Franco-Italian Border

We find ourselves in Menton, la perle de France. This beach town is known for its lemons and its endless sunny days. It is the last municipality on the Côte d’Azur before France becomes Italy. It’s also the context of an ongoing humanitarian crisis.

Yet these numbers hardly begin to capture the scale of abuse occurring at the border, nor the diverse and complex experiences of those who attempt to traverse it. This report aims to add depth to data, highlighting the humans behind this crisis through testimonies from migrants and local solidarity actors alike. Data helps in understanding of the situation, but it does not account for the nuanced experiences and voices that animate this border. Stories In Motion is an account of some of these voices.

Therefore, following a protocol drafted appositely, the volunteers asked the people subjected to the pushbacks if they were willing to share part of their experiences at the border’s facilities or in Ventimiglia at large. This protocol was employed when the conversation was ongoing and the person seemed comfortable talking to the volunteers. The resulting anonymized testimonies were included in this report exclusively upon the interviewee's consent. Stories in Motion also contains relevant events witnessed by volunteers at the border in Menton and Ventimiglia.