(ANSA) - Treviso, July 17 - Some 100 migrants whose presence in a small town near Treviso sparked two days of protests from local residents and rightwing extremists were bused Friday to a former barracks located between the municipalities of Treviso and Casier.
Their respective mayors, Giovanni Manildo and Miriam Giuriati, met with area residents prior to the transfer and explained that authorities would guarantee security and keep the peace.
The area is manned by law enforcement and local police patrols.
The group of 101 asylum seekers hosted at a residence in the town of Quinto di Treviso, near Treviso, were moved after two days of protests by a group of locals and extremists from the rightwing Forza Nuova group.
They burned mattresses intended to be used by the refugees, and workers from a cooperative tasked with providing the migrants with food were denied access.
Veneto Governor Luca Zaia, who is from the anti-immigrant, anti-euro Northern League party, alleged the migrants' presence was part of a process of "Africanization" of the region.