Rally for Europe migrant rescue ship
PARIS: Thousands of people attended rallies on Saturday across Europe to show support for migrant rescue ship Aquarius, stuck in Marseille after Panama revoked its flag.
Dozens of demonstrations were held in France including in Paris, as well as in Brussels, Berlin, Madrid and Palermo.
Many dressed in the boat’s orange colours and chanted for “a flag for Aquarius” while slamming the “criminal inaction” of European Union governments to resolve the impasse.
Marseille, home to the SOS Mediterranee non-governmental organisation, which operates the vessel with Doctors Without Borders, saw the largest show of support. Organisers said 10,000 people took part in the demonstration though police put the figure at nearer 3,500.
A similar rally in Paris also drew a crowd of around 10,000, according to the organisers, while police put the figure at a tenth as many.
“The goal is to make an appeal to citizens and show that SOS Mediterranee draws its legitimacy from civil society,” said spokeswoman Sophie Rahal.
Panama last month pulled the ship’s flag following a request from Italy, meaning the Aquarius cannot legally set sail.
The boat’s operators say it has rescued some 29,500 migrants to date and SOS Mediterranee president Francis Vallat said “the situation is more critical than ever”.
Vallat said although migrant volumes had dropped “we are passing from one death per 42 migrants (at sea) last year to one in 18 migrants” this summer.