Italian police red-faced as migrants return to French border within an HOUR of dawn raid
ITALIAN riot police were left red-faced after they broke up a gang of migrants camped on the border with France - only for them to return within an HOUR.
A migrant is carried off by riot police during the dawn raid
The hapless Carabinieri dropped the refugees just four miles away from the French border at a local railway station after putting on a seemingly impressive show of force.
However, many of the migrants - who had massed at the border begging to be let into France - were simply able to stroll back to their previous positions unchallenged and continue their protest.
Others actually benefitted from the free lift, as they were delivered straight into the hands of people smugglers offering to take them into France for just €50 (£36).
The 250 migrants, all young men who arrived in Europe on boats from North Africa, want to be allowed into France so they can make their way to northern Europe.
Britain is thought to be the preferred destination for many because of its growing economy and generous welfare system.
The refugees were bundled onto a coach, but were released just four hours later
Some of the migrants fought back after being woken from their sleep
The riot police turned up heavily armed to clear the camp
Around 250 migrants have been camped out on the Italian shoreline near the border with France
They have been demonstrating for five days on a rocky stretch of coastline near the border between France and Italy, creating T-shirts bearing English slogans and happily posing for the cameras.
French officials alarmed by the sheer numbers of refugees arriving at their southern border have tightened controls and deployed large numbers of police to stem the flow.
However, they will likely be less than impressed by the half-hearted efforts of their Italian counterparts.
Italian officers in riot gear raided the shoreline camp in a dawn raid yesterday and dragged many of the still sleepy immigrants, mainly from Sudan and Eritrea, onto a waiting coach.
Muse Adam, a 22-year-old IT student from Sudan, painted a vivid picture of their bungling efforts, claiming the burly officers could not keep control of even a small group of the migrants.
He said: "They came while I was asleep. They grabbed 10 or 20 people and made them get on the bus.
"But while they were trying to get hold of more people some of them just got off the bus and walked off."
The migrants have created banners with English slogans to plead their case
Within just an hour of the raid many refugees had walked the four miles back to their camp
Britain is the preferred country of destination for most of the migrants
The migrants are protesting to be allowed into France
After all their efforts, the bumbling police released the migrants just four miles down the road at the main railway station in the border town of Ventimiglia – a 40 minute drive from the French city of Nice.
Italy has take the brunt of Europe's migration crisis, with more than 54,000 refugees arriving on its shores this year alone.