A new decision by magistrates on immigration and a new government attack on the judiciary come amid an increasingly heated referendum campaign and on the day President Sergio Mattarella called for "mutual respect" between institutions. After a Rome court judge recently ordered the Interior Ministry to pay €700 in compensation to an Algerian migrant transferred to a CPR in Albania, yesterday the bill was even higher . The Palermo court ordered the Ministries of the Interior, Transport, and Economy, and the Prefecture of Agrigento, to reimburse the German NGO Sea Watch for the expenses documented by the organization, amounting to €76,000 —plus €14,000 in court costs—for financial damages suffered by the Sea Watch 3 vessel following its administrative detention in Lampedusa from July 12 to December 19, 2019. The episode is that of the then commander of the German ship Carola Rackete who, on 29 June of that year, forced the naval blockade of Lampedusa , also ramming a Guardia di Finanza patrol boat during the maneuvers, to disembark on the island 42 migrants, rescued in the Libyan SAR zone.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni isn't taking it well , posting a video on social media for the second night in a row to comment on a decision "that literally leaves one speechless." The "shameful" news from the other day (the Algerian case, ed.) "seems trivial compared to what happened today. But is the magistrates' job," she attacks, immediately followed by a flurry of statements from the Brothers of Italy party, "to enforce the law or to reward those who boast of breaking the law? The other question I ask myself," she adds, "is what message are they trying to convey with this long series of objectively absurd decisions? That the government is not allowed to try to combat mass illegal immigration, that whatever law is passed and whatever proceedings are conducted, a politicized segment of the judiciary is ready to get in the way?" But, he assures, "we are particularly stubborn and will continue to do our best to respect the word we gave to Italians and the laws of the Italian state. We will do everything necessary to defend, in particular, our borders and the safety of our citizens."
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini echoed this sentiment, calling the decision "incredible, a true reward for forcing a government ban" on the NGO "run by Carola Rackete, the German activist who, when I was at the Ministry of the Interior, did not accept the closed ports policy that had virtually eliminated landings and maritime tragedies. On March 22-23, I will vote YES in the referendum to change this in(justice) that doesn't work." Following its detention, Sea-Watch had filed a complaint with the Prefect of Agrigento. However, no response was received from the Prefect, and this, according to the law applicable in similar cases, would have resulted in a silent acceptance, meaning the seizure would automatically be lifted. The ship, however, remained detained until, following an urgent appeal, the Palermo court ordered its return on December 19.
After the events, Rackete was arrested for resisting a warship, failing to comply with an order to stop, and aggravated aiding and abetting irregular immigration, facing up to 15 years in prison. Subsequently, in 2021, the Agrigento investigating judge dismissed the criminal proceedings against the German activist. "The compensation awarded to Sea Watch in connection with the Rackete case demonstrates once again that civil disobedience is anything but arrogance, but rather the protection of international law from attacks by those who abuse their positions of power to trample on it, to the detriment of the rights and freedoms of all," said Sea Watch spokesperson Giorgia Linardi. "While the bodies of the invisible victims of recent weeks resurface on Italian beaches, the government, instead of working to prevent future tragedies, is once again identifying NGOs as the enemy to be destroyed."
