Controversy continues over the arrival of immigrants on Italian shores. On the one hand, there is contention between the NGO and the Government over the interpretation and implementation of the decree law that introduces new rules for aid activities; On the other hand, there is a knot in how the arrival of immigrants affects the realities of the city. Even centre-right mayors object to the Executive’s election.
The Geo Barents aid ship of Médecins Sans Frontières said it had carried out three rescue operations “in accordance with international maritime law” in the past 24 hours. It has been assigned to the port of La Spezia and is expected to arrive on Saturday 29 January. “We don’t have the resources,” says the mayor.
Conflict between immigrants, NGO and Meloni government erupts again
The mayor, Pierluigi Peracchini, who was elected by the centre-right coalition in 2017, took the initiative by writing down all the difficulties of the admission in an official correspondence with the Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi. The mayor argues that La Spezia “cannot guarantee hospitality to the conspicuous and growing number of people affected by the ongoing humanitarian emergency. Especially if this involves a large number of small entities”.
Peracchini refers to “objectively saturated” socio-medical and welfare structures. And he recalls that the new Felettino hospital “had one of the city’s hospitals collapsed, creating a shortage of 300 beds, so our healthcare system might not be able to meet the predictable extraordinary needs.” Peracchini suggests interest in Department of Defense regions such as “Cadimare Air Force’s Area Support Logistics Center or — he adds — the Northern Naval Military Command.”
Peracchini also touched upon the issue in a post he made on his Facebook page and underlined the difficulties of the region once again. “He writes that we do not have the resources to deal with such important issues, especially from a humanitarian perspective. It would be more appropriate for certain allocation decisions to be taken together with resources and integration pathways targeted with full respect for human dignity, this should always come first. On the administration side it is precisely people to ensure that they have all the necessary assistance. There is full availability and collaboration to ensure”.
The position of the head of the Liguria Region, Giovanni Toti, is more nuanced. “It would be immoral not to give some time to the ports of southern Italy, where the migration flow is most intense,” he says. That said, it is absolutely manageable and I am confident that everything will go well without any negative impact on the city of La Spezia.”
Geo Barents’ story very well sums up the difference in position between NGO and government, as well as within the centre-right, and is an emblem of a “duel” played out on the point of law.
While sailing through the Sicilian channel to his assigned port (La Spezia) with 69 rescued in the first responder, he caught an SOS from the Alarm Phone network. So, while searching for the boat where the alarm started, they found another boat with 61 migrants, 13 women and 24 minors. Finally, they rescued 107 people who were on the overloaded boat and asked for help. Sources from Viminale reported that an assessment will be made on whether Geo Barents “complied with the provisions of the decree law requiring him to arrive at the designated port without delay” upon arrival at the assigned port. In fact, there is no explicit prohibition on carrying out further salvage operations, but the ship’s activities should not prevent the ship from arriving at the landing port immediately. The decree establishes the obligation to request the port of port from Italy immediately after carrying out the first rescue and the designated landing site “to be reached without delay for the completion of the rescue operation”.
“The Italian Government – Maritime Monitor staff intervenes harshly – continues to violate international law and the human rights of people rescued at sea: The 237 shipwrecked survivors aboard Médecins Sans Frontières’ ship Geo Barents will land in the port of La Spezia, among the most remote countries. Our solidarity with the people rescued by Doctors Don’t Know and the Geo Barents team who were forced to suffer the abuses of an inhumane policy.”
Source: Today IT
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
