The mayor of Marseille called on Friday January 15 for "
a real European policy for the solidarity-based reception of refugees
", repeating that the second city in France "
would never close its port to those who risked their lives
" at sea .
Read also: Jura: six Afghan refugees frozen to the ground discovered in a truck
"
The inertia has lasted too long, closure and improvisation are no longer tolerable, we call for respect for international maritime law, which provides that shipwrecked at sea cannot be criminalized
", insisted Benoît Payan, the socialist mayor of Marseille, by visiting a photo exhibition dedicated to the NGO SOS Méditerranée.
"
France and Europe must take their responsibilities
", with "
a real European policy for the solidarity reception of refugees throughout Europe
", continued the elected.
"
Not to act, to be silent, is to play into the hands of the populists who are flourishing all over Europe, who are rampant in the European Parliament, on TV sets or on social networks
», Added Benoît Payan, affirming that Marseille was«
and will remain (it) attached to the unconditional principle of assistance to people in danger
».
The RN senator of Bouches-du-Rhône Stéphane Ravier, RN senator of Bouches-du-Rhône had recently accused the city of Marseille of encouraging "
the invasion of our country by supporting the SOS Mediterranean association
" and of
promoting
“
Pro-illegal immigration propaganda
”.
The “Ocean Viking”, SOS Méditerranée's rescue vessel at sea, left Monday from the port of Marseille, where it is based, to resume its rescue operations in the central Mediterranean, where crossings of candidates for the Mediterranean are increasing. exile from the Libyan coast.
According to SOS Méditerranée, more than 1,200 migrants lost their lives in the Mediterranean in 2020, the vast majority of them on this central route, and more than 20,000 since 2014.
The "Ocean Viking".
NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP
