Fierce German-Italian asylum dispute: human rescuer or human trafficker?

Mercury Fierce German-Italian asylum dispute: human rescuer or human trafficker? Article by Georg Anastasiadis • 15 hours Mercury commentary Fierce German-Italian asylum dispute: human rescuer or human trafficker? People flee Africa to Europe in overcrowded wooden boats There is a massive dispute between the German and Italian governments over sea rescuers. A comment by Georg Anastasiadis. Munich - There was probably a certain fate in the fact that Europe's newly flared asylum dispute ultimately boils down to a conflict between Rome and Berlin: here the right-wing government of Giorgia Meloni, which has made the fight against illegal migration the core of its government work; there the red-green dominated traffic light government, which - despite new rhetoric - still does not want to break away from Merkel's asylum legacy. Italy and Germany are arguing: Rome is harshly accusing Germany The work of German sea rescuers in Italian territory, supported by the Federal Government to the tune of millions, has consequently become a bone of contention at the EU summit in Brussels. Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock praises them as a human savior, while her Italian colleague calls them human traffickers who work covertly with the smugglers and boost their business. This is a harsh accusation, but the Meloni government has an argument on its side that is difficult to refute and is accepted by most European governments. The surest way to avoid drowning in the Mediterranean is to avoid venturing out in the first place. However, anything that encourages migration also leads to new victims, not only in the Mediterranean, but also in Africa, where people die on the march to a supposedly better life unnoticed by Western cameras. For both sides, the Italian right-wing government and the Green Foreign Minister, who is in charge of EU asylum policy for Germany, the dispute is about a lot. It brings Meloni prestige among her supporters when she rebels against Berlin's naïve and patronizing politics, which Italians see. Conversely, it will be difficult for the leading Greens if they force their base to swallow new toads on their heartfelt issue of asylum. The Chancellor cannot speak so many powerful words.