Episode 67: Syria, Gaza, and European hostility to refugees
Release Date: 12/30/2024
Episode 72: Mapping Malta's border violence
The Civil Fleet Podcast
In this episode, we speak with academic Cetta and foreign policy analyst Daniel about the Malta Migration Archive. We discuss the Maltese government's refusal to save refugee lives in its own search-and-rescue zone, how it ignores civilian rescue ships, pressurises commercial ships to not rescue refugees, and how it organises pushbacks with the so-called Libyan coastguards. Cetta and Daniel tell us how the Malta Migration Archive maps all of this, and why it is so important to expose and combat the Maltese government's silence. ---Get in touch--- ...
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Episode 71: Dead children and distant ports
The Civil Fleet Podcast
In this episode, we speak with medical doctors Hannah and James about their latest missions on the Nadir, a sailing boat operated by ResQship. Hannah tells us about a rescue in May, when the crew found a boat carrying over 60 people, including two dead children. The people they rescued had been at sea for four days with no water. James tells us about the Nadir's last rescue in June. After bringing 112 people to safety in Lampedusa, the Italian authorities decided to block the ship from leaving port. ---Get in touch--- Twitter: Mastodon: ...
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Episode 70: They were left stranded on a gas rig
The Civil Fleet Podcast
In this episode, Sea-Watch's search-and-rescue coordinator Hendrik tells us about the rescue of 32 people stranded on a gas rig in central Mediterranean in March. ---Get in touch--- Twitter: Mastodon: Bluesky: Instagram: [email protected] --- Show notes --- For more on Sea-Watch, visit: Follow Sea-Watch on BlueSky: Instagram: seawatchcrew Also, check out episodes 65, 43, 22, 7 and 1 of The Civil Fleet Podcast for more on Sea-Watch. For more on the Miskar Platform rescue, see here: https:// You can...
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Episode 69: ‘You don't have children anymore‘
The Civil Fleet Podcast
In this episode, we speak