Sea-Watch wishes Meloni 'everything bad possible'
The Italian right government leader Meloni travels to Libya to discuss containment of illegal migration to Italy. German sea rescuers criticize her on social networks. Meloni accuses them of doing nothing against human traffickers. The dispute has been simmering for years.
Once again, Italian right Minister President Giorgia Meloni and German sea rescuers have clashed. On the online platform X, Meloni and the humanitarian organization Sea-Watch exchanged blows. After a visit of the Italian government leader and her Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi to Libya for a conference on irregular migration on Wednesday, Sea-Watch posted and wrote there among other things: "We wish them all the worst from the bottom of our hearts."
The organization accused Meloni and Piantedosi of working with the Libyan Minister President Abdul Hamid Dbaiba on their "dystopian migration policy" from the West of the country. Meloni reacted promptly and accused Sea-Watch of not addressing the role of human traffickers, who in her words are responsible for the deaths of thousands of people. She had traveled to Libya to stop illegal migration across the Mediterranean to Europe.
Meloni called for an end to "human trafficking," which she described as "one of the most powerful criminal networks in the world," at the Transmediterranean Migration Forum in Tripoli. Libya is an important departure point for migrants attempting the dangerous crossing of the Mediterranean towards Europe. Italy's government, according to Meloni, will continue to fight "human trafficking, illegal immigration, and death at sea." In her X-post, she wrote to Sea-Watch: "Whether it pleases them or not."
There has been conflict between civilian sea rescuers and Rome for many years. The organizations have been a thorn in Meloni's right-wing government's side for some time. They passed a law, according to critics, which makes the work of humanitarian organizations more difficult. They are required to immediately steer to a designated port after a rescue operation at sea and cannot continue their mission and take on additional migrants. For violations, they face high fines or even the impounding of the rescue ship.
- Despite Meloni's criticism of German sea rescuers for not combating human traffickers, these civil organizations have continued to highlight the issue of illegal migration and the role of human traffickers, particularly in their online posts.
- The dispute between Meloni and sea rescue organizations, such as Sea-Watch, has escalated further after her visit to Libya, where she discussed strategies to prevent refugees from crossing the Mediterranean to Italy.
- In response to Sea-Watch's criticism of her migration policy, Meloni reaffirmed Italy's commitment to addressing human trafficking and illegal immigration, vowing to continue the country's Search and Rescue operations and fight against this criminal network.
