Italy and Germany Defend Support for Libyan Coast Guard After U.N. Criticism
Italy and Germany have defended their support for the Libyan coast guard. The two countries’ foreign ministers spoke after the E.U. was criticized by the U.N. human rights chief.
Speaking after meeting his German counterpart, Sigmar Gabriel, in Rome, Italy’s foreign minister, Angelino Alfano, said, “We had migrants in the hands of smugglers and this represented the most tragic travel agency in the history of mankind.”
The comments came a day after the U.N.’s Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein said the conditions in which refugees and migrants had been trapped were “an outrage to the conscience of humanity.”
Alfano said Italy was funding the U.N. refugee and migration agencies, the UNHCR and IOM, to improve conditions on shore in Libya, and called for others to contribute.
“We invite all those who are giving lessons to instead give more funds, more logistical support and more intervention in Libya to solve this issue,” Alfano added.
Gabriel, who stopped short of making as impassioned a defense as Alfano, concurred that conditions in Libya were unacceptable but said there were no alternatives.
The E.U. has given its backing to Italy despite evidence that it has collaborated with smuggling networks and militias in Libya who are involved with torture and serious human rights abuses.
Italian deals in the main Libyan smuggling port of Sabratha were the catalyst for clashes that left dozens of people dead and tens of thousands of migrants without food or shelter.
U.N. officials have made it clear that the security and political situation in Libya means there is a limit to what they can achieve on the ground and that money is not the issue.
Greek Police Clash With Asylum Seekers Over March to Border
Greek police clashed with refugees and migrants intending to march to the border with Macedonia. Some 200 asylum seekers gathered in Thessaloniki but were pushed back by officers in riot gear.
The marchers, including women and children, are a symptom of rising numbers of arrivals in Greece, where conditions have been widely criticized.
The group, mainly from Syria, Iraq and Somalia, gathered after a campaign on social media, and the march was meant to highlight their frustration at conditions in Greece and their desire to leave the country.
Greek authorities are anxious to avoid any scenes reminiscent of the informal camp in the border village of Idomeni, where tens of thousands of asylum seekers gathered in 2015 after the border closed.
“I have no reason to stay here,” Ahmed Mohammed, an asylum seeker from Syria, told the Associated Press. “I’ve been here for six months, first on (the island of) Chios and then I went to Athens. I can’t work. I can’t do anything.”
Flows of asylum seekers into Greece dropped dramatically after the E.U. made a controversial deal with Turkey offering aid in return for stemming the boats. But a recent spike in arrivals on the Greek islands and the land border with Turkey has exposed continued failings in the management of the issue in Greece.
Charities including Medecins Sans Frontieres have warned of a mental health epidemic among the 15,000 asylum seekers confined to the Greek islands.
Coworking Company Pledges to Employ 1,500 Refugees
The U.S.-based office-sharing company WeWork has pledged to employ refugees. The coworking outfit said it would hire 1,500 refugees across its premises worldwide over the next five years.
The move mirrors a similar pledge made last year by the coffee chain Starbucks. WeWork is preparing to float the company, which is now present in 58 cities in the U.S. and elsewhere.
Starbucks received strong criticism from anti-immigrant groups in the U.S. following its pledge, despite also offering to employ military veterans – something WeWork has also matched.
The fact that the P.R.-conscious office and lifestyle brand sees positive publicity in supporting jobs for refugees suggests Starbucks’ move is perceived to have benefited the company.
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