Salvini announces a “strong hand” in Italy against NGOs that save people in the Mediterranean

The controversy continues over the new guidelines of the Italian executive on immigration. Matteo SalviniVice President of the Government and leader of the League, has assured this Sunday that it intends to impose a “strong hand” policy against all organizations that rescue people in Mediterranean waters. In this sense, he has assured that he will impose “fines” and that he will issue orders to proceed with the requisition of his boats.

Since the arrival of the new Executive chaired by Giorgia Meloni, the Italian Government has waged a battle to hinder the work of associations that save immigrants in the Mediterraneanwhich he blames, among others, for the increase in the flow of boats from Africa, which has opened a confrontation between France and Italy over the NGO boats.

Salvini, who holds the Infrastructure portfolio, maintains port powers, a situation that has allowed him to legislate, through a decree, that only those people who, after a medical inspection on board, were considered vulnerable, disembark from the ships. The minister had already warned that he would close the ports to foreign NGO ships as he already did when he was minister in 2018.

“Hardening in sight: fines, seizures and more controls,” Salvini wrote on Twitter, assuring that “the Government is prepared to impose a heavy hand with the landings.”

Italy will take the issue to the EU Foreign Council on Monday. “We must approach immigration with great serenity and determination, because the problem has been going on for years and it is absolutely necessary to solve it,” the Italian Foreign Minister previously assured. Antonio Tajanireports efe. From Rome they do not rule out that Meloni and the French president, Emmanuel Macron, hold a bilateral meeting next week, within the framework of the G20 meeting in Bali, in which they can address the situation.

“Germany and Luxembourg will respect the pacts, like us. Greece, Malta and Cyprus are also in solidarity, since they have signed a joint declaration of the interior ministers with Italy because they have the same problem,” Tajani explained.

This week, France decided to suspend, with immediate effect, the immigration agreement it had with Italy, a reaction that, in the eyes of Meloni, was “incomprehensible”. “Something is not working when what is bothering is that Italy is not the only landing port for migrants from the Mediterranean,” he pointed out.

[Crisis entre Italia y Francia por un barco de migrantes: Meloni, contra la “agresiva reacción” de Macron]

Paris agreed this Friday to welcome in its territory the 234 immigrants from the Ocean Viking ship that was heading to the coasts of Italy.