in & burden finances, crime, disease galore for the citizens?

Sounds familiar, "we have to pay for them" - "they are big and strong"

If I could speak to Clooney I would say " Now, how do YOU like it, b*@#h?

Mail Online article referenced above.

EXCLUSIVE - 'We don't want ANY refugees here': George Clooney's super rich Lake Como neighbours say Italian idyll is being RUINED by migrants on their doorstep after Switzerland closes its border

• Wealthy locals show little sympathy for migrants gathering in Italian idyll as makeshift camps erected across Como
• Lake Como has long served as tranquil paradise for the rich and famous including Madonna and Donatella Versace
• Hundreds of migrants sleeping in parks and railway station as Switzerland closes its border closed in crackdown
• Residents say migrants are not welcome and will stretch resources to breaking point - and deter tourists

By NICK FAGGE IN COMO, ITALY, FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 07:13 EST, 14 July 2016 | UPDATED: 09:17 EST, 14 July 2016


George Clooney's wealthy neighbours in the Alpine beauty spot of Lake Como say their Italian idyll is being ruined by the influx of hundreds of migrants to a makeshift camp on their doorstep.
The picturesque area is best known as a hide-away for Clooney and a multitude of other Hollywood A-listers includ Brad Pitt, wife Angelina Jolie, and pop superstar Madonna.
But a clamp-down by Switzerland on illegal immigrants entering the country from Italy threatens to turn this chic resort into a frontier town overrun by the homeless and desperate.



Paradise lost: George Clooney's wealthy neighbours in the Alpine beauty spot of Lake Como say their Italian idyll is being ruined by the influx of hundreds of migrants to a makeshift camp on their doorstep




Idyll: The picturesque area is best known as a hide-away for Clooney and a multitude of other Hollywood A-listers include Brad Pitt, wife Angelina Jolie, and Madonna




Anger: But a clamp-down by Switzerland on migrants entering the country from Italy threatens to turn this chic resort into a frontier town overrun by the homeless and desperate. Federica said: ‘A small number of immigrants is not a problem but now they are so many.'




Moving on: They are stuck in Lake Como because Swizerland has closed its border and they are sleeping in camps near the railway station




Rubbish: Como local authority held a referendum to decide on whether to build a permanent camp, which was rejected by the wealthy residents so now the refugees who have moved up from Italy are forced to sleep rough




Picturesque: This map shows where the camp at Como railway station is in relation to the banks of Lake Como where stars wine and dine




Gateway to Europe: Migrants are trapped in their makeshift camp at Como's railway station, which is close to George Clooney's estate as well as the luxury Villa D'Este hotel where guests include Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and former US President JFK
Restaurant owner Maria Grazia told MailOnline: ‘I don’t want them here.
‘Italy has enough problems without trying to solve the problems of the world. We [Italy] should not have to deal with these people on our own.
‘Europe [the EU] does nothing to help us. Now they make us – me, my family and other Italian families – pay for them.’
Housewife Federica, 55, said: ‘A small number of immigrants is not a problem but now they are so many.
‘You see them arriving at that the San Giovanni station. They are not poor hungry refugees but they are big and strong.
‘People here in Como don’t like them. There are simply too many of them.’
Tour guide Denise, 67, added: ‘Immigration here in Italy is a problem, a big problem because of the huge numbers who are arriving all the time.’
Chauffeur Santi, 26, said: ‘It is good for Switzerland that they have closed the border to migrants but it is bad for Italy.
‘We simply don’t have the resources to deal with all these new people.
‘Italy has lots of problems of our own without having to try to deal with other people’s problems. It is a complex situation.



Fury: Chauffeur Santi, 26, told MailOnline: ‘It is good for Switzerland that they have closed the border to migrants but it is bad for Italy. ‘We simply don’t have the resources to deal with all these new people.





Tradition: Financial consultant Emilio, 52, added: ‘Immigration is a big problem. I don’t want lots of immigrants coming to Como. ‘This will affect our jobs, our resources, and the character of our town.’




Problem: Tour guide Denise says the growing number of migrants is a problem which is only getting worse. The 67-year-old added: ‘Immigration here in Italy is a problem, a big problem because of the huge numbers who are arriving all the time.’




Not welcome: Maria Graziaand Giacoma Marito Moglie are concerned that Italy can no longer cope with the influx of migrants. Maria said: ‘I don’t want them here. ‘Italy has enough problems without trying to solve the problems of the world.'

‘It is a lack of resources that is the problem with immigration. Not that we are bad people but that he don’t have the resources to deal with all of these new people arriving in our country.’
Financial consultant Emilio, 52, said: ‘Immigration is a big problem. I don’t want lots of immigrants coming to Como.
‘This will affect our jobs, our resources, and the character of our town.’
Clooney spends up to four months a year as his lake-side 30-room Villa Oleandra which he bought in 2002, officially putting the up-market destination on the international map.
‘People here in Como don’t like them. There are simply too many of them.’

