Europe's CONUNDRUM

Refugees are pouring into the divisive waters of Europe's far-right politics

- Seema Guha

ON June 14 last month, the Adriana, an overcrowded rickety ship carrying around 750 migrants from Libya to Italy, capsized off the Greek coast, drowning nearly 500 of its passengers who had paid as much as $4,500 each to take the dangerous crossing across the Mediterranean. These migrants, mainly from Pakistan, Egypt, Palestine, Afghanistan and Syria, undertook the perilous journey in search of a better life. Most of them were escaping the grinding poverty at home and hoping to land in Europe for a fresh start. Some like those from Afghanistan and Syria could also have tried to get political asylum, as the European Union law lays down that asylum seekers must arrive in an EU country before they can apply for protection.

A Greek Coast Guard vessel, which had approached the ship, did little to help. In fact, according to some of those who survived, the attempt to tow it to safety made the situation much worse. Those on the coast guard ship claimed the crew refused their help and were bent on going ahead to Italy. Investigations will finally reveal as to who was at fault, but the fact is the boat sank and 500 migrants lost their lives. The UN has called for an investigation into Greece’s handling of the disaster. Similar tragedies in the Mediterranean have not deterred other desperate immigrants to continue the hazardous crossing to reach European shores. Pope Francis had said, “The Mediterranean is a graveyard, which should make us reflect.” Most of them on the trawler were economic migrants.