Tag Archives: Mediterranean

From top: Fine Gael MEP Maria Walsh and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar; vote result yesterday in the European Parliament sitting in Strasbourg

This morning.

Fine Gael MEP for Midlands–North-West Maria Walsh spoke on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland about her  and her party colleagues decision to vote against a resolution to step up search and rescue operations of asylum seekers in the Mediterranean.

The other Fine Gael MEPs who voted against the resolution were Mairead McGuinness, Maria Walsh, Frances Fitzgerald and Sean Kelly.

Green Party MEPs Ciarán Cuffe and Grace O’Sullivan, Sinn Féin’s Martina Anderson and Matt Carthy, and Independents Luke Ming Flanagan and Mick Wallace all voted in favour.

No votes were recorded for Independent Clare Daly, DUP MEP Dianne Dodds, the Alliance Party’s Naomi Long or Fianna Fáil’s Billy Kelleher.

The vote lost by two votes – to applause within the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

Ms Walsh started her interview with Dr Gavin Jennings saying that there were a number of “red flags” in the resolution which she voted against.

The resolution included the following line:

“Calls on all actors in the Mediterranean to proactively transmit information related to persons in distress at sea to the competent authorities for search and rescue operations and to, where appropriate, any potential vessels in the vicinity that could imminently engage in search and rescue.”

Dr Gavin Jennings: “Why did you vote against the resolution?”

Maria Walsh: “Well, first and foremost, based off, let me be very clear. My colleagues in Fine Gael and the European People’s Party, EPP, support search and rescue for the most vulnerable in the Mediterranean and we’ve been very clear on that. We’ve also been very clear that we want effective and workable solutions for the Mediterannean, working with our new EU Commission, working with our council and, of course, across the European party.

“Not only is it morally right but it’s legally our duty to save our most vulnerable. But this report had a number of red flags to it and you would have seen that based off the 288 voted in favour, 290 voted against.

“Couple of red flags for us so as the EPP group, we made a plan. We needed to make sure that our most vulnerable was protected. So we had four key votes and I’ll just explain one of them in particular that was the one voted down was amendment 59 which was calling, which was proposed by S&D and Greens originally and we had really fought to include this into a key vote into the report as a whole and it wanted information shared to all vessels – NGOs, Frontex, members states.

“Now what we see in Essex and what I’m reading on the reports is the fact that we have an incredible serious issue with human trafficking, incredible. That we need to solve and find a solid solution for. But sharing information of our most vulnerable when they’re at most risk, is not the way to do it.

“So, how, what was proposed by other parties was information would be shared throughout. That, that, I can’t stand over that. EPP couldn’t stand over that. That is just one call. But I do want to stress to listeners and to yourself – this report does not change, this resolution I should say, does not change, does not combat or create any other issues under international law.

“All vessels that come into contact with individuals must assist them and this vote doesn’t change that.”

Dr Gavin Jennings: “OK.”

Walsh: “But what it does is it shows that, it shows that we have to go back to the drawing board, it shows we have to bring in Ursula von der Leyen commissioner-designates in to talk about this and we have to find a solution that works for all, that member states…”

Jennings: “The resolution…”

Walsh: “….and NGOs are not at risk…”

Jennings: “Maria Walsh, the resolution called on all actors in the Mediterranean to transmit information in relation to persons in distress at sea to the competent authorities for search and rescue, all actors in the Mediterranean. Now your party, Fine Gael, as part of the European People’s Party voted alongside ultra-nationalists and far-right parties to defeat this resolution by two votes. Many of those parties were celebrating the result in the European Parliament. Are  your party proud of your achievement?”

Walsh: “Not at all. Actually, I won’t speak for, I won’t speak for any other group, except the EPP. I know the co-ordinator quite well, Roberta Metsola for the EPP, I also know the Shadow Repertoire  on this file Lena Düpont, from Germany. And I can tell you this: we, as soon as the vote was cast, and the result was shared, we were disappointed. We wanted the…”

Jennings: “Many of the parties that votes alongside you were far from disappointed.”

