Humanitarian assistance in the Mediterranean (debate)
Magid Magid (Verts/ALE). – Mr President, the future of Europe will be defined by courage or cowardice, by compassion or callousness, by hope or fear. Carola Rackete, Captain of the Sea-Watch 3, courageously sailed into the depths of the Mediterranean cemetery to snatch her fellow humans from the jaws of death. In this, she is a living embodiment of a fairer, kinder Europe, and our fellow brothers and sisters crossing the Mediterranean deserve more than just a statement. They deserve the openness of our arms, the safety of our welcomes, and the warmth of our European embraces.
In contrast, Matteo Salvini is a coward. A coward because what kind of grown man watches a child drowning, gasping for breath and turns his back?
(Jeers from the ID Group)
A coward who boasts about detaining and arresting a lifesaver. A coward who decides to make an enemy of the victims of war and those who have been dispossessed. To Salvini and all his supporters who I can see here: you are all going to lose, I promise you that, because at the end of the day those who have courage in their hearts and want to succeed – we are going to win.