Rescued Migrants Demand to be Dropped Off in Italy

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By Deutsche Welle

The 94 passengers were rescued by a passing container ship last week as they were en route to Italy.

After being returned to Libya they have refused to get off the ship.

The Libyan coast guard reported Wednesday that migrant passengers aboard a container ship docked at the port of Misrata are refusing to disembark.

The migrants, who are from Eritrea, Somalia, Bangladesh and Sudan, were rescued last week when their vessel began sinking en route to Italy. The vessel was too far from Libya for the coast guard to rescue, so authorities asked a container ship sailing in the opposite direction to pick them up.

That ship has now docked at its intended destination but officials say: “When we asked the migrants to get off the ship, they refused and demanded it take them to Italy.”

‘It’s a prison’

A 19-year-old Sudanese migrant from Darfur said: “I was stopped by this ship and thought I would be sent to Malta or Italy. I prefer to die but not to be returned to Libya … it’s a prison.”

Some of those on board were willing to get off the ship, but had been prevented from doing so by others. Coast guard officials say that they are currently in the process of getting those who want to leave off the ship. So far, 14 people have disembarked. There are a number of women and children among the passengers.

Passengers are currently being attended to by human rights and medical experts. Julien Raikman of Doctors Without Borders (MSF), an NGO, says that Libyan authorities have allowed the group to treat those in need of urgent medical care as well as deliver food.

He urged a peaceful solution to the situation and suggested offering alternatives to the migrants: “We talked to people who have suffered torture on the migration route and it seems abnormal that the United Nations cannot propose an alternative for them.”

Take them back to Libya

A number of Europe-bound vessels carrying hundreds of passengers have been intercepted by Libya’s EU-backed coast guard of late. Migrants are taken back to Libya where they are screened by UN agencies and then taken to government-affiliated detention centers. The notoriously poor conditions at those camps have been harshly criticized by human rights groups.

European countries have been seeking a solution to keep migrants from coming to the continent via Libya — which has become a launching point for such journeys — but have failed to come to an agreement as to how to achieve that goal. Italy, which is often the destination of vessels sailing from Libya, has been especially vocal about the need to stop migration.

Thousands of people have drowned in the Mediterranean since the European migrant crisis began in 2015; more than 1,000 have drowned in its waters in the first six months of 2018 alone.

You can read this article as it originally appeared at Deutsche Welle here.

November 19, 2018 0

UK Subway Employee Ambushed by Gang Over ‘Out of Order’ Toilet

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By Dan Lyman

A 21-year-old Subway employee was ambushed and brutally beaten by a teen gang in the UK after he told them the restroom was out of order, according to reports.

Sandwich artist Ben Pearson says four teens, at least one of whom he identified as Somalian, entered his restaurant in Milton Keynes, outside London, and sat down without purchasing anything, eventually asking to use the bathroom.

Pearson says he informed them the toilet was out of order, but directed them to a nearby public restroom.

Shortly after, Pearson says he was leaving his workplace when he was ambushed by the teens, who beat him unconscious and possibly slashed his face with a blade.

“I tried to be helpful and told them there were public toilets nearby. But as I left the shop at the end of my shift they set upon me,” Pearson told local media.

“When I came round they were still kicking me. I thought they’d never stop. It seemed to go on forever and there was nothing I could do.”

Police are still seeking suspects in the attack.

The Milton Keynes Citizen describes Pearson’s attackers as being no more than 16-years-old.

“One of the two boys was Somalian and wore a navy Puma track suit and Timberland boots,” reports the Citizen. “The other was mixed race and wore a black band around his head.”

Pearson sustained heavy damage to his face and is still suffering from blurred eyesight. Doctors say recovery will take at least a month, and he is currently unable to work.

November 16, 2018 0

Jobless Somali father-of-nine keeps having kids in Sweden – Now he wants a bigger house

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Abdir Isaak acquired a two-room flat in Biskopsgården in Gothenburg seven years ago. Not long after, his entire family moved from Somalia to Sweden.

Now eleven people, of whom nine are children aged 2 to 19 years old, all living in the same flat. Abdir says they are looking for a bigger flat somewhere in Gothenburg, preferably with four or five rooms, but have not found anything yet.

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Buying a home is out of question because both he and his wife are unemployed since at least six years back.

The Moderate Party MP Hanif Bali recently commented on the family’s situation on Twitter. He questioned the fact that they despite overcrowding, still chose to have two more children.

“Why have you continued to squeeze out offsprings during these six years, when you are unemployed, lack adequate housing and obvious common sense?”, he wondered.

Bali also noted that after all, the family could afford a bigger flat, at least in the rental market. This thanks to the contributions that such a large family is entitled to – about SEK 40,000 (€4,000) – or SEK 50,000 (€5,000), if they manage to find a larger flat, according to Bali.

In a report by Hem & Hyra, Abdir was asked whether he and his wife were hesitant to have more children. Yes, of course we were. But what happened happened nonetheless, he replied.

November 15, 2018 0

Caravan Packed With Hundreds Of Convicted Criminals, Gang Members, Feds Say

By Ryan Saavedra

A new report from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says that there are hundreds of convicted criminals or known gang members traveling in the migrant caravan that is traveling through Mexico to the U.S. southern border.

DHS released the report on Thursday in response to questions the department has received about the caravan, stating, “We continue to be concerned about individuals along the caravan route.”

“In fact, over 270 individuals along the caravan route have criminal histories, including known gang membership,” DHS reported. “Those include a number of violent criminals – examples include aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, armed robbery, sexual assault on a child, and assault on a female.”

“Mexican officials have also publicly stated that criminal groups have infiltrated the caravan,” the statement continued. “We also continue to see individuals from over 20 countries in this flow from countries such as Somalia, India, Haiti, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. There is a large segment of this population that we know nothing about and we must be prepared to defend our border and enforce our laws to protect the citizens of our country.”

DHS’s report also included an October 29 statement from the Mexican ambassador to the U.S., who described some of the caravan members as “very violent,” saying, “Unfortunately, some of the people in the caravan have been very violent against authority, even though they have offered the possibility of entering in compliance with immigration law and refugee status.”

The report says that the caravan “is employing tactics to push women and children to the front to act as human shields as the caravan pushes against its military forces.”

The report also contained a statement from Mexican Interior Minister Navarrete Prida, who confirmed that criminal organization are embedded in the caravan, saying, “I have videos from Guatemala that show men dressed in identical clothing, sporting the same haircuts, handing out money to women to persuade them to move to the front of the caravan. … We know, for a fact, that some members of the caravan threatened [Mexican] Migration Institute personnel and we have images showing many of them preparing Molotov cocktails.”

November 2, 2018 0