UK axes support for Mediterranean migrant rescue operation
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article said:
UK axes support for Mediterranean migrant rescue operation
Refugees and human rights organisations react with anger as minister says saving people encourages others to risk voyage
Britain will not support any future search and rescue operations to prevent migrants and refugees drowning in the Mediterranean, claiming they simply encourage more people to attempt the dangerous sea crossing, Foreign Office ministers have quietly announced.
Refugee and human rights organisations reacted with anger to the official British refusal to support a sustained European search and rescue operation to prevent further mass migrant drownings, saying it would contribute to more people dying needlessly on Europe’s doorstep.
The British refusal comes as the official Italian sea and rescue operation, Mare Nostrum, is due to end this week after contributing over the past 12 months to the rescue of an estimated 150,000 people since the Lampedusa tragedies in which 500 migrants died in October 2013.
The Italian operation will now end without a similar European search and rescue operation to replace it. The Italian authorities have said their operation, which involves a significant part of the Italian navy, is unsustainable. Despite its best efforts, more than 2,500 people are known to have drowned or gone missing in the Mediterranean since the start of the year.
Instead of the Italian operation, a limited joint EU “border protection” operation, codenamed Triton and managed by Frontex, the European border agency, is to be launched on 1 November. Crucially, it will not include search and rescue operations across the Mediterranean, just patrols within 30 miles of the Italian coast.
Human rights organisations have raised fears that more migrants and refugees will die in their attempt to reach Europe from the north African coast. The hard-pressed Italian navy will be left to mount what search and rescue operations it can. The new European operation will have only a third of the resources of the Italian operation that is being phased out.
British policy was quietly spelled out in a recent House of Lords written answer by the new Foreign Office minister, Lady Anelay: “We do not support planned search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean,” she said, adding that the government believed there was “an unintended ‘pull factor’, encouraging more migrants to attempt the dangerous sea crossing and thereby leading to more tragic and unnecessary deaths”.
Anelay said: “The government believes the most effective way to prevent refugees and migrants attempting this dangerous crossing is to focus our attention on countries of origin and transit, as well as taking steps to fight the people smugglers who wilfully put lives at risk by packing migrants into unseaworthy boats.”
The Home Office told the Guardian the government was not taking part in Operation Triton at present beyond providing one “debriefer” – a single immigration officer – to gather intelligence about the migrants who continue to make the dangerous journey to Italy.
Other EU countries have responded to the call for help with two fixed-wing aircraft and three patrol vessels.
It is understood that Britain does not rule out providing further support later for an operation it says will be limited to “border management”. As it does not involve search and rescue missions it will not be covered by British government policy which regards the rescue of desperate migrants as only encouraging others to make the hazardous journey.
The home secretary, Theresa May, was among justice and home affairs ministers who agreed earlier this month to the ending of the Italian search and rescue operation and to deploying Operation Triton without delay in order to “reinforce border surveillance in the waters close to the Italian shores”.
European interior ministers acknowledged that the situation in the Mediterranean was of the greatest concern “as there are indications that the current trend will continue and the situation even risks deteriorating further”.
As well as deploying “Task Force Mediterranean”, which includes two fixed-wing surveillance aircraft and three patrol vessels in Operation Triton, ministers agreed a series of North African measures including finding ways of curtailing the supply of vessels from Tunisia and Egypt used by people smugglers.
May told the Commons the meeting had agreed “the prompt withdrawal of the Mare Nostrum operation … and for all member states to comply fully with their obligations under EU migration and asylum [policies].”
Admiral Filippo Maria Foffi, the commander in charge of the Italian naval squadron involved in Mare Nostrum, is expected to spell out on Tuesday the impact of its cancellation.
The British Refugee Council chief executive, Maurice Wren, responding to the Foreign Office refusal to take part in future search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean said: “The British government seems oblivious to the fact that the world is in the grip of the greatest refugee crisis since the second world war.
“People fleeing atrocities will not stop coming if we stop throwing them life-rings; boarding a rickety boat in Libya will remain a seemingly rational decision if you’re running for your life and your country is in flames. The only outcome of withdrawing help will be to witness more people needlessly and shamefully dying on Europe’s doorstep.
