African migrants detained in the 1,200-300 person detention centre on the Italian Island of Lampedusa have been subjected to serious violence by the Italian authorities and residents of the island after they burned down their prison and made a bid for freedom. The riot was apparently a response to the rapid deportation of migrants from the Island, despite their having made incredibly dangerous and often very expensive journeys to Europe.

However, resistance can pose particular problems on the small Island of Lampedusa since there is no easy means of escape, and once out of the prison, migrants were then attacked by residents

Below you can see footage of an incredibly violent and dangerous police response, which knocked or forced many detainees off a 12ft wall:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcICc0SRhIw

Other footage here:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLWC9mKGxfk&feature=player_embedded
 http://multimedia.lastampa.it/multimedia/in-italia/lstp/30859/

The Mayor has actually said that they are at war, and resportedly showed journalists a baseball bat and said that people one the island had to defend themselves.
A swift deportation is now planned for the detainees who resisted and only fought for their freedom.