Migrants stranded on board one of the humanitarian ships authorized to dock in Sicily by the far-right government of Giorgia Meloni threw themselves into the water on Monday, November 7. While only minors and people with medical conditions were allowed to disembark on Sunday, two boats were able to dock in Catania while two others were to remain off Italy.
Caught in the face-to-face between NGOs and the new Italian executive, three migrants jumped from the Geo Barents, a dockside ship managed by Doctors Without Borders (MSF). The three men were quickly recovered, according to MSF. Shortly after, a dozen other migrants on the deck of the boat chanted ” Help us “noted a journalist from Agence France-Presse (AFP).
At the same time, more than 500 people, reported earlier in distress by the NGO Alarm Phone, were rescued by the Italian authorities and landed in Sicily, said the prefect of Syracuse, Giuseppa Scaduto. “They first undergo a medical examination, then they are identified by the police before being distributed to reception structures”explained M.me Scaduto.
“We behave with humanity but remain firm on our principles”, said Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, in the evening in Rome. He pointed out that migrants had been received in other ports, and assured that those who were still on board were “under constant surveillance by the authorities”. According to his ministry, more than 88,000 people have arrived from African shores since 1er January.
357 migrants allowed to disembark, 215 still stranded
Mme Meloni, leader of the post-fascist Fratelli d’Italia party, has pledged to “defend the borders” of Italy by preventing NGO ships operating in the Mediterranean from entering Italian ports to disembark the thousands of migrants they rescue each year.
Democratic Senator Antonio Nicita, who visited the humanitarian ships anchored off the port of Catania, believes that ” the situation is tense “ on board. “On the ships, nervousness reigns, the humanitarians calm the spirits. Many migrants undressed in front of us to show us infections on their private parts”he testified, referring to cases of scabies.
the Geo Barents docked on Sunday evening, and Italian authorities allowed 357 people to disembark, including children, while refusing entry to 215 others. One of the migrants was later evacuated by ambulance after complaining of severe abdominal pain, MSF said on Monday, stressing that the others were increasingly vulnerable. “Their situation, their level of psychological stress is very, very high”says Riccardo Gatti, head of search and rescue at MSF. “The ship has its limits in terms of medical assistance”he said.
“I’m not going anywhere with these people on board”
In the port is also the boat under the German flag Humanity 1, operated by the charity SOS Humanity, which landed 144 people on Sunday. On board are still 35 adult male migrants. An Italian government decree issued on Friday states that the ship was only allowed to dock long enough to identify passengers in ” emergency situation “.
The ship’s captain, Joachim Ebeling, defied the order to leave port, insisting on Monday that “everyone rescued has the right to disembark in a safe port”. “I’m not going anywhere with these people on board”he told reporters.
Italy’s new government, the most right-wing since World War II, has pledged to take a hard line on migrants, with the interior minister saying migrants rescued at sea are the responsibility of the state under whose flag the ships sail – in this case Norwegian and German.
Matteo Salvini, the ex-interior minister whose party, the League, is part of the ruling coalition, stressed that arrivals should be “stopped”. “These are organized trips, increasingly dangerous, which finance weapons and drugs”, claimed, on Twitter, Mr. Salvinicurrent Deputy Prime Minister.
Appeals were filed in the courts of Rome and Catania on Monday, SOS Humanity said. Amnesty International, for its part, estimated that Italy « hurt[gnait] its international obligations.. In a statement, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) “continue to urge European governments to quickly provide a safe and secure place [à] authorize the immediate disembarkation of nearly 600 people remaining on NGO ships”.