The former research vessel Suunta, pictured here in 2012, was renamed the C-Star in February 2017 and sails under a Mongolian flag
Keystone
A right-wing group with some Swiss support has chartered a boat in the Mediterranean to sabotage the rescue of migrants fleeing war and conflict from Africa.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch and agencies/jmh
The group’s spokesman is a former lieutenant in the Swiss army, 32-year-old Jean-David Cattin of Geneva, and it has received some financial backing from the anti-immigration Swiss People’s Party, Swiss newspaper Blick reported on Sunday.
Their goal is to block European aid organisations and others from coming to the aid of migrants, stating on their websiteExternal link that they want to “document the doings of the NGOs, expose their collaboration with the human smugglers, and intervene if they do something illegal”. The so-called ‘Defend Europe’ mission against the “undesirable mixing of cultures” originated in France and draws other supporters from Italy, Germany and Austria.
It chartered a 40-meter-long ship called C-Star on early July from Djibouti and then headed to Sicily to take on more crew before sailing for Libya. Cattin helped charter the ship and has been acting as the group’s spokesman, though he has not headed to sea, the newspaper reported.
Authorities have been keeping an eye on the group, which has been around for years, and includes some Swiss-trained cadres who express contempt for Muslims. The group has crowdfunded support online of almost CHF125,000 ($132,000), some from Switzerland and the People’s Party.
Concerned activists
A British NGO, Hope Not Hate, said the Egyptian navy stopped the ship south of the Suez Canal because the captain did not have a valid shipment, and the group feared the ship might take on armed mercenaries from Ukraine. The crew of the chartered ship called the group’s information “fake news”.
Rob MacGillivray, director of Save the Children’s Mediterranean rescue program, called the charter ship’s actions “extremely worrying” and said that the “right-wing radicals ignore the moral and legal obligation to save lives at sea.”
An anti-racism committee of the French government has taken legal action. And on Friday, the mayor of Catania appealed to the Italian authorities to refuse the ship entrance to the city’s port. Leftist groups announced they wanted to stop the ship from leaving for Libya.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss politician guilty of helping illegal immigrants
This content was published on
In a statement released on Thursday, the prosecutor said Mirra was guilty of violating the Swiss law on foreigners, and handed her an 80-day fine suspended for two years. The member of the Social Democratic party and her accomplice were intercepted by border guards in September 2016 while transporting four migrants of African origin in…
The place where migrants get free language lessons
This content was published on
Learning the local language is key to integration of immigrants. Should the state pick up the tab, as they're doing in one part of Switzerland?
Amnesty calls for more Swiss solidarity for migrants
This content was published on
Switzerland bore a particular responsibility, according to the human rights organisation, given that, although it is not one of the main destinations for asylum seekers, it is the country that transfers the most migrants to another EU state. This practice is part of the Dublin accords, adopted by non-EU Switzerland in 2008. According to this,…
Which European countries attract the most immigrants?
This content was published on
Europe's free movement of people accord is in the line of fire but which European countries have more people leaving than arriving?
Switzerland and Italy seek better coordination over Europe
This content was published on
Addressing an audience of 320 Swiss diplomats, including Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter, gathered at the UN on Monday morning, Italy’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Paolo Gentiloni gave a long speech in Italian extending his gratitude. “Thank you, Didier, for inviting me to such an important meeting,” said the Italian minister. “I consider this an…
This content was published on
Several hundred migrants have been sleeping near the train station in Como, Italy, since July after a Swiss clampdown on crossings. Guards on the Italian border turned away 4,149 people last month, a record number, it was reported earlier this month. Finance Minister Ueli Maurer, whose department is in charge of the border guards, praised…
This content was published on
Non-Swiss who live in the country and want to become naturalised can currently apply with various types of permits, but this will change from January 1, 2018, when only those with C permits (long-term residents) will be eligible to apply to become Swiss. The leftwing Social Democrats say they want as many people as possible…
This content was published on
Some officials and politicians in Switzerland envision a greater role for citizens and cantons to keep an eye out for wrongdoing.
This content was published on
About 760,000 registered Swiss expats currently live abroad, nearly half of them in neighbouring France, Germany, Italy and Austria. There is also an important Swiss abroad community in North America. Many of them have dual nationality. Swiss Review: You have just completed your work. The book is set for publication at the beginning of August.…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.