He celebrated his marriage to Amal Clooney at the £7.5 million Italian home in the picturesque village of Laglio where he keeps an impressive wine cellar and tours the lake on a motor launch.
Scenes for Clooney’s heist-movie Oceans Twelve were shot at his Villa Oleandra and actors Emily Blunt and John Krasinski were married in the grounds.
Co-star Brad Pitt and his wife Angelina Jolie are frequent house guests. Matt Bellamy, frontman of the band Muse, who has his own villa along the shore, often pops in.
However those who work and live in the area fear the area is being permanently damaged.
Simona, 27, who works in a shop, said: ‘We don’t need any more immigrants here. They are already all over the town. I really hope the situation will not get any worse. Already they sleep in the park. We don’t want people all over the streets.
‘This will only ruin the tourist trade. No one will want to come here.’



Romance: Clooney and his wife celebrated their first year of marriage in Lake Como earlier this week as locals voiced concerns about the number of migrants coming to the area




Holiday home: George Clooney bought his Lake Como property (pictured) for £7.5million in 2002 and spends four months a year here, getting a private jet and catching a boat, which is moored at the bottom of his garden

Belgian ex-pat Nico said: ‘This is a complex issue. Europe has to work together to solve this problem. Italy cannot take on the responsibility on its own.’
Italian newspapers have suggested Como could become a small ‘Ventimiglia’ – the frontier town with France where hundreds of migrants set up a camp and fought pitched battles with police last year after Paris closed the border.
The lake-side town, just a few miles from the main Italy-Switzerland border, is already home to hundreds of migrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East, with more arriving every day.
Plans to set up a purpose-built migrant camp on the outskirts of Como had to be scrapped following bad-tempered protests from locals.
Instead immigrants, who have registered a claim for asylum in Italy, are housed in up to 100 hostels throughout the town. They also receive a Euro 75-a-month subsistence allowance while the demand is processed.
Others – recent arrivals to the town and those whose asylum applications have been turned down – sleep in makeshift camps and under bridges.
Already the winding cobbled streets of Como’s old town are overrun by young Asian men hawking umbrellas, flowers and other goods. Africans sleep in the parks and North Africans chatter on their mobile phones.
Some have praised the Swiss for holding back the tide of migrants.
Ellen and Klaus from Dortmund, Germany, said: ‘Good. I’m pleased to hear that the Switzerland has closed the border. This will help Germany. We [Germany] cannot save the world on our own. Already we have taken in so many thousands of refugees.
‘We have had a lot of problems. I don’t know if you know what happened in Cologne on New Years Eve. It only takes a few to cause problems but this was serious.
‘No one minds someone who learns the language and gets a job but it’s the others.
‘Really other [EU] countries should also help.’
Others have called for European countries to act together to solve the migrant crisis.
Student Miriam 24 said: ‘Europe has turned nasty after the Brexit vote. Every country is looking for itself now, that is what I think.



Complex problem: Belgian expat Nico (pictured with his daughter) told MailOnline: 'Italy cannot take on the responsibility on its own.’










Unhappy: Ellen and Klaus from Dortmund, Germany, (left) say it is time Switzerland closed its borders while Arab Israeli Maher says everyone should be allowed to go where they want

‘But people here in Lombardy [region of Como] are open-minded. I don’t know if the town will become like Ventimiglia. But we have to work together to solve this problem with refugees.’
Tourist Arab Israeli Maher said: ‘I think everyone should be able to travel wherever they want to go. Europe is meant to be a place where you can travel without borders. This should not be just for people from Europe but for everyone from whatever country.’
We don’t need any more immigrants here. They are already all over the town. I really hope the situation will not get any worse. Already they sleep in the park. We don’t want people all over the streets.

Music superstar Madonna, fashion house empress Dontella Versace and millionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson are among his many high-rolling neighbours.
Diners at the restaurant on Isola Comacina, Lake Como’s only island, have included Princess Margaret, Kirk Douglas, Barbra Streisand, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and Elton John.
Banking heir James Rothchild proposed to hotel heiress Nicky Hilton on a boat on the 28-mile lake in the shadow of the Swiss mountains.
Como’s grand Villa d’Este hotel charges up to £2,000-a-night. Previous guests include the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, US President JFK with Marilyn Monroe and more recently although separately Madonna and Bruce Springsteen.
And Robert De Niro rubs shoulders with Clooney over cocktails at the lakeside Harry’s Bar where VIPs can enjoy a drink without fear of being photographed, just a few miles from the border.
Meanwhile African migrants at one hostel have told MailOnline how they were forced to leave Italy because their asylum applications are turned down.
If their demand is rejected they are no longer eligible to the Euro 75 per month subsistence allowance and are evicted from the hostel.




