France has gone back on its promise to accept 2,500 migrants from Italy as a rebuke to the newly appointed Meloni government’s refusal to allow a humanitarian ship to dock at its port.
Nevertheless, the French government allowed 234 migrants, including 57 children, on board the Ocean Viking humanitarian ship to disembark at Toulon upon its arrival on Friday. France and Germany will each take in one-third of the migrants, while the rest will be sent to other European Union member countries.
The Oceans Viking ship is run by Norwegian humanitarian organisation SOS Mediterranee, which rescued the migrants between 22 and 26 October. The group’s spokesperson, Eliot Guy, said, “This is a bitter sense of relief because it’s 20 days too many for those on board who now have to start rebuilding their lives.” He revealed that three people onboard require immediate medical attention have been taken to a French hospital via helicopter.
The group’s director, Xavier Lauth, said that the migrants remaining abandoned at sea for over three weeks is “the result of a dramatic failure from all the European states, which have violated maritime law in an unprecedented manner.”
We call for the immediate disembarkation, at the nearest place of safety, of all persons rescued and who are on board the Ocean Viking.
— European Commission 🇪🇺 (@EU_Commission) November 9, 2022
The situation onboard the vessel has reached a critical level and needs to be urgently addressed to avoid a humanitarian tragedy.
Statement ↓
Nevertheless, the International Federation of Red Cross appreciated France for “doing the right thing.”
France decided to allow Ocean Viking to dock after the European Commission called for the migrants’ “immediate disembarkation” on Wednesday. It warned that the situation had reached “a critical level and needs to be urgently addressed to avoid a humanitarian tragedy.” The Commission also stressed that the incident had shown the need for a “singular, cohesive, migration and asylum policy.”
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said the government decided to allow the ship to dock in response to the Italian government’s “incomprehensible” and “selfish” decision to bar the migrants from disembarking the ship. “France very deeply regrets that Italy has decided not to behave like a responsible European state,” he asserted, adding, “There is no doubt that [the Ocean Viking] was in Italy’s research and rescue zone.”
Darmanin also warned that this spat could have “extremely strong consequences on the bilateral relationship.”
[STATEMENT] It is with a mixture of relief & anger that we welcome the news that Toulon, France, has finally been assigned as a safe port for the 230 remaining survivors on #OceanViking, shortly after a medical evacuation of 3 patients & 1 relative.https://t.co/6FGa1lF7tQ
— SOS MEDITERRANEE (@SOSMedIntl) November 10, 2022
Apart from reneging on June’s promise to take in 2,500 migrants from Italy, France is also introducing stricter controls along its border with Italy. Concerningly, Darmanin announced that it would also withdraw from an agreement that mandates European Union members to relocate asylum-seekers from Italy.
He said, “France suspends all relocations of 3,500 refugees currently in Italy and calls on all other participants in the European mechanism, including Germany, to do the same.”
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi retorted that France’s decision to take in just 234 migrants while Italy has accepted over 90,000 in 2022 alone is “totally incomprehensible in the face of constant calls for solidarity.” In fact, European Union members have taken in merely 164 asylum seekers from Italy.
Piantedosi opined that the controversy shows “how firm and determined the posture of other nations in the face of illegal immigration is,” adding, “What we do not understand is why Italy should willingly accept something that others are not willing to accept.”
"We are relieved that a safe port in France has been assigned, putting an end to a critical situation. But this solution has a bitter taste: the 230 women, children, & men on our ship have been through a dire ordeal" says Xavier Lauth, @SOSMedIntl Director of Operations pic.twitter.com/kTLFg9RsE1
— SOS MEDITERRANEE (@SOSMedIntl) November 10, 2022
Similarly, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called France’s response “disproportionate.”
The spat was instigated by Italy’s decision to bar four ships from docking at its ports, leaving thousands of migrants stranded at sea for over two weeks. After pressure from France and Germany, the government eventually allowed three ships, except Ocean Viking, to dock.
As coastal countries, Italy and Spain have complained about bearing most of the burden of the migration influx into the bloc, as their ports are the closest to the migrant boats that humanitarian organisations rescue on their way from Africa. Italy insists that NGOs’ home countries should accept the migrants, with Interior Minister Piantedosi describing the ships as “islands” of the flag countries.
The spat is only likely to deepen in the coming months, given that Italy elected its most right-wing government since World War II in September. The problem is further complicated by the fact that other countries that could help share the load are witnessing electoral victories by far-right-parties.
Sweden, too, elected far-right and anti-immigration Sweden Democrats leader Ulf Kristersson as the country’s new prime minister, paving the way for him to lead a coalition of t centre-right parties.