Berlin (AFP)
Pia Klemp, one of the German captains of the ship Sea Watch 3 announced Tuesday refuse a decoration of the City of Paris, saying she disagrees with the migration policy conducted in the capital.
On July 12, the City of Paris announced that it would award an honorary medal to two German Sea Watch captains, Carola Rackete and Pia Klemp, for their efforts to rescue migrants in the Mediterranean.
But Pia Klemp announced Tuesday in a statement refuse the decoration that the socialist mayor of the capital, Anne Hidalgo, wanted to give him.
"Mrs. Hidalgo, you want to decorate me for my solidarity action in the Mediterranean Sea ... Simultaneously, your police steal the blankets of people forced to live on the street, while you suppress demonstrations and criminalize people who defend the rights of migrants and asylum seekers, "she denounces.
"You want to give me a medal for actions you are fighting inside your own walls, I'm sure you will not be surprised to see me deny your Grand Vermeil medal," said the Sea Watch captain 3, who seems to confuse the powers of the State and those of the City.
Carola Rackete was arrested at the end of June before being released for having forcibly landed on the Italian island of Lampedusa to land 40 migrants who had been on her boat for more than two weeks.
The arrest of the young captain had provoked a vast movement of support, concretized by the more than 1.4 million euros collected in a few days via internet to pay his legal fees and to finance the continuation of the activities of the German NGO , if necessary with a new boat.
Pia Klemp, who has also saved many lives in the Mediterranean, remains pursued by the Italian courts.
© 2019 AFP