The “revenge” of the NGOs: repudiated for having rescued migrants from the Mediterranean, they return to the sea with 16 boats and 5 planes

After the confrontation between Italy and four humanitarian ships loaded with a thousand shipwrecked people, which culminated in the serious diplomatic crisis between Italy and France, a mighty civilian fleet, as they have baptized it, from the main European humanitarian aid NGOs, it is preparing to set sail off the African coasts of the Mediterranean and to save the thousands of shipwrecked people trying to reach Europe through the Mare Nostrum.

Half the ships set sail with German flag and this is a very controversial issue. In the crisis that broke out at the beginning of the month, Italy stuck on two doors Sicilians to three ships (two with the German flag) and the disembarkation of migrants qualified by a health team as “healthy” was prohibited. Alone the “vulnerable” (children, women, sick people) were admitted.

The “healthy” had to stay on the boats of the NGOs that had been ordered to leave e to leave Italian waters. The ship’s flag countries, which were German and Norwegian, had to deal with this.

The ship’s captains adamantly refused to leave the ports until the “healthy” were allowed to disembark, which completed the rescue in a safe port, as enforce the laws of the sea.

In Italy, the measures were justified by the need to prevent humanitarian organizations from continuing with a system that the new right-wing government has long considered. the game of migrant smugglers.

But Germany defend the boats “who make a great contribution to saving human lives in the Mediterranean”.

At the same time, a fourth Norwegian-flagged ship, the Ocean Viking, waiting in international waters, asked for help from France after failing to obtain Italian permission to disembark.

A dialogue between Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and French President Emmanuel Macron ended with an Italian statement thanking Macron for his decision to allow the Ocean Viking to dock at the port of Marseille.

the French they got angrythey said the Italian conduct it was unacceptable. A serious bilateral conflict has flared up which has upset the European Union. Added to this is the German position in defense of the NGOs.

With difficulty the crisis was considered overcome, but apparently it is not over. In Bali, Indonesia, at the G20 summit, Meloni and Macron They have not had any meetings.

The Italian chancellor attended a meeting in Brussels with defense ministers, which was attended by Antonio Trajani confirmed the coldness of the Germans to his immigration proposals, which included the issue of immigration European fund of one hundred billion euros stop illegal migrants from traveling from the African coast. For many years the question of substance has been raised, but to no avail.

“Don’t mix the races”

The crisis of the castaways continues to grow and relaunches the confrontation also in the European Union of the founding majority with the most conservative and right-wing countries who proclaim themselves “sovereigns”.

the sovereigns they don’t want to know anything proportionally distribute the migrants entering the vast European borders. Furthermore, Hungarian President Viktor Orbán, a sovereign leader, argues for it “Don’t mix races.”

For Italy it is a double problem because his new government is sovereign, with a special relationship with the Hungarian Orbán. It is now preparing to approve measures a regulate ship movements of humanitarian organizations in the central Mediterranean.

the civilian fleet

The mobilization of the civilian fleet promises new crises which will inevitably echo in the political and institutional structures of the European Union of 27 countries.

I’m 16 ships of the fleet dedicated to helping migrants e 5 support aircraft, who patrol the skies of the African coasts of the Mediterranean. Very few have weighed anchor, most are still in port. Half has a German flag. Some are owned by humanitarian organizations, others are rental boats by NGOs.

The Louise Michel is a vessel financed by famous and mysterious British artist (identity unknown) Banksy. The With open arms 1, with the Spanish flag, was donated by the Argentine philanthropist Enrique Piñeyro, who is also involved in the organization of humanitarian and relief flights. It is one of the most important ships.

The German NGO SOS Humanity is very active and takes care of several ships. Also United4Rescue, which is about to launch the Sea Watch 5 into the sea, financed with two million euros by the social democratic-green-liberal political majority that supports the German government of Prime Minister Olaf Scholz.

The Basques are also active, especially with the NGO Humanitarian Maritime Rescuewho suspended the departure of his ship “until the situation is clearer in Italy”. Ana Mari to the Mediterranean.

With a little emotion, we are awaiting the baptism as a humanitarian ship of the Panamanian-flagged offshore sailing boat Life Support, which Emergency, the famous Italian NGO that has opened hospitals in the countries most affected by wars, thanks to the legendary activity of the surgeon Gino Estrada, died in 2021.

Pietro Parrino, director of the association, said that the memory of Gino Estrada and the humanitarian purpose demonstrate that “saving lives it can never be a divisive activity”.

Conflict at the door

If the 16 humanitarian ships are deployed in the central Mediterranean area and intend to enter with the shipwrecked people they rescue in the ports of Italy, Spain, Greece and Maltathe conflicts will be inevitable and will have a direct impact on Brussels, the seat of the European Union.

It grew in the first eleven months of this year 42% the number of migrants that have reached the central Mediterranean. 70,000 landed in Italy, 26,000 in Greece and 8,000 in Spain. Most of them arrived independently on barges, boats and dinghies. The ships of humanitarian organizations rescued nine thousand people.

In exchange for the other large space, Balkan sayingThrough illegal immigration, some 86,000 migrants arrived in Central European countries.

Rome, correspondent

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