Italy Ramps Up Punishment For Boats Rescuing Illegals In Mediterranean

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ER Editor: Regular readers of this site know well that we have documented, via the work of Cesare Sacchetti, Giorgia Meloni’s origins with the Rockefeller Aspen Institute. She’s no populist leader by any stretch. So we view her immigration ‘successes’ with scepticism. But this is what is being reported.

Translation: After unloading 191 #migranti in Salerno, the vessel Geo Barents of @MSF_ITALIA was sanctioned by the Italian authorities for “repeated violations” of the rules set out in the Cutro decree: 60 days of detention.

Dopo aver scaricato 191 #migranti a Salerno, la nave Geo Barents di @MSF_ITALIA è stata è sanzionata dalle autorità italiane per “reiterate violazioni” alle norme prevista dal decreto Cutro: 60 giorni di fermo. pic.twitter.com/yem6lX7SFa

— Francesca Totolo (@fratotolo2) August 27, 2024

Translation: French NGO Doctors Without Borders has done it again. On Wednesday, one of the most active smugglers in the Zuara area ( #Libië ) offered a boat to sail illegally to #Europa (pictured right) and coincidentally, the #GeoBarents boat stopped yesterday (Thursday) just 39 nautical miles from the Libyan coast, in front of #Zuara . They picked up almost 140 illegal immigrants. The smuggler has a closed WhatsApp group with over 800 members. There they publish the success of their trips and offer their services with a minimum of 4,500 dollars per illegal trip to #Europa . Now they are talking about “international waters”. But they have never been in the middle of the Central Mediterranean and they just happened to come across a ship in distress. They went straight to the area where Libyan smugglers are active! Is this enough to make it clear that this NGO is providing a service to Libyan smugglers? Is this enough to make it clear once and for all that these NGOs are creating a lure for these criminals? Please respond and share this information.

❗️De Franse NGO Artsen Zonder Grenzen heeft het weer gedaan. Woensdag bood een van de meest actieve smokkelaars in het Zuara-gebied (#Libië) een boot aan om illegaal naar #Europa te varen (foto rechts) en toevallig stopte de #GeoBarents-boot gisteren (donderdag) op slechts 39… pic.twitter.com/1zSGeWtyVD

— CS (@deSunShineBand) August 24, 2024

An interesting tweet on the Norwegian ship Geo Barents from last October —

NGOs declare war on Italy. Norwegian NGO Geo Barents collects illegal immigrants in Libyan territorial waters to dump them in Italy. Who funds this Norwegian NGO? The following “operate” in the Mediterranean sea: German NGOs Sos Humanity, Rise Above, Mission Lifeline, Sea Watch,… pic.twitter.com/ocp1qqWqQ3

— RadioGenoa (@RadioGenoa) October 1, 2023

A reply from The Real Fly to this tweet about Meloni —

The most demoralizing thing about all this is Meloni ran on stopping it, tricked everyone, and now it’s worse than ever

— The_Real_Fly (@The_Real_Fly) October 1, 2023

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In a sharp escalation of Italy’s ongoing crackdown on illegal migration across the Mediterranean, the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has impounded a humanitarian rescue ship for the 23rd time. The vessel, Geo Barents, operated by the international medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), was detained in the port of Salerno this week following its rescue of 191 migrants.

The 60-day detention order, issued on Monday night, is one of the most severe actions taken in an 18-month campaign against humanitarian groups operating in the Mediterranean.Italian authorities accused Geo Barents of endangering lives and failing to provide timely information during a night-time rescue last Friday, when the crew intervened to save migrants from a small fiberglass boat that was being approached by a Libyan coastguard vessel, FT reports.

MSF, however, has rejected these accusations, stating that their crew had “no choice” but to carry out the rescue after witnessing a significant number of people falling—or being pushed—overboard. The charity has labeled the Italian government’s decision as “arbitrary and inhumane.”

The impoundment is in line with Meloni’s vow to curb irregular migration – a key promise of her administration, which has led to a sharp decrease in migrant arrivals—just over 39,500 this year, compared to 112,500 in the same period last year.

NGOs Protest…

The groups ferrying in illegals – including MSF, Oxfam Italia, and SOS Humanity – have decried the measures as a “systematic obstruction of civilian search and rescue activities,” which they say are now taking a toll in human lives. The groups filed formal complaints with the European Commission over a year ago, questioning whether Italy’s regulations comply with EU and international law. Brussels is still evaluating the matter.

“They are selling this to public opinion as success, but the price is death and very severe human rights violations,” said Juan Matias Gil, who leads MSF’s Mediterranean search and rescue operations.

Of course, globalist leaders have denounced the measures – including Pope Francis. In a strong rebuke during his weekly audience on Wednesday, the pontiff slammed the refusal of aid to migrants crossing the Mediterranean as a “grave sin.”

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has noted that while irregular arrivals to Italy have decreased, the number of shipwrecks and drownings has not seen a corresponding decline. The IOM estimates that at least 1,027 migrants have died or gone missing in the central Mediterranean this year, making the crossing more perilous than ever.

Furthermore, 13,763 migrants intercepted at sea have been returned to Libya, where they often face imprisonment and abuse, according to the IOM.

Maybe if they weren’t promised a government-funded life abroad they wouldn’t have attempted the crossing?

Right after Meloni took office in late 2022, her government implemented strict new rules to limit the ability of humanitarian groups to rescue migrants. These include warnings that vessels failing to comply with the protocols will be impounded—a threat that has been repeatedly realized. Ten search and rescue boats have been detained by Italian authorities, some more than once, resulting in a cumulative loss of 480 days at sea for rescue operations this year alone, according to SOS Humanity.

The impounding of Geo Barents marks the vessel’s third detention, and MSF has vowed to challenge the “unlawful detention” in court. However, such cases are often not heard until long after the boats have been released, effectively undermining the legal process.

“The government knows very well that the speed of justice is much slower than the administrative measure,” said Gil. “We are losing money . . . and all that time we are locked in port is never coming back.”

Meanwhile, other rescue vessels, like the MV Louise Michel—funded by the artist Banksy—continue their operations under increasing pressure. After being released from a 20-day detention on August 7, the crew of the Louise Michel reported rescuing 229 people from seven boats in distress in the Mediterranean just this week.

As the Meloni government tightens its grip on the Mediterranean, the future of humanitarian rescue missions in the region remains fraught with uncertainty, and the human cost of this geopolitical struggle continues to rise.

Source

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