Italy bans more migrant ships from its ports as two wait off Libya

More foreign rescuers operating boats in the Mediterranean were yesterday told they could not dock in Italian ports.

Matteo Salvini, Italian Interior Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the right-wing League, issued the warning and sharply criticised a critic for calling him a fascist.

Mr Salvini posted the remarks on Facebook and Twitter in an escalating row with migrant rescuers as one ship, the Aquarius, sailed to Spain after being blocked from Italian ports.

He said on Facebook that two other ships, the Lifeline and the Seefuchs, were off Libya waiting to pick up migrants abandoned by human traffickers.

“They should know that Italy no longer wants to be an accomplice in the business of illegal immigration, and therefore they will have to aim for other, non-Italian ports,” Mr Salvini said. Both ships fly Dutch flags.

Italy says humanitarian organisations are being exploited by traffickers. Rome says only migrants rescued by Italian ships can enter its ports.

After Mr Salvini’s Facebook post one group, Mission Lifeline, tweeted in German: “When fascists promote us.”

Mr Salvini tweeted back: “Insults and threats will not stop us.” He spoke a day after Italy and France tried to bury the hatchet after a row over Rome’s refusal to accept the Aquarius.

The ship was off the coast of the Spanish island of Majorca yesterday and was expected to arrive in Valencia today. It originally carried 629 migrants but some were transferred to Italian boats escorting it to Spain. A poll in Italy’s Corriere della Sera newspaper yesterday showed that 59 per cent of Italians agreed with the decision to block non-Italian rescue ships.