The leader of the Democratic Party, Elly Schlein, has accused Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government of committing the crime of solidarity, a term used to denounce governments that criminalise actions that help refugees seek shelter, such as preventing NGO ships from rescuing migrants.
A spat between Schlein and Meloni has taken place online. As is often the case, talk is about irregular migration, one of the most complex headaches of the current Italian executive.
“Receiving a fine and administrative detention for saving more lives than ‘authorised’: the Meloni government decree constitutes the crime of solidarity”, Schlein wrote on social media.
Her comments came after the NGO ship Open Arms, which rescues and brings thousands of irregular migrants to Italian shores, was fined and administratively detained after rescuing some boats in distress while heading to the government-designated disembarkation port of Carrara (Tuscany). The same happened to the Sea-Eye ship in the port of Salerno.
The measures imposed on boats are provided for in the ‘Cutro Decree’ passed by the government to curb the irregular immigration that has plagued Italy for years. Schlein, for her part, argues that the decree is essentially invalid because it violates the international law of the sea.
“Tell us: were those people in danger to be abandoned at sea? […] There is a war on NGOs that is only making up for the serious absence of an institutional EU search and rescue mission in the Mediterranean, a European Mare Nostrum. And in Europe, the (Italian) government is mute”, Schlein added.
Meloni responded shortly after: “We enforce laws and principles that have always existed in every state: facilitating illegal immigration and directly or indirectly aiding human trafficking is not allowed”.
“Solidarity is to stop hope trips and deaths at sea. Because helping to enrich those who organise human trafficking has nothing to do with the words solidarity and humanity”, the Italian PM added.
The government could give the green light to the ‘security package’ of new rules to deal with irregular immigration as early as Monday. The measures include deportations and increased checks on migrants arriving on Italian shores.
Official data from the Interior Ministry shows that between 1 January and 24 August, 106,023 migrants landed in Italy, while in 2021, there were 37,169 and 52,558 the following year.
(Federica Pascale | EURACTIV.it)
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