The majority of Germans support private maritime rescue | TIME ONLINE

According to one study, the vast majority of Germans support the rescue operations of private organizations in the Mediterranean

. Three out of four respondents find that the work of the Maritime Rescue Corps is correct, as evidenced by an Emnid poll for the newspaper . About one in five do not see it this way. For the survey, 505 selected representative persons were interviewed.

38% of respondents expressed the opinion that rescuers supported the activity of smugglers. A majority of 56 percent believe aloud
not the poll.

When asked where in the Mediterranean
the rescued people had to be brought to the show
Distribution of respondents: 43% voted in favor of North Africa
42% of people are allowed to travel in Europe.

In accordance with international maritime law, as written the Bundestag's scientific service in a legal opinion dated 31 July 2017, rescued persons should not be brought to the nearest port but "in a reasonable time ", According to Libya according to this criterion, no saved person should be returned. Tunisia and Egypt are also not an option for the organization of human rights Pro Asyl because refugees are imprisoned there several times. Refugees can not apply for asylum in Tunisia because the country does not have asylum law.

In the Emnid poll, a 42 percent majority pleads for fewer refugees
while seven percent demanded that Germany should do more
To give refuge to refugees. 30 percent reported the number of
Admitted should stay about the same as before. Eleven percent showed
against any request for protection.

Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) recently spoke in favor of private maritime rescue services. They appreciate their work, provided they respect the legal system, Merkel said Friday. if
should respect the territorial waters of Libya. the
Rescue of lifeboats is an international task ", one of which anyway
can not go out. "But you can try people out of this one
to keep his life in danger.

The future of the rescue mission of the EU Sophia uncertain

For weeks, the work of private aid organizations in the Mediterranean has been limited. Last time
During the month Italy and Malta refused to leave the auxiliary ship Lifeline with 234 people on board, which means that the ship had to endure days in the Mediterranean. After all, he could finally land in Malta. Previously, Italy and Malta had the rescue vessel Aquarius with 630 refugees on board rejected, so after
Spain had to be redirected.

Not only are the stakes of private organizations, but also the state's rescue missions are under pressure. On Friday, it was announced that the right-wing Italian government with Interior Minister Matteo Salvini will no longer accept the refugees rescued by the ships of the EU Sophia mission. Nevertheless, the mission is expected to continue until the end of August, until a joint solution within the EU with Italy is reached. found. Germany participates in a ship in Sophia

Former Green Party leader Jürgen Trittin fears a failure of the whole
European maritime rescue in the Mediterranean. "If the ships of
The Frontex agency and other EU vessels do not save anymore
because they do not bring refugees to land anywhere in Europe
they will not be able to miss, "said Trittin
Oldenburg Journal of the Northwest . "The lifeboat then finds
The name "Operation Sophia" is a cynical name
Accompanying music for a thousand deaths in the Mediterranean. Trittin has accused German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, his Italian counterpart Salvini, and Austrian Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz to join forces to form an "axis of will" to seal the Mediterranean refugee route.

Rescuers report Libyan coastguard

In June, 629 people died in the Mediterranean, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). A sharp increase: In May, there were 48 left. According to a study from the University of Oxford in 2017, the death toll is increasing as fewer rescuers travel to the Mediterranean. In contrast, the increase in rescue missions has not increased the number of people fleeing the Mediterranean.

This year, for the first time, more refugees arrived in Spain than in Italy, partly because of the restrictive refugee policy. This Saturday, a rescue ship with a migrant and two bodies on board reached the port of Palma in Mallorca. The Italian Government had also offered a place for the ship. However, Italy only wanted to take care of the survivors, not the dead. Then the ship went to the Proactiva Spain help organization.

Proactiva had discovered the survivors and the two bodies in the middle of the ruins of their plastic boat on the Mediterranean Sea. The organization is convinced that the Libyan Coast Guard has left the refugees behind after being rescued in the Mediterranean for refusing to be sent back to Libya. This is why the rescuers have indicted the Libyan Coast Guard.