NEW RIGHT-WING GOVERNMENT IN ITALY STOPS THE MIGRANT BOATS

Surprisingly Italian voters don't want this.

In what could potentially be a victory for democracy, it looks like elections can sometimes change things.

Mere weeks after Italy voted for parties that mainstream Western media labelled "far-right" and "fascist," the new Italian government is taking a harder line with illegal migration by refusing to accept German-run migrant rescue ships.

As reported by Associated Press:

Two German-run migrant rescue ships carrying nearly 300 rescued people were waiting off the eastern coast of Sicily on Saturday, one with permission to disembark its most vulnerable migrants while the other’s request for a safe port has gone unanswered despite “critical” conditions on board.

Chaos and uncertainty has resulted from the decision late Friday by Italy’s far-right-led government to close its ports to humanitarian rescue ships.

Nearly 1,100 rescued migrants aboard four ships run by European charity organizations are stuck in the Mediterranean Sea, some with people rescued as long as two weeks ago amid deteriorating conditions on board.

Both the Humanity 1 and the Rise Above ships, run by separate German humanitarian groups, were in Italian waters, both seeking shelter from rough seas. The Humanity 1, carrying 179 migrants, has received permission to disembark minors and people needing medical care, but the Rise Above's request for port for its 93 rescued people has so far gone unanswered.

This is exactly what Italian voters were thinking of and voting for when they cast their ballots at the recent Italian election. But it is not yet clear whether Italy will resist the barrage of emotional pressure and moral blackmailing that has been launched against the new government. 

The SOS Humanity charity challenged Italy's move to distinguish “vulnerable” migrants, saying all were rescued at sea, which alone qualifies them for a safe port under international law.

Italy's only Black lawmaker in the lower chamber, Abourbakar Soumahoro, said he would join migrants on the ship if Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni's government did not act soon to aid all those blocked at sea.

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said Friday that the Humanity 1 would be allowed in Italian waters only long enough to disembark minors and people in need of urgent medical care.

The measure was approved after Germany and France each called on Italy to grant a safe port to the migrants, and indicated they would receive some of the migrants so Italy wouldn't bear the burden alone.

Rather than simply returning the migrants to the shore where they illegally embarked, the strategy of these NGO ships is to keep their passengers in ever-worsening conditions until the Italian government is forced to give in to humanitarian pressure. 

But Italy’s government is pushing back. It has issued a new directive that insists the countries whose flag the charity-run ships fly (i.e. Germany) must take in the migrants. Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini cheered the directive that he signed along with Italy's defense and interior ministers.

"We stop being hostage to these foreign and private NGOs that organize the routes, the traffic, the transport and the migratory policies," Salvini said in a Facebook video, repeating his allegation that the ships' presence encourages smugglers.

Meanwhile the NGOs are trying to use " international lawfare" to get their way:

"The Italian minister of interior’s decree is undoubtedly illegal," Mirka Schaefer, advocacy officer at SOS Humanity said. "Pushing back refugees at the Italian border violates the Geneva Refugee Convention and international law."

Another alternative is to bring the migrants to a port of another European country, like France, Greece, or Spain that has yet to elect a government with a clear mandate to stop the endless flood of Third World migrants. That would have the added bonus of encouraging voters in those countries to vote in a similar way to the Italians.