DiEM25 supports de Magistris and other brave Italian mayors’ decision to #Let_Them_In | #Aquarius

When the Italian government shuts its ports to migrants it’s time for cities to disobey and keep them open. We celebrate the courage and principled stance of mayors of Napoli, Palermo, Messina and others for doing just that. We stand with you.
The new Italian government has announced it will shut its ports to all boats carrying migrants. The ‘Aquarius’, a vessel carrying over 600 people on board, including over 100 unaccompanied minors, is currently stationed off the coast of Sicily . Far-right Interior Minister, Matteo Salvini, in cooperation with the Five Star Movement’s Infrastructure Minister, Danilo Toninelli, are preventing the “Aquarius” from entering port.
Several Italian mayors, including DiEM25 member, European Spring partner and Naples mayor Luigi de Magistris, as well as Palermo mayor Leoluca Orlando, have announced that they will disobey the government’s actions and keep their cities’ ports open. DiEM25 praises and supports their action and courage. Because when the law becomes illegitimate, the law must be disobeyed.
We call on mayors all across Italy and Europe to follow de Magistris’ and Orlando’s example, and prepare to welcome migrants in defiance of national laws.
Where national governments fail the test of humanity, cities must take the lead in showing us how to remain human.

Do you want to be informed of DiEM25's actions? Sign up here

Detained for protesting Israel’s war on Gaza: Mahmoud Khalil’s letter from ICE detention centre

In this letter Mahmoud Khalil, exposes the systemic injustices within U.S. immigration facilities and how his arrest reflects the crackdown on ...

Read more

Yanis Varoufakis lauds the legacy of Tony Benn: An unyielding voice for change

As Yanis recounted his personal encounter with Benn, a vivid illustration of Benn's ethos emerges - a dedication to challenging the status quo ...

Read more

Democracy under fire: Yanis Varoufakis’ remarks in London on the vanishing right to protest

Yanis Varoufakis gave a speech alongside Juliet Stevenson, Holocaust survivor Stephen Kapos, Jeremy Corbyn, Chris Nineham and Ben Jamal at a ...

Read more

Indonesia’s deforestation crisis: Can a just transition save its rainforests?

Indonesia plans to clear an area of rainforest the size of Belgium for sugarcane-based bioethanol and food crops, sparking fierce backlash from ...

Read more