Migrant crisis row erupts between France and Italy

The Ocean Viking rescue boat, operated by the charity SOS Mediterranee, began to sail to France after Italy’s Government refused to accept the migrants onboard. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said her Government will continue its efforts to prevent people from crossing the Mediterranean in order to reach Europe.On Twitter, the SOS Mediterranee said that the boat contained 234 migrants who had been left at sea for up to 17 days.The charity said: ‘The toll on their mental health is critical: many suffer from insomnia & show important signs of anxiety & depression. Some have voiced intentions to jump overboard in despair.’The health status of several survivors in need of hospital-level treatment is deteriorating & so is the general mental well-being aboard.’On Italy’s refusal to allow safe passage, the charity said: ‘Selective disembarkations are irreconcilable with humanitarian & maritime law, and are endangering the health & safety of those rescued at sea. All survivors must safely disembark now.’ A survivor looks on the mainland during waiting for a safe harbor on the Ocean Viking (Image: Getty Images)Situation on #OceanViking has become unbearable for 234 survivors.After up to 17 days aboard, the toll on their mental health is critical: many suffer from insomnia & show important signs of anxiety & depression. Some have voiced intentions to jump overboard in despair. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/1XdkAAGcnb- SOS MEDITERRANEE (@SOSMedIntl) November 7, 2022 A spokesman for the French Government, Olivier Veran told FranceInfo that the Italian Government’s refusal to allow the boat to dock was ‘unacceptable’.It is currently unclear if France will be accepting the migrant boat, as the charity has said they have not yet received any confirmation that they will be allowed to dock.The Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also issued a statement where she offered her ‘heartfelt appreciation for France’s decision to share responsibility for the migration emergency . . . by opening its ports to the Ocean Viking’.However, Mr Veran said in his statement: ‘The boat is currently in Italian territorial waters. There are extremely clear European rules which have been accepted by the Italians who are, in fact, the first beneficiary of a European financial solidarity mechanism.’Mr Veran added: ‘We still have a few hours of discussions and, in any case, we are still at that stage. Obviously, no one will let this boat run any risk, especially for the people on board.’READ MORE: ‘Terrorist’ who targeted migrant centre died due to asphyxiation The charity said the ship conditions were causing passengers to suffer from anxiety and despression (Image: Getty Images) The charity also said that several people on board needed to go to hospital (Image: Getty Images)The migrant row between Italy and France comes after the new Italian government only allowed children and sick migrants to enter the country this weekend, and refused entry to male migrants of adult age.On Saturday, a German NGO SOS Humanity boat, which contained 179 passengers, was allowed to dock at the port of Catania in Sicily but the men onboard were not allowed to enter the country.Italy’s new interior minister, Matteo Piantedosi, said: ‘The people aboard the NGO vessels are migrants, not shipwrecked. We did not ask for the disembarkation of all the people aboard the vessels. That was the doctors’ decision after a second inspection on board, and we found that decision bizarre.’While on Sunday, 217 out of 568 asylum seekers were allowed into Italy after a Medecins Sans Frontières boat docked, with volunteers reported that a large number of passengers were suffering from infection and scabies.READ MORE:Rishi Sunak vows to get ‘grip’ on migrant crisis [INSIGHT]British and French border officers set to work together over migration [REVEAL]Volunteers get ‘thousands of death threats’ for helping asylum seekers [INSIGHT]The Ocean Viking boat is expected to arrive in French waters on Thursday after three weeks at sea.Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni issues a statement on Facebook which said: ‘We want to put a stop to illegal immigration, prevent new death at sea and fight human traffickers,’Citizens have asked us to defend the Italian borders and this government will not betray its promise.’The SOS Mediterranee Director of Operations, Xavier Lauth, said in a statement: ‘After waiting so long for a positive answer to the multiple requests for a Place of Safety, survivors are losing the last bits of hope and incredible resilience they have shown so far.’Serious incidents can happen at any time, jeopardizing the safety of the survivors and our teams onboard.’