“Emmanuel Macron is sending a dramatic signal of laxity,” tweeted Marine Le Pen on Thursday in reaction to the announcement of the reception in the port of Toulon of the Ocean Viking, a humanitarian ship with 230 migrants on board.
It was Gérald Darmanin, the Minister of the Interior, who formalized this decision, after a long confrontation with Italy and its new far-right government led by Giorgia Meloni, which refused to open its ports.
The government justified this unprecedented decision as a “duty of humanity” but “on an exceptional basis” because of Rome’s behavior. “Now we have to be able to organize things differently so that (not) Italy can benefit from European solidarity and be selfish when refugees, especially children, appear” in its ports, developed Gérald Darmanin.
Zemmour on site
Guest on BFMTV, Laure Lavalette, deputy of the Var National Rally, supported Marine Le Pen’s statements targeting Gérald Darmanin. “It is a very bad signal that Gérald Darmanin is sending. He has just opened Pandora’s box. He is not Elorated, we no longer have the means,” she said.
For its part, Éric Zemmour Reconquête’s party has launched a petition to put an end to what it considers a “migratory immersion”. Although the ship will arrive in Toulon on Friday, the former presidential candidate, his executive office and his elected officials at PACA will go there “to say no to the reception of the Ocean Viking,” the party said in a statement.
The importance of deterrence
Therefore, the French extreme right believes that this announcement will encourage future immigrants to start dangerous crossings.
“Obviously we have to rescue them at sea, bring all the food, health and medical help, but absolutely bring them back to their home port,” continued Laure Lavalette.
Same story for Jean-Philippe Tanguy, RN MP for the Somme, on BFMTV this Thursday: “As long as Europe is relaxed, they will go to sea. These false good feelings endanger migrants.”
target NGO
In far-right discourses on immigration, the question of the responsibility of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), such as SOS Méditerrannée, which owns the Viking Ocean, regularly comes up.
“Does France want to follow that these associations once again recover these unfortunates on the edge of the African coast and bring them back to the European coast?” asked Jean-Philippe Tanguy on our antenna.
The new president of the Jordan Bardella National Group has also called for “a special investigation commission of the European Parliament on the links between NGOs and criminal networks of smugglers.” According to him, “there are many elements, however, that demonstrate the links and collusion between these NGOs and the criminal networks of traffickers whose action is similar to human trafficking.”
He also suggested on our airwaves that the Ocean Viking “be sealed” because it is in the hands of “far left” organizations.
Source: BFM TV
