by InTrieste
Civil society organizations in Friuli Venezia Giulia are calling on regional authorities to adopt an emergency reception plan after four migrants were found dead in the span of less than two weeks across the region.
Gathering on Thursday outside the Regional Council building in Trieste, where lawmakers were discussing the 2026 budget, more than a hundred activists and nonprofit representatives urged officials to expand low-threshold services and winter shelters. They warned that border municipalities, already strained by migration flows, lack adequate resources to support people living outdoors or in transit.
“It is unacceptable that such a predictable situation goes unaddressed,” said Don Paolo Iannaccone, president of the Centro Balducci in Zugliano, who spoke on behalf of an emerging regional network of Third Sector groups. He cited what he described as an insufficient number of shelter beds and long waiting periods for asylum seekers before they can access formal reception systems.
The deaths occurred in Pordenone, Udine and Trieste and included four men from Algeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Advocates said they wanted to ensure the victims were remembered as individuals rather than statistics.
The coalition has requested a meeting with Regional President Massimiliano Fedriga, but he did not greet demonstrators. Several opposition councilors briefly met with the group and voiced concern over what they said were gaps in the regional budget regarding assistance for homeless migrants.
A regional candlelight vigil is planned in Trieste on December 25 to draw public attention to the issue.