Shelter: Makeshift camps have sprung up near San Giovanni station as migrants try to cross the border as hundreds of homeless are camping there before making their onwards journeys to Germany and England





Rubbish: But their presence has spoiled the idyllic surrounding enjoyed by the wealthy inhabitants, they say as litter is strewn everywhere




Hopes: Ossas, 39, from Nigeria, said: ‘We want a new life in Italy but we have to move on because Italy often does not accept us as refugees. ‘We have all claimed asylum here in Italy but 90 per cent of claims are refused.




Dreams: Dumbuya, 23, a teacher from Mali, said: 'I had to come to Europe to save my life. ‘I have not seen my family for four years. I just want to start a new life.’

Ossas, 39, from Nigeria, said: ‘We want a new life in Italy but we have to move on because Italy often does not accept us as refugees.
‘We have all claimed asylum here in Italy but 90 per cent of claims are refused.
‘If we are refused we are given seven days to leave the hostel and we no longer receive any money.
‘So we have to sleep in the streets and try to find something to eat. That is why we try to go to other countries.’
Others explained reasons why they risked had their lives to cross the Mediterranean a seek a new life in Europe.
Dumbuya, 23, a teacher from Mali, said: ‘I am from the north of the country where there is war. I had to leave my country because of the war.
‘First I went to Libya and worked there but I was kidnapped by the Islamists and held as a prisoner. I escaped and made my way to the coast.
‘I had to come to Europe to save my life.
‘I have not seen my family for four years. I just want to start a new life.’
Lorry driver Lucky Obera, 29, fled his home in Nigeria after receiving death threats.
He said: ‘I had a crash in my lorry and killed a man. Then his family tried to kill me. I had to escape.



Superstars: Celebrities such as Madonna, Brad Pitt and his wife Angelina Jolie are frequently seen in Lake Como as is Matt Bellamy, frontman of the band Muse, who has his own villa along the shore that he shared with former wife Kate Hudson




High society: Franklin Roosevelt Jnr, son of the late US president, and wife Ethel (nee du Pont) enjoyed their honeymoon at Lake Como and Banking heir James Rothchild proposed to hotel heiress Nicky Hilton on a boat on the lake in the shadow of the Swiss mountains




Luxury: Como’s grand Villa d’Este hotel charges up to £2,000-a-night. Previous guests include the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, US President JFK with Marilyn Monroe and more recently although separately Madonna and Bruce Springsteen.

SEE VIDEO OF THE CLOONEY'S WITH MIGRANTS IN BERLIN AT THE LINK.

Idris, 23, from Senegal, fled when Islamist rebels tried to force him to become a fighter.
He said: ‘The rebels came to my village and said I had to join them in their fight. I ran away. I made my way to Libya and got on a boat.
‘It was a small rubber boat with a capacity for 80 people. But the smugglers made 150 get on boat.
‘The journey was terrible. We were in the sea for four days. It was hell. Some 30 people died on the journey.
‘Finally on the night of the fourth day we were rescued and taken to Sicily.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...es-border.html

Why is the Catholic Church perpetrating Muslim illegal immigration? - Money. And here it is, Catholic Charities bringing in the migrants and raking in money on a global scale for migrant maintenance. The Catholic Church must lose it's tax exempt status in the US. JMO


Massive migrant camp forms near George Clooney's Italian mansion


Published July 14, 2016

(Reuters)


A makeshift refugee camp has sprung up in Lake Como, the popular celebrity hideaway in Italy favored by stars George Clooney, Richard Branson and Madonna.

Hundreds of migrants heading towards northern Europe have erected tents and flimsy dwellings around the exclusive town’s railway station.

The migrant population in the town is now rapidly increasing after Switzerland shut its southern borders with Italy.

According to La Repubblica, many migrants are camping out in the town until they can hire people smugglers to lead them through the mountains north.

Lake Como has long been a destination favored by the powerful and wealthy, many of whom are attracted by its stunning lakeside villas built in Roman times.

Roberto Bernasconi, from a local Catholic charity, said: “We are helping them with food, clothing and we are also mounting showers.

“But it is very difficult, we do not know how to welcome all these people. In the Como diocese we have over 2,000 migrants in the facilities – there is no room.”

“I do not know how much longer we can bear the brunt of this mass of people who would like to cross the border but who are not willing to leave Como.”

The groups of migrants arrive in the area having likely traveled up Italy after landing in the south having crossed the Mediterranean by boat.

Just yesterday nearly 1,000 migrants were saved in six separate rescue operations on the Med.

All six boats – including four rubber dinghies – are believed to have set off from Libya, where criminal gangs charge people thousands to be lead on the perilous crossing.

Italy has long been on the front line of seaborne migration from Africa to Europe.

It is now the main point of entry after the EU struck a deal with Turkey to stem flows to Greece amid Europe’s worst migration crisis since WWII.

This article originally appeared in The Sun.

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment...n-mansion.html