The sea rescue association, established in the Phocaean city, welcomes the arrival of the sovereign pontiff, dedicated to people who disappeared on the road to exile.
A historic visit, partly dedicated to shipwrecked migrants. The arrival of Pope Francis in Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône), Friday September 22, during the Mediterranean Meetings, will be an opportunity for the sovereign pontiff to pay his respects at the Memorial of Sailors and Migrants Missing at Sea. While the year 2023 will see a jump in clandestine crossings between North Africa and Europe, Pope Francis has already called for raising the “difficult challenge” of immigration “together (…), putting human dignity and people at the forefront”.
Among the groups trying to take up this challenge is the NGO SOS Méditerranée, which has its base camp in the Marseille city. Aboard his orange ship, theOcean Viking, the association tries as best it can to help those shipwrecked in the Mediterranean Sea. Franceinfo spoke with its president, Captain François Thomas, to get his point of view on this significant trip.
Franceinfo: is the Pope’s visit sufficient spotlight for your cause, namely the fight against migrant shipwrecks?
François Thomas: It’s never enough, of course, but it’s very important. These are wonderful meetings, because they are intercultural and interreligious, and highlight the Mediterranean and its shipwrecks. At the moment, we are talking about Lampedusa (Italy) again for example, but we forget the tragedy behind it, that there have been more than 2,000 victims in the central Mediterranean since the start of the year. These are the worst figures since 2017. We must not forget that there are more than 28,000 people who have lost their lives in the Mediterranean since 2014 [date du début des décomptes]80% of them in the central Mediterranean.
We must also remember that these people do not leave their country for pleasure. That those people who arrived these days in Lampedusa risked their lives, but not all of them arrived. There were surely many people missing without witnesses. It is very important to remember this.
How do you characterize the commitment of Pope Francis, who gives a large place to migrants in his pontificate?
The Pope has always had a very strong speech on these tragedies which continue in the Mediterranean. A few months after his election, ten years ago, his first trip outside Rome was to Lampedusa.
“Among the terms that the pope uses, I remember that of ‘globalization of indifference’. The tragedy must end, especially since the means exist.”
François Thomas, president of the NGO SOS Méditerranéeat franceinfo
Europe must act and we must start by stopping criminalizing the NGOs which provide, let us say it, European solidarity.
The Pope is a religious leader, but also a head of state. In your opinion, does it represent an example for its European counterparts?
He calls for solidarity and he regularly asks States to mobilize. But he is the only one to have such strong words. There are sometimes humanist speeches given by heads of state, but the actions are not there and then it continues. He is the only head of state, the only major international personality, to demand that actions be put in place.
As Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, who invited the Pope to Marseille, explains, Francis does not want us to look at him, but at the Mediterranean. We must listen to the testimonies of this reality, of the crossings, of the suffering of all these people that we have on board theOcean Viking. We must put faces and life stories on the shipwrecked migrants.
Several times in his speeches, he described the Mediterranean as a “graveyard” of migrants. How could this situation have persisted over time?
History will record that Italy, after the infamous shipwreck of October 3, 2013, implemented a very important operation, called “Mare nostrum”, for almost a year. At the time, this operation saved more than 100,000 people. But without the support of Europe, Italy stopped this operation and, the following year, in 2015, there was another absolutely terrible shipwreck with more than 1,000 victims in the central Mediterranean. SOS Méditerranée was created at that time.
But after being congratulated, the NGOs were criminalized. Difficulties in operating have started to appear and, unfortunately, the situation is only getting worse. Today’s Europe no longer conforms to the vision of its creators. We talk about migrants before we talk about people, human beings. The shipwreck which took place in Greece in June was quickly forgotten, although it could happen again. Unicef recalled in July that every week, eleven children lose their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean. Even if it was just one victim, it would already be too many.
There are humanist messages, calls for solidarity. But there is also the criticism and violence that you face, such as the intrusion of identity activists into your premises in 2018. How do you navigate in the middle of all this?
It’s true that there are difficult times, whether it’s the attack on our offices [deux des 23 prévenus ont été condamnés dans cette affaire]the shots from the Libyan coast guard which threaten our teams, or the blockages that we have sometimes experienced in Italian ports.
“I come from the merchant navy, I spent 50 years in the maritime field. But when I joined this association, I was surprised by two things: the scale of the tragedy, but also the non- compliance with the obligations incumbent upon States.”
François Thomas, president of the NGO SOS Méditerranéeat franceinfo
We remember the long wandering of theOcean Viking for three weeks [fin octobre 2022] to finally land in Toulon (Var) last November. What we experienced was absolutely terrible for our teams on board. Three weeks in the cold, the humidity, with sick people, some of whom were threatening suicide. Hundreds of people with children, wandering at the gates of Europe, and no port is capable of welcoming them? This is failure to assist a person in danger.
With this support from the Pope, do you feel less alone in your mission?
There are times when we would like there to be a greater surge of solidarity, of humanity, compared to what we are witnessing. Of course, there are the unspeakable attacks on social networks. Lots of lies too, like the air gap theory, which has been dismantled by several studies. Because, whether there are NGOs present or not, the crossings continue!
We are very careful to strictly respect maritime law, which not everyone does, particularly in the search and rescue zone entrusted to Libya. Yes, we can feel alone, but we also receive a lot of messages of support, as well as solidarity from many associations. Our teams do an admirable job day and night to protect, care for and comfort these people. It’s exhausting, sure, but not discouraging. No way.