Italy's honour has been called into question for political ends by critics saying the government did not act to save migrants in two recent disasters, Premier Giorgia Meloni said Wednesday.
The centre-left opposition has accused the government of
inaction over the February 26 disaster at Cutro in Calabria in
which at least 86 migrants died, and Sunday's wreck off Libya in
which a further 30 died.
"I am astonished that for political ends we end up questioning
the honour and work of people who risk their lives every day to
save lives and the honour of Italy which alone faces this
tragedy by offering a tool to those who want to continue to dump
everything on us," said Meloni replying in the Lower House to
question by +Europa leader Riccardo Magi on the Cutro disaster.
Meloni said the government and the coast guard had done all they
could at Cutro, where the coast guard failed to go out after the
smugglers evaded controls and EU border control agency Frontex
failed to flag up the boat as posing a danger to lives.
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