“The answer isn’t to build the walls of fortress Europe higher, it’s to provide more safe and legal channels for people to access protection.”
Tony Bunyan, director of Statewatch, which documents European justice and home affairs policies, added: “The government’s justification for not participating in Triton is cynical and an abdication of responsibility by saying that not helping to rescue people fleeing from war, persecution and poverty who are likely to perish is an acceptable way to discourage immigration.”
Amnesty International wrote to the home secretary last month criticising the woeful response from European countries to the unacceptable scale of the loss of life from the influx of refugees and migrants on boats across the Mediterranean.
There's no good answer IMO. They're quite right that funding rescues does make it much, much safer to make the trip, so more people try. That said, people will try anyway.
The bottom line is that people will drown, whatever they do, and it's not certain whether doing anything makes the number of drownees higher or lower.
The bottom line is that people will drown, whatever they do, and it's not certain whether doing anything makes the number of drownees higher or lower.
I've always felt sorry for the Italians trying to deal with the problems of Lampedusa with very limited interest from the rest of the EU. This seems an extremely cynical move, technically correct but very callous. Hell why not take the next step then and shoot at the refugee boats to discourage others?!
Given that we have some collective responsibility for the state of a few of the cluster f
k countries on the other side of the Med, there must be a better way to deal with this. Suddenly helping rebels kick the asses of their dictators doesn't look that smart, does it?
Given that we have some collective responsibility for the state of a few of the cluster f
k countries on the other side of the Med, there must be a better way to deal with this. Suddenly helping rebels kick the asses of their dictators doesn't look that smart, does it?Whatever is done is a sticking plaster of one kind or another; the only way to reduce the migration to a trickle is for africa to develop something other than a barter economy. If these people could get jobs, housing, electricity and running water most of them would stay at home. Some are fleeing persecution, but they are a minority; a lot are the young and educated seeking a better life, and by doing so helping to prevent their countries developing.
'As well as deploying “Task Force Mediterranean”, which includes two fixed-wing surveillance aircraft and three patrol vessels in Operation Triton, ministers agreed a series of North African measures including finding ways of curtailing the supply of vessels from Tunisia and Egypt used by people smugglers.'
sounds a good idea, wonder how much success, since boats float, so can come from afar.
I would much rather we (the West) interdicted the 'pirate boats' as they left shore and put them back, than rescued them into the EU (I mean the UK)
sounds a good idea, wonder how much success, since boats float, so can come from afar.
I would much rather we (the West) interdicted the 'pirate boats' as they left shore and put them back, than rescued them into the EU (I mean the UK)
'As well as deploying “Task Force Mediterranean”, which includes two fixed-wing surveillance aircraft and three patrol vessels in Operation Triton, ministers agreed a series of North African measures including finding ways of curtailing the supply of vessels from Tunisia and Egypt used by people smugglers.'
sounds a good idea, wonder how much success, since boats float, so can come from afar.
I would much rather we (the West) interdicted the 'pirate boats' as they left shore and put them back, than rescued them into the EU (I mean the UK)
sounds a good idea, wonder how much success, since boats float, so can come from afar.
I would much rather we (the West) interdicted the 'pirate boats' as they left shore and put them back, than rescued them into the EU (I mean the UK)
YankeePorker said:
I've always felt sorry for the Italians trying to deal with the problems of Lampedusa with very limited interest from the rest of the EU. This seems an extremely cynical move, technically correct but very callous. Hell why not take the next step then and shoot at the refugee boats to discourage others?!
Given that we have some collective responsibility for the state of a few of the cluster fk countries on the other side of the Med, there must be a better way to deal with this. bSuddenly helping rebels kick the asses of their dictators doesn't look that smart, does it?
Why, how many of these people are specifically coming from Libya or any other North African country we have meddled in? Infact, what other countries in the region HAVE we meddled in? Given that we have some collective responsibility for the state of a few of the cluster f
k countries on the other side of the Med, there must be a better way to deal with this. bSuddenly helping rebels kick the asses of their dictators doesn't look that smart, does it?Edited by Axionknight on Tuesday 28th October 07:41
Edited by Axionknight on Tuesday 28th October 10:46
The justification is rubbish. How many people leaving Somalia to cone to Europe are really thinking 'on the balance of probabilities, I'm going to make the trip because even if the boat sinks there's a big search and rescue operation which will pick me up'.
I don't disagree with the decision itself, just the way it's being justified here.
I don't disagree with the decision itself, just the way it's being justified here.
Blib said:
article said:
Mare Nostrum, is due to end this week after contributing over the past 12 months to the rescue of an estimated 150,000 people since the Lampedusa tragedies in which 500 migrants died in October 2013.
150,000 people rescued in just 12 months. It beggars belief!The fact is that if you ask the majority of the public opinion in Italy will agree with the UK Government's point of view. Unfortunately the Italian Govt has been under pressure by the left, the do-gooders and the Vatican to help the invaders (not migrants).
And for Axionknight, well, we heavily meddled in Lybia, but we didn't do anything to contrast revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Sudan and we abandoned in a proper mess Somalia in 1994. And that's where those people come from.
eldar said:
We aren't supposed to be a taxi service.
True.But in the aftermath of the accident last November, the EU via Van Rompuy and Barroso, specifically said that Italy should do something to avoid similar tragedies (the Pope jumped on the bandwagon, but that's another matter). What realistically could you do? Ignore the call and accept the possibility of some of the boats capsizing and the people onboard drowning? Well, it's not a pleasant choice, but in my opinion, yes. Having seen how this people arrive and the problems of public safety they represent, the actions undertaken so far have done nothing but publicise the idea that if you sail off the coast and call the Italians, hey presto you'll be saved and on the other side! This has to stop, and the majority of public opinion, not to count the Navy, agree on that. Africa has over 1bn people, we can't realistically save them all.
YankeePorker said:
I've always felt sorry for the Italians trying to deal with the problems of Lampedusa with very limited interest from the rest of the EU. This seems an extremely cynical move, technically correct but very callous. Hell why not take the next step then and shoot at the refugee boats to discourage others?!
Given that we have some collective responsibility for the state of a few of the cluster fk countries on the other side of the Med, there must be a better way to deal with this. Suddenly helping rebels kick the asses of their dictators doesn't look that smart, does it?
I think it's right that we don't help people trying to cross the Med, however I agree that the only catch is that we are responsible for the fGiven that we have some collective responsibility for the state of a few of the cluster f
k countries on the other side of the Med, there must be a better way to deal with this. Suddenly helping rebels kick the asses of their dictators doesn't look that smart, does it?k up in Libya (and IMO we're responsible because we unquestioningly work for our American masters, but that's another debate for another thread). It always seemed obvious to me that the result in Libya would be something along these lines. As nasty as they were occasionally to some, it seems like the world was a better place with Gaddafi and Saddam.YankeePorker said:
I've always felt sorry for the Italians trying to deal with the problems of Lampedusa with very limited interest from the rest of the EU. This seems an extremely cynical move, technically correct but very callous. Hell why not take the next step then and shoot at the refugee boats to discourage others?!
Given that we have some collective responsibility for the state of a few of the cluster fk countries on the other side of the Med, there must be a better way to deal with this. Suddenly helping rebels kick the asses of their dictators doesn't look that smart, does it?
Firstly most of the migrants are using those North African countries as transit points.Given that we have some collective responsibility for the state of a few of the cluster f
k countries on the other side of the Med, there must be a better way to deal with this. Suddenly helping rebels kick the asses of their dictators doesn't look that smart, does it?Secondly the original scheme seems ludicrous. Set out into the Mediterranean and we will tow you to Europe. Don't shoot the boats no, but towing them back to North Africa would seem sensible.
Enricogto said:
and we abandoned in a proper mess Somalia in 1994. And that's where those people come from.
I think yoou will find that was the Americans and the Somali warlords. The UK involvment in Somalia (Operation VIGOUR) ran from early Dec 1992 to end Mar 1993 and revolved around us air dropping food to the locals.Gassing Station | News, Politics & Economics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff