
Hellequin GB has translated three articles from PolitikStube about the migrant influx into Europe. The first two concern the activities of one of the “migrant-rescue” vessels, Ocean Viking.
The first article describes the unusual circumstance of a people-trafficker who asked to be returned to Libya:
Ocean Viking collects 10 people — a “rescued (smuggler)” wants to return to Libya
The Ocean Viking is cruising again in the search and pick-up zone off the Libyan coast, and found what it was looking for yesterday. According to SOS Méditerranée GER on Twitter, ten people (including two women, three children and a newborn baby) were pulled from a boat 36 nautical miles off the Libyan coast; the action was allegedly coordinated by the local Libyan coast guard, which had requested the support.
A normal “rescue mission”, apart from the cooperation with the Libyan coast guard; what is new, however, is that a “rescued person” wants to be brought back to Libya, so it says in the message from SOS Méditerranée GER on Twitter:
“During the rescue operation, one of the castaways on board the boat expressed the wish to return to Libya. Our crew provided a life jacket for safety and the person was taken on board the patrol boat by the Libyan coast guard.”
“Shipwrecked”, a gallant paraphrase for the smuggler or human trafficker. You just have to come up with stories after the NGO “Save the Children” have already been charged with working with smugglers and German “sea rescuers” with smuggling in Italy.
And the fiberglass boat was probably not directly in “distress”, either; the boat did not take in any water and was in perfect buoyancy.
Alas! High winds came in, so the Ocean Viking was only able to “rescue” 116 migrants and bring them to Italy: