Attempt on the Italian National of the Homeless 2009
The press office of the Nuova Multietnica (ONLUS) speaks in the name of our captain Bogdan Kwappik, trainer of the Italian National Homeless World Cup and current president of the A.S.C. Nuova Multietnica (ONLUS) of Milan. We wish to inform you that, despite the press conference of Monday 27/07/09 presenting the next Homeless World Cup Milan 2009 in the presence of Minister of Defense La Russa as well as Letizia Moratti, Mayor of Milan and acting Ambassador for the homeless, we have been victims of violence.
We wish to express our deepest regret and concern regarding the events casting a pall over our preparation for the Cup, which will take place in the arena in Milan from the 6th to the 13th of September. We train habitually twice a week, meeting at the Lambrate Station in Milan and then commuting together by van to training grounds near the little villa on Milan’s hydrobase. We wish to emphasize what happened on the evening of 29/07/09 around 7:00pm at the station: 2 motorcyclists threw a stone at the van, endangering its occupants who fortunately had just exited the vehicle. The windshield was broken, but worse, the episode caused fear and disorder within the group.
This event reveals the pressure we are under as the Cup approaches. As athletes participating in the Homeless World Cup we represent the poor of Italy as well as those immigrants seeking to integrate themselves in Italian society. Consequently, as mouthpieces for these groups we feel more and more targeted and frightened by these increasingly eloquent events. We ask ourselves how these things are possible, how this kind of thing can happen. What is more, another shocking event happened to some of our players, some Romani participants.
Some officers of the law mistreated them and threatened to move their camp by force, a camp where their wives and children were; all this on the threshold of an important event concerning the homeless. It is very serious and we are hoping for the most satisfactory resolution possible. We want our voice to be heard and read in the news in all media so that all will know that we are here and will not give in. We have formed a group which gains strength with each passing day thanks to captain Bogdan, who is ever aspiring to new heights.
We ask for the help of all volunteer organizations so that we will feel less alone.
To show your support for the athletes of the Cup please contact the following directly:
Florian Matei : 3298990762
Patru Florian : 3273410206
Public relations
Amin Othman : 3920639660 othmanit@hotmail.com
Cervantes Jonathan: 3409902751 Jonny_Jo@msn.com
President
Bogdan Kwappik: 3478638372 - 0373450523
sito internet http://www.nuovamultietnica.com/
sito HWC http://www.homelessworldcup.org/
The Volunteer translator for housing rights without frontiers of IAI who has collaborated on the translation of this text was: