“They are trouble, that is the true reason behind the slander”

Currently, the Italian media is mounting a large-scale smear campaign targeting organizations for civil marine salvage in the Mediterranean. Not only Frontex but also prosecutors and politicians try to discredit NGOs. A status report from Italy by Judith Gleitze, borderline-europe Sicily. 

“It is an unbearable hypocrisy, especially if these attacks come from someone who holds office [...] The existence of ‘smugglers’ and of the criminal system that organizes the voyage to Europe for migrants in the most cases are a direct consequence of European and domestic immigration policies (and this is the case since the Schengen Agreement in 1985),” says Antonio Cinieri on his blog “Migr-azioni” (5).

Hell at Sea

On the night of October 21st, Noëmi Landolt found herself on board the Sea-Watch 2, a ship belonging to Sea-Watch, a German NGO, trying to save the 150 passengers of a dinghy in difficulty off the coast of Libya. The Libyan Coast Guard intervened, attacking the migrants and hitting them with sticks. Many ended up in the water and died. The following article, published in the newspaper WOZ (Die Wochenzeitung), tells her story of that terrible night.

Libyan Coast Guard causes multiple dead - 2016/10/21 Incident Report

During the night to friday (21.10.2016) an aggressive attack of a self proclaimed Libyan Coast Guard vessel took place during one of our rescue operations in consequence, up to 30 refugees have drowned. A Speedboat of the Libyan naval forces had initially prevented a Sea-Watch rescue operation on duty of the MRCC in Rome in international waters, furthermore a situation of panic was caused by the interference in which nearly all approx. 150 people on the migrant boat fell into the water, many have drowned.

Read here the statement of Sea-Watch.

Libyan coastguard attacks Sea-Watch during rescue operation, causing deaths

We learn of an attack by the Libyan coastguard on a dinghy loaded with migrants during a rescue operation by the crew of the Sea-Watch 2. The following is their press release.