El Manba is a political group based in Marseille[i] which since the summer of 2015 has supported the struggle of people on the move[ii] from Italy to France. It is formed by individuals and groups with different political views who have decided to put their energy together to join the struggle of people who were stopped at the border between France and Italy and were claiming freedom of movement and free settlement in Europe.
In summer 2015 France closed the border with Italy: it implemented racialized checks on the documents of those who wanted to cross the border. The police presence was massive, controls were systematic and people who were travelling without papers from the border to Nice were arrested and sent back to Italy. People on the move decided to protest against these events, and began by occupying the cliffs near the sea in Ventimiglia. They claimed freedom of movement and settlement in Europe and asked for their rights to be respected: they were determined not be ignored and asked for a European political recognition of their situation.
