At least 45 dead after migrant boat breaks apart off coast of Italy
NBCNov 26, 2022
The Facts
On Saturday, more than 1.3k refugees were brought ashore after the Italian coastguard launched multiple rescue operations for three boats stranded in rough seas off the coast of Calabria.
One coastguard vessel reportedly brought 500 people to the city of Reggio Calabria, while another escorted a boat carrying 487 people into the port of Crotone. A further 379 refugees were rescued and transferred to the Sicilia port of Augusta.
The Spin
Left narrative
The right-wing government's anti-immigration measures — including accelerated repatriations, stringent asylum rules, and renewed curbs on charity rescue ships — to tighten Italy's borders and keep out refugees must be scrutinized. The speed and scale of clampdowns to deter people fleeing persecution or war in their country is an attack on humanitarian organizations trying to save lives that will lead to more deaths.
Right narrative
Italy is currently absorbing more than 50% of the overall flow of migrants crossing the Mediterranean. If the government doesn't replace the country's overly lenient migration policies with drastic measures to limit traffickers, charity rescue boats, and mafia organizations that profit from these migrants, Italy will turn into the refugee camp of Europe.
