Pictures shot during the last days in Lampedusa on assignment for @guardian . The story by Lorenzo Tondo focuses on how Italy’s far right is turning (once again) the refugee crisis to its advantage. As migrants continue to reach the shores of the tiny island (closer to Africa than Italy) on a daily basis locals struggle with every day life and the lack of essential services like a hospital and a falling apart sewer system. Lampedusa has always been “famed for its welcoming approach to those risking their lives in the Mediterranean” but since 2011, at the beginning of the Arab Spring it has become a political playground on which politicians of every party came to make never kept promises. Locals can barely stand this situation any longer. They demand concrete answers. Being the “door of Europe” is a challenging role and Lampedusa needs the support of the entire European Union. The island’s so called “hot spot” is constantly in over capacity. Migrants, due to Covid-19 restrictions, are not allowed outside the facility that during the last years has become more like a military confinement camp with high metal wall, cctv and military outposts around the perimeter. The fear of the “other” is something far right parties will use as an “electoral weapon” in view of the forthcoming elections. #lampedusa #portadeuropa #mediterraneo #mediterranean #mediterraneansea #reportagespotlight #gettyreportage #documentaryphotography #photojournalism #elezioni2022 #migrants #refugees #lampedusaisland