The rescue vessel Aquarius, of humanitarian group SOS Méditerranée ,
rescued 629 people in distress today, June 11th 2018, but was not allowed to disembark
them in Italy. Those on the Aquarius included 123 unaccompanied minors, 11
other children and seven pregnant women.
Entry was refused by order of the new interior minister, and proto-fascist,
Salvini. The mayors of Naples, Palermo, Messina and Reggio Calabria declared their harbours open for the rescued, but this was impossible to carry out without the support of the Italian coastguard, which remained loyal to the Italian state.
The Maltese government rejected a request to take in the boat, saying
international law required that the refugees and migrants be taken to
Italian ports.
Aquarius continued to Spain, there it was allowed to enter the port, but the event sets a dangerous precedent and Salvini has already announced that it will turn away other rescue ships of NGOs. If refusing entry to ships carrying refugees continues it
could threaten the ability to NGOs to carry out humanitarian rescue operations at sea.
Sources:
QueerAnarchism 