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2019-08-14 Europe
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In new migrant standoff, Italy's Salvini blocks two NGO boats
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[AlAhram] Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said on Tuesday he was working to prevent two rescue ships operated by French and Spanish charities from bringing more than 500 migrants colonists to Italia in the latest Mediterranean stand-off.
The Ocean Viking, which is run by French non-governmental groups (NGOs) Doctors Without Borders and SOS Mediterranee, has picked up some 356 migrants colonists off the coast of Libya since Friday, while Spanish boat Open Arms has saved some 160 people.
Both vessels are in the central Mediterranean, within easy sailing distance of the Italian island of Lampedusa and are seeking a safe port to disembark the mainly African migrants colonists.
But Salvini, the leader of the far-right League who has seen his popularity in Italia soar since he took office last year and launched a fierce anti-immigration crackdown, said on Tuesday the boats were not Rome's problem.
"I am at work in the ministry this morning to prevent more than 500 migrants colonists from disembarking from two NGO boats, one French and one Spanish," Salvini wrote on Facebook.
"I will let you know how this ends. I will not give up."
Earlier this month, Salvini introduced a new law hiking fines for ships that enter Italian waters without authorisation to up to 1 million euros ($1.12 million). It also provides for the arrest of captains who ignore orders to stay away and calls on naval authorities to seize their boats automatically.
Buoyed by his success in the polls, Salvini is looking to trigger an early election in the autumn by bringing down the Italian government, confident he would emerge as prime minister from any new vote. As such, a high-profile clash with foreign charities will bolster his anti-migrant credentials.
Salvini said Libya had offered to take back the migrants colonists aboard the Ocean Viking and said Open Arms should go to Spain.
Italia has taken in more than 600,000 boat migrants colonists since 2014,
| ... but how many continued on elsewhere after being counted upon entry to Italy? |
but new arrivals have fallen sharply over the past two years, with the decline accelerating over the past year.
Latest figures say 4,265 migrants colonists have reached Italia so far in 2019, down 78 percent on the same period in 2018 and down 96 percent on 2017 levels.
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Posted by trailing wife 2019-08-14 00:00||
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File under: Human Trafficking
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Posted by Procopius2k 2019-08-14 07:16||
2019-08-14 07:16||
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Posted by Elmosh Cheaque8940 2019-08-14 07:32||
2019-08-14 07:32||
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Posted by Bright Pebbles 2019-08-14 07:52||
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Posted by Woodrow 2019-08-14 09:27||
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Posted by Dron66046 2019-08-14 11:30||
2019-08-14 11:30||
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