Nineteen days that the Ocean Viking, the humanitarian ship of SOS Méditerranée, has been wandering with more than 200 survivors on board. Faced with the “silence” of the Italian authorities, who, under the impetus of their new government, refuse to welcome the humanitarian ship as they have done so far, the association for the rescue of migrants at sea turns to France, in a call aired Tuesday.
A call to which Benoît Payan responded, as did Gilles Simeoni, the president of the Corsican Executive Assembly. On Twitter, the mayor of Marseille asks France to “open a port urgently and [de] take his responsibilities. Marseille, true to its history, stands ready,” he wrote.
On the same platform, Gilles Simeoni declared: “in accordance with its tradition of hospitality and to avoid any loss of human life, Corsica is ready, if necessary, to temporarily accommodate the Ocean Viking in one of its ports”. .
For its part, Paris insists with the Italian authorities and denounces this Wednesday the “unacceptable behavior” of Italy.