Italy's Matteo Salvini 'like Pontius Pilate' over approach to migrants, French minister says
Country appears to have 'decided to no longer follow international law'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Italy’s interior minister, Matteo Salvini, has been accused of behaving “like Pontius Pilate” – the Roman official who avoided responsibility for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Mr Salvini has led a popular crackdown on immigration since assuming office in June, closing Italy’s ports to migrant and refugee ships travelling from Libya.
The policy has placed a strain on the relationship between Rome and Paris and other EU nations.
In the latest instance, where Italy refused to let a rescue vessel dock, France, Portugal, Spain and Germany agreed on Tuesday to take in the migrants aboard.
“Mr Salvini today, he’s like Pontius Pilate. It’s obscene,” Nathalie Loiseau, the French minister for European affairs, told RTL radio.
The comments came hours after French president Emmanuel Macron was quoted as saying Italy had “decided to no longer follow international law, in particular humanitarian maritime law”.
Mr Salvini, who is head of the far-right Northern League, accused Mr Macron of hypocrisy on Wednesday, claiming France had turned back more than 50,000 migrants from the Italian border “in recent months”.
“We do not accept lessons on rights or humanity from Mr Macron,” Mr Salvini said in a statement.
Mr Salvini has vowed to work together with fellow far-right politician and Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban to obstruct Mr Macron’s European agenda on migration.
Italy has taken in more than 650,000 migrants over the past five years, which has placed a strain on reception centres and local services.
Under European Union regulations, asylum seekers are meant to stay in the first EU country they enter until their application has been processed, which can take several years.
But many migrants reaching Italy want to travel swiftly onto richer countries, including France. The French have stopped migrants crossing the borders, saying EU rules have to be respected.
Additional reporting by Reuters
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments