We're still at sea waiting for a port of safety for the 440 people onboard our #SeaWatch3, but the year is coming to an end and it's time to draw some conclusions:
The humanitarian catastrophe in the #Mediterranean continues and compared to last year, the death toll has increased. While the #EU nearly stopped state-run sea rescues, together with the #CivilFleet we tried to close the deadly rescue gap at least a bit in 2021.
Hardly noticed by the public, for many people in search of safety, and in the absence of safe and legal escape routes, only the life-threatening crossing from #Libya over the central Mediterranean remains.
Civil sea rescue has been blocked and criminalized. Rescue ships have been detained by Italian authorities and prevented from operating, ships with rescued people on board have to wait again for days at sea until they are finally assigned a port of safety.
But it is also the time to be happy for those who safely reached Europe.
It’s time for a big thank you to our crews, activists, back-office people, and to all our supporters. 🧡
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The boat in distress at sea was known to the authorities and ended deadly. While the Italian government obstructs civil sea rescue, and its own Coast Guard is visibly overwhelmed, distress calls go unanswered. #Italy watched 30 people drown!
A thread
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Saturday morning, 10.32 am: 9 hours after @alarm_phone reported the first distress call, our Airborne crew sights the boat with 47 people on board. 2 minutes later, #Seabird2 sends a Mayday Relay to all stations. The coordinates are given. A rescue is urgent.
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@alarm_phone Immediately two emails are sent to the Italian rescue coordination center in #Rome. As the boat is in the Libyan search and rescue zone, #Italy wants nothing to do with the rescue and refers to the so-called Libyan Coast Guard.
The Ras Jadir 648 is the vessel of the so-called Libyan Coast Guard whose crew fired gunshots at people on the move on Wednesday. A look at the ship's history reveals who is really behind it:
On May 15, 2017, the Ras Jadir 648 was handed over to the so-called Libyan Coast Guard - by Italy's former Interior Minister Marco Minniti.
Less than 6 months later, the so-called Libyan Coast Guard ship killed 20 people in a dangerous interception and attacked the crew of #SeaWatch3.
What we have seen at the European external border in the last 48 hours is the complete breakdown of the European Union as the so-called defender of human rights.
At the Greek-Turkish border, refugees are targeted not only with tear gas but also with deadly firearms. independent.co.uk/news/world/eur…
In the Aegean, boats trying to reach the EU are found, but then only circled to put people in danger with waves. Frontex ships watch the boats but do not help.