A migrant ship docks in France as Health & Fitness Journal’ dispute with Italy escalates

©Health & Fitness Journal. FILE PHOTO: Crew members of the NGO rescue ship ‘Ocean Viking’ give life jackets to migrants on a crowded boat in the Mediterranean Sea, October 25, 2022. Camille Martin Juan/Sos Mediterranee/Handout via REUTERS

By Leigh Thomas and Giuseppe Fonte

PARIS/ROME (Health & Fitness Journal) – A charity-run ship carrying around 230 migrants rescued at sea docked at a French port on Friday after being turned away by Italy amid a war of words over their fate between the two European Union neighbours tightened.

The French government on Thursday agreed to take in the NGO ship Ocean Viking, slammed the new right-wing government for Rome’s refusal to do so and said it would suspend plans to take in 3,000 migrants already in Italy .

When a French minister accused Rome of breaking a bond of trust and violating international laws protecting migrants, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called Paris’ reaction “incomprehensible and unjustified”.

She said Italy has welcomed almost 90,000 migrants in its ports this year and that the EU needs to do more to defend its borders.

The Ocean Viking docked at a military port in Toulon, southern France, on Friday with migrants, including dozens of children, rescued from the Mediterranean Sea in October.

France’s junior minister for European affairs, Laurence Boone, said Italy’s refusal to accept the ship violated European rules on responsibility-sharing or accepting migrants.

“Trust was broken … because there was a unilateral decision that puts lives at risk and which is also incompatible with international law,” Boone told Radio Franceinfo.

The charity SOS Mediterranee, which operates the Ocean Viking, said migrants should be allowed to disembark in countries closest to rescue areas and vowed to be back at sea “within weeks”.

“Nothing will make us give up the imperative of sea rescue,” said Alessandro Porro, the group’s head in Italy, in a statement.

“DO NOT ISOLATE ITALY”

Meloni said in her inaugural speech to Parliament last month, after being appointed leader of Italy’s most right-wing government since World War II, that she wanted to halt sea travel and that her government would not allow people to enter Italy illegally.

On Friday, she urged the EU not to punish Italy for its stance. “Europe could decide to solve this problem by isolating Italy. I think it would be better to isolate the migrant boat smugglers.”

One of her closest associates previously warned France against restricting Rome’s access to the EU’s post-pandemic recovery funds in retaliation.

EU Economic Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni, former Italian Prime Minister, called for restraint.

“These two great countries must have a friendly, cooperative relationship. This is essential for both France and Italy, but also for the European Union,” he told Italian media in Brussels.

President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist government, accused by France’s far-right opposition of being lenient on immigration, is keen to prevent the ship’s arrival from fueling further criticism at home.

The head of the French government service responsible for foreigners, Eric Jalon, said nine EU countries had already agreed to take in two-thirds of the Ocean Viking’s migrants.

Local Var region prefect Evence Richard said the migrants would be taken to a detention center where they would be given medical care and their asylum applications processed. Those deemed ineligible to stay would be sent back to their home countries.