Mick Wallace: Denounces EU Migration Policy After Deadly Shipwreck
Mick Wallace condemned European migration policy following a 14 June shipwreck in which over 500 people trying to reach Europe were declared missing and presumed dead. He argued the Parliament voted at the start of the mandate against conducting Mediterranean search and rescue and criticised deals that outsource border policing to North African states.
Fatal shipwrecks and scale of loss
He cited the 14 June sinking off the coast of Greece that left over 500 missing and presumed dead, calling it one in a string of similar disasters and noting further deaths since.
Parliamentary decisions on search and rescue
He said that at the beginning of this mandate the Parliament voted not to conduct search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean, saying "We decided to let people die at sea."
Deals with North Africa and Libya
He criticised what he called "dodgy deals" with countries across North Africa to police European borders, saying funds are being channelled to bodies such as the Libyan Coast Guard. He referenced a UN report in March raising concerns about the abuse of migrants detained in Libya and said the Libyan Coast Guard was recently found to be shooting at migrants.
Causes and condemnation of European policy
He linked migration flows to histories of European colonialism and wars, arguing that people are fleeing countries that have been ransacked and that Europe responds by building higher walls. He concluded with the rebuke "Welcome to our European values."
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I voted in favour of this. On the 14th of June, over 500 people trying to get to Europe were declared missing, presumed dead, when they both sank off the coast of Greece. This is just one of the string of such disasters, and there's been further deaths since. At the beginning of this mandate, this Parliament voted not to conduct search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean. We decided to let people die at sea. And we've done dodgy deals with countries across North Africa, paying them to police our borders. A UN report in March raised concerns about the abuse of migrants arrested and detained in Libya. Instead of funding rescue, we're channelling money to bodies like the Libyan Coast Guard, who only last week were found to be shooting at migrants. People are dying to get to Europe. They're coming from countries that have been subjected to European colonialism, that have been ransacked with wars in which Europe played no good part. And we build higher walls to keep them out. Welcome to our European values.
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