Asylum seekers protest lack of food

(ANSA) - Sassari, June 10 - Two different groups of asylum seekers have staged protests against their accommodations in Sardinia, officials said Wednesday.
    One group of 40 asylum seekers spent two nights on a bus rather than be transferred to a remote countryside facility, which they said was far too isolated.
    The Sassari prefect, the police chief, and the local mayor met with the protesting refugees, who finally got off the bus on Wednesday after officials agreed to relocate them somewhere else.
    In a separate incident, 88 refugees housed in a former retirement home in the northern Sardinia town of Valledoria complained they are not getting enough food, and what they do receive is substandard.
    As well, the refugees said they have yet to receive the 2.50 euros per diem authorities promised them.
    They have been getting food vouchers, which however are only redeemable at one shop in town.
    Local residents have reportedly sympathized with the refugees' plight, donating food and beverages of their own accord.
    "The kids began complaining last Friday, saying the food wasn't refrigerated," explained Mayor Salvatore Terzitta, who had reportedly opposed the relocation of the migrants to his town.
    "They've been complaining about the quantity as well as the quality of the food," he added.