Sea-Watch International, a prominent rescue group, has strongly criticised the European Union’s migration policy after releasing a video depicting a distressing incident in the Mediterranean. The footage, captured from Sea-Watch’s Seabird vessel, reveals a migrant and refugee boat coming under attack by the Libyan coast guard.
As the dinghy is struck, individuals onboard are seen falling into the water, desperately swimming towards a nearby Libyan ship for safety. Reports suggest that dozens were aboard the vessel when it was hit. Sea-Watch labeled the incident as a result of the “brutal and daily disgusting migration policy of the European Union.”
Felix Weiss of Sea-Watch expressed the harsh reality of European migration policy, accusing it of empowering coast guards to prevent more people from reaching European shores. Following the attack, a larger patrol boat is seen throwing life vests to those in the water.
Sea-Watch claimed that the coast guard forcibly returned the approximately 50 migrants and refugees to Libya, describing the event as an “attempted murder.” The organisation highlighted uncertainty about potential casualties.
Despite warnings from Sea-Watch, the coast guard proceeded to collide with the dinghy, leading to its destruction. Since 2015, the EU has provided financial support to the Libyan coast guard as part of its strategy to reduce migration from North Africa.
In August, Italian authorities apprehended the Sea Eye 4, a German-based vessel, following a rescue mission and transportation to Salerno. According to the International Organisation for Migration, over 1,800 individuals have been documented as missing or deceased on the Central Mediterranean route in 2023, constituting more than three-quarters of total casualties in the region over the past decade.
Humanitarian organisations and rescue groups have raised concerns about the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s far-right administration imposing stricter restrictions on their operations. The government’s alleged practice of redirecting ships to northern ports after one rescue mission is believed to hinder their ability to save people at sea.