Silence

Walsh: “Well, like I said I can’t speak on behalf of any other group, except the EPP. But the one sentence that came out from again Roberta and Lena’s mouth is: we need to get back to the drawing board. And we need to get back fast. So that issues, and you see a lot of red flags here, that people are clinging on to the fact that four MEPs from Fine Gael voted this down.

“This report was loose in language, it was not legally binding, it was not looking at support from member states, it was actually putting NGOs, that do amazing work, most at risk.

“And we are looking at and calling for an increase in smuggling and trafficking. And any report that has any grey area with increase of trafficking, I’m sorry. I hope my listeners, your listeners, agree with this: we cannot support.

“I also just want to point out…”

Jennings: “Very briefly..”

Walsh: “Yeah, I just want to point out. This report wasn’t, wasn’t green flagged by everybody. I want to note that four S&D colleagues voted down, five were absent. Renew Europe, ten voted down and four were absent. Now the far, far right, or far left, if you want to give them names…”

Jennings: “I’m afraid we’re going to have to leave it there, Maria Walsh, MEP, thank you very much for speaking to us this morning.”

Listen back in full here

Yesterday: Meanwhile in Strasbourg

Previously: What Fresh Hell…?

Rollingnews

UPDATE:

Fine Gael MEP Seán Kelly

This morning, Fine Gael MEP Seán Kelly spoke to East Coast FM about the vote.

He told Declan Meehan that he and his colleagues “don’t want to put anything put in place to help the smugglers”.

Asked about the applause that rang out after the vote result emerged, Mr Kelly said: “I think it was terrible.”

He added that those who applauded “had a different reason for voting the way we did”.

East Coast FM

UPDATE:

Conor McCabe tweetz:

After he voted to let people drown in the Mediterranean, Seán Kelly ordered himself a juicy burger and side plate of chips. He even fu**ing tweeted it.

UPDATE:

Fianna Fáil MEP Billy Kelleher has tweeted:

Yesterday, I voted on over 140 amendments and resolutions.

Included in these were votes in favour of many GUE/NGL amendments supporting their position on refugees and migrants.

However, voting was slow to start and as such I had to leave at 12:45 in order to compete my 2.5 hour bus journey to Frankfurt in order catch my flight back to Dublin and then onto Cork.

I 100% would have voted in favour of this resolution. I hope that the EU Council and Commission can implement progressive proposals to protect migrants & asylum seekers and save lives.

UPDATE:

RTÉ News reports:

Speaking to RTÉ News, Ms McGuinness said the provision would have required Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, “to share information with all ships in the region, including traffickers”.

Ms McGuinness said that would not have been acceptable and said if the resolution had been passed, it would have “made the situation worse”.

“We had concerns about the actual content of it, not about the objective,” she added.

Ms McGuinness said she “will not allow anyone challenge my ethics or morality around saving lives” and she insisted the parliament “will revisit this issue again” very shortly.

McGuinness and Walsh defend vote against search and rescue resolution (RTÉ)

Gavan Reilly tweetz:

Meanwhile: the European Parliament has rejected a resolution asking member states to step up search-and-rescue for refugees in the Mediterranean.

Fine Gael’s four MEPs voted against; it lost by two.

Watch the vote result emerge – to applause – here

MEPs reject migrant rescue resolution (EU Observer)

Previously: ‘Our Naval Service Is Part Of It’

Into Harm’s Way

UDPATE:

Green Party MEP Grace O’Sullivan has tweeted:

Sad, sad day for me. An MEP vote around supporting the rescue of drowning migrants in the Mediterranean has been defeated.

How did the Irish MEPs vote?

Myself + Ciarán Cuffe voted for the motion…along Anderson, Carthy, Flanagan and Wallace.

All 4 FINE GAEL voted AGAINST.

I do not think FG was motivated by racism, heartlessness or anything like it.

Their group argued that rescue efforts act as a ‘pull factor’.

We in @GreensEFA do not agree, but we need to work together on a better outcome for those affected. Hateful language has no place in this.

This morning.

In the Dáil.

Several TDs, including Sinn Féin’s Aengus Ó Snodaigh and Independents 4 Change TDs Clare Daly and Mick Wallace, raised the Irish Navy’s current involvement in the European Union’s Operation Sophia in the Mediterranean where asylum seekers attempting to leave Libya are being brought back to Libya.

Irish freelance journalist Sally Hayden, who last week won the Foreign Coverage award at the Irish Journalism awards for her Irish Times reports on migration matters, has been reporting extensively in recent months on asylum seekers who have been intercepted by the Libyan coastguard and brought back to Libya where they’ve been detained.

Last month, Ms Hayden reported:

“Tens of thousands of refugees and migrants have been returned to Libya since February 2017, when the country’s UN-backed government entered into a deal with Italy to prevent migration to Europe. Italian politicians have called the deal a success, because it has reduced the number of people arriving on their shores.

“However, for the men, women and children returned to Libya, the situation is bleak. More than a dozen detainees across Tripoli contacted by phone have described detention centres rife with abuse, where they’re fed once a day at most, forced to work, and sometimes beaten or raped. Overcrowding has led to the spread of infectious diseases like tuberculosis.

Further to this.

The Junior Minister for Defence Paul Kehoe told the Dáil this morning that Operation Sophia has  helped to “improve overall maritime security”.

He said the latest UN figures show that, as of November 14, 2018, the number of migrants and refugees entering Europe by sea was 103,347 – compared to 156,708 in 2017, and 343,258 in 2016.

He said Ireland’s involvement in Operation Sophia in 2019 is currently being considered and a decision will be made on that following a full review of its 2018 deployments.

He also said: “We have interrupted the smugglers in the model that they are using. We’ve destroyed their boats and they use to smuggle migrants through.”

And he explained: “When we joined Operation Sophia, Operation Pontus [its predecessor] was a humanitarian search and rescue mission undertaken by Ireland’s bilateral agreement with the Italian authorities and the sole focus of that mission was the rescue of migrants in the Mediterranean. Now we’ve joined Operation Sophia, it specifically seeks to counter traffic and smuggling in the south Mediterranean, central Mediterranean sea, by taking action against criminal networks.”

Independents 4 Change TD Clare Daly put it to Mr Kehoe that Operation Sophia is not about saving or rescuing people from the Mediterranean but, instead it’s “part of your current drip, drip participation into involvement in a PESCO and a future European army”.

Mr Kehoe said: “Deputy, absolutely, of course, I agree with you 100%. Of course, it’s a military mission. But also it’s a UN-mandated mission.”

He added:

“When we joined PESCO, and brought it to the Cabinet, brought it to the House here, it was voted democratically by the members of this House, to join Operation Sophia and it totally changed the mission that we were participating in under Operation Pontus.

“Operation Sophia specifically seeks to counter human trafficking and smuggling in the south, central Mediterranean, by taking action against the criminal networks and disrupting smugglers’ business model by improving maritime security.

“Operation Sophia is actively  contributing to the EU and international efforts to, of the return of  stability in Libya. In addition, Operation Sophia plays an important role in the training of the Libyan coastguard. We weren’t doing any of that under Operation Pontus.”

Mr Ó Snodaigh put it to Mr Kehoe that it was his understanding that the Irish Navy isn’t in Libyan ports.

Therefore, he asked Mr Kehoe to confirm if the Irish Navy has been “destroying” smugglers’ boats at sea.

He also asked Mr Kehoe to confirm how many boats the Irish Navy has escorted back to Libya.

Mr Kehoe said he would come back to Mr Ó Snodaigh with a figure.

Meanwhile, Mr Wallace said:

“Operation Sophia is pulling people back to a place of violence and human rights violations. Only yesterday, authorities used rubber bullets and tear gas to force over 90 refugees to disembark a cargo ship docked at Misrata.

“The stand-off lasted 10 days. The refugees, including children, said they’d rather die than return to indefinite detention in Libya. This is the reality of Libya and Operation Sophia.

Now scores of refugees are killing themselves in detention centres where the Irish Navy are helping the Libyan coastguard to keep these desperate people. You said Minister, that you’re saving lives by interrupting smugglers, you’re sending them back to violence.

“They’d rather be killed then go back. You talk about a UN mandate, let’s not forget. The UN gave the mandate to destroy this place in the first place. That’s what they did. There’s no sense in what’s going on there, Minister.”

“We should have nothing to do with this military mission. We’re actually crucifying people by sending them back to Libya which this government, your government, actually, agrees with the NATO mission there. And sadly back by UN mandate.”

Mr Kehoe responded:

“Our mission statement totally changed when we joined Operation Sophia but I wasn’t hiding behind anything.”

Related: Libya is a war zone. Why is the EU still sending refugees back there? (Sally Hayden, The Guardian)

Meanwhile…

Paul Kehoe speaking in the Dáil in January 2018.

Hmm.

Migrant rescue ship Aquarius

AFP reports:

European countries faced pressure on Tuesday to resolve a fresh standoff with the operators of the migrant rescue ship Aquarius which is stranded for the second time in the Mediterranean carrying 141 people.

France said it was in touch with the other EU nations to “rapidly” find a port where the Aquarius could dock after it was refused entry by Italy and Malta, the two countries closest to its current location.

The Aquarius, which was left stranded with 630 migrants on board in June after being turned away by Rome and Valletta, resumed rescue operations off the Libyan coast last week.

France again voiced disapproval of Italy’s “very tough political stance” — milder language than two months ago when President Emmanuel Macron accused his Italian partners of “cynicism and irresponsibility”.

The 141 migrants on board the Aquarius were picked up on Friday in two separate operations and are in a stable condition, the French charity that operates the Aquarius, SOS Mediterranee, said.

EU faces fresh standoff over Aquarius migrant boat (Yahoo)

Pic: GavinLeeBBC

Meanwhile…

Via IOM UN Migration

Yesterday.

Oscar Camps, of Spanish lifeguard group Proactiva Open Arms, tweeted:

The Libyan coast guard announced that it had intercepted a boat with 158 people on board and had provided medical and humanitarian assistance. What they did not say was that they left two women and a child on board and sank the ship because they did not want to get on Libyan patrol boats.

When we arrived, we found one of the women still alive, we could not do anything to recover the other woman and the child who apparently died a few hours before finding them. How long will we have to deal with assassins enlisted by the Italian government to kill?

Libyan coastguard accused of abandoning three migrants in sea (The Guardian)

Spanish group Proactiva Open Arms carry out a rescue of refugees in the Mediterranean; UN statistics showing number of people who have reached Europe by land and sea; by sea alone; and the known number of people who’ve died so far this year (1,408) 

The number of known people seeking refuge to have gone missing or died while trying to cross the Mediterranean so far this year is now 1,408, according to the United Nations.

Further to this…

Last year…

Hassiba Hadj-Sahraoui, of Medecines sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders), told a meeting of the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs committee:

“We, as Europe, train the Libyan coastguard, we equip the Libyan coastguard, we help them set up a search and rescue region. We get them to do our dirty work so we can claim it’s not us. However, our fingerprints everywhere.”

The Government has since said the Irish Naval Service does not return migrants it rescues from the Mediterranean to Libya as part of the EU’s naval operation Operation Sophia.

Further to this…

Anyone?

United Nations – Mediterranean

Pic: Proactiva Open Arms

Screen Shot 2015-05-05 at 12.01.07

LÉ Eithne

Sorcha Pollak, in the Irish Times, reports:

“The Irish naval vessel LÉ Eithne is to be dispatched to the Mediterranean sea to participate in an EU search and rescue mission for migrants fleeing north Africa, the Minister for Defence has said. Simon Coveney told RTE radio [this] morning the navy was preparing the LÉ Eithne so it would be ready to leave for the Mediterranean by Friday, May 8th.”

“He said the vessel was being prepared in Haulbowline naval base in Cork harbour so that it could “successfully save people and drop them to local ports in the vicinity of the Mediterranean”.”

“Asked whether there was any plan in place to bring migrants back to the Republic of Ireland, Mr Coveney said it wouldn’t be practical to be picking people up from the sea and bringing them back to the State.”

LÉ Eithne to participate in migrant search and rescue (Sorcha Pollak, Irish Times)

LÉ Eithne will be ready to travel to Mediterranean on Friday (Morning Ireland, RTÉ)

Mediterranean migrants crisis: ‘Dozens drowned’ in new tragedy off Libya (International Business Times)

Photocall Ireland