A flotilla of migrant boats from Tunisia overwhelms an Italian island and tests Meloni’s policy

AP News ^ | 09 13 2023 | FRANCES D’EMILIO

[yesthatjallen]

A flotilla of flimsy boats, crowded with migrants and launched from Tunisia, overwhelmed a tiny southern Italian island on Wednesday, taxing the coast guard’s capability to intercept the smugglers’ vessels and testing Premier Giorgia Meloni’s pledge to thwart irregular migration.

Compounding the political pressure on Italy’s first post-war far-right leader were vows by France and Germany to rebuff migrants who arrive by sea on Italian shores, and, in defiance of European Union asylum system rules, head northward to try to find jobs or relatives.

Starting early Tuesday, the unseaworthy, overcrowded iron boats, came one after the other in what appeared to be almost a procession to onlookers on Lampedusa, a fishing and tourist island south of Sicily. Around 6,800 migrants came in a span of just over 24 hours — that number is a few hundred higher than the isle’s full-time population.

With Lampedusa-based Italian coast guard and border patrol vessels unable to intercept all of the smugglers’ boats offshore, dozens of migrants temporarily eluded authorities by climbing up Lampedusa’s rocky shores on their own.

When the coast guard tried to assist one boat early Wednesday, the smugglers’ vessel tipped over, and a mother with her five-month-old baby fell into the sea, Italian Rai state TV said, reporting from Lampedusa. The woman, who is from Guinea, was rescued, in shock, but the baby died, Rai said.

Some migrants scuffled over food and bottles of water being distributed by the Red Cross, Giornale di Sicilia, a Sicily-based newspaper said. At one point, police waved their batons at the migrants to make them move back, so others could be put on buses to other points of the island to ease the crowding.

SNIP

[yesthatjallen]

"Some migrants scuffled over food and bottles of water being distributed by the Red Cross"

The first thing they do is fight among each other.

[Wilderness Conservative]

Meloni the phony.

[Sawdring]

Straight out of the banned book The Camp of the Saints.

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

Surely looks like an invasion. Sheer numbers overwhelm, a military strategy used throughout millennia.

[DIRTYSECRET]

Thought Tunisia was stable.

[nomorelurker]

“Thought Tunisia was stable.”

The first and probably the last of the “Arab Spring” reformed states. Now ruled by an Autocrat/Dictator. Those people can’t get their act together. Will be money paid to the “Big Guy” so that the boats can launched to Italy, Malta and Greece.
People will die.
Some NGO’s will claim they are helping not sure about that.

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

--- "Thought Tunisia was stable."

A stable, and those doors were left wide open. Nominal per capita income is well under € 10K per year. The chance at even minimal employment alongside the benefits NGOs and the EU offer is together a huge lure.

Tunisia is 99 percent Sunni Muslim, so it is a guarantee that the Italian government will not be able to "assimilate" them.

To work for minimum jobs in Italy is to earn per capita on average of about €35K per year -- so a BIG change is expected as each economic migrant is expecting something like that.

Fireworks is planned.

Italy: Flawed Migrant Regularization Program

Source: https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/12/18/italy-flawed-migrant-regularization-program

[moovova]

I’ve wanted to visit the islands surrounding Sicily since being stationed there. Oh well.

[Brooklyn Attitude]

It’s just a coincidence that every Western nation is being overrun by 3rd worlders.

[rxh4n1]

“Meloni the phony.”

Easy for you to say. Did you expect the Italians to shoot them or something? Give her some time. We will see what happens.

[JimRed]

Surely looks like an invasion. Sheer numbers overwhelm, a military strategy used throughout millennia.

Earlier today I saw a report about a trainload of what looked to be mostly military aged males headed through Mexico towards our southern border. Wat's up with that?

[dfwgator]

They probably came from all over Africa, not just Tunisia, especially Libya after the recent flooding.

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

And to Central and South American airports in order to travel north and enter the US as well.

As the smaller example of NYC seeing itself overwhelmed after preaching sanctuary -- really, just "free money" -- our now-porous southern border is being used by the entire world. The DHS along with the Democrat party is become a lawless criminal organization.