Paris provides a third of the rescued, Berlin provides a third and the rest is distributed among different community countries
The French government this Thursday offered the ship ‘Ocean Viking’ to dock in Toulon after Italy’s “unacceptable” refusal to receive the 230 migrants and refugees rescued on board by the NGO SOS Méditerranée. Three of the migrants had to be evacuated for emergency medical care at Bastia Hospital in Corsica, fearing their lives would be in danger if they stayed on board for another day.
The humanitarian ship, carrying 57 children and 20 sick, will arrive at the military port, near Marseilles, tomorrow morning, as confirmed by Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin. “The situation required immediate action. Each additional hour of sailing increased the risks for the passengers, he explained.
Upon arrival in France, the rescued will receive “health and medical assistance”, the minister promised, although he also clarified that once they have recovered, those who are not entitled to residence or asylum will be deported “without delay”. Paris has promised to care for a third of the “Ocean Viking” residents, while Berlin will take in another third and the rest will be divided among several community countries, Darmanin said.
SOS Méditerranée received with “a mixture of relief and anger” the news that Paris had given the green light to disembark in Toulon, three weeks after the rescue in the central Mediterranean of 230 people after being killed during six rescue operations between 22 and October were saved. 26th. The director of the NGO, Sophie Beau, explained that the rescued migrants “have been through an ordeal and are exhausted, just like our team”. Beau considered the political instrumentalisation of the duty of assistance at sea, which we have seen in recent weeks, ‘unacceptable’.
SOS Méditerranée is urging the European Commission and EU Member States to set up a permanent mechanism to ensure the safe disembarkation and distribution among community partners of migrants rescued in the Mediterranean.
The fate of the ‘Ocean Viking’ has strained relations between Paris and Rome in recent days, three weeks after the far-right government led by Giorgia Meloni took power in Italy. Rome’s refusal to welcome the migrants will have “consequences” for the bilateral relationship between the two countries, Darmanin warned. In retaliation, France will strengthen migration controls at the border and suspend the planned reception between now and 2023 in its territory of 3,500 rescued refugees, who are currently in Italy, as enshrined in a previous agreement for the distribution of migrants between community partners.
“France’s response to the request to welcome 234 people, while Italy has received 90,000 this year alone, is completely incomprehensible,” said Transalpine Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi.
As expected, the French far right criticized President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to host the ‘Ocean Viking’. “For the first time a ship disembarks immigrants in a French port, it sends out a dramatic signal of laxity. With this decision you cannot make anyone believe that you want to end mass and anarchist immigration,” wrote far-right Marine Le Pen on Twitter.
“Darmanin has just sent a terrible message to traffickers. He tells them: ‘You may come, more and more, our doors are open’. It is irresponsible, immoral, contrary to the will of the people and even to the humanism, which should discourage these crossings at all costs,” said ultra-Éric Zemmour, president of the Reconquista party and former presidential candidate.
More than 1,300 migrants and refugees have died in the central waters of the Mediterranean so far this year, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Source: La Verdad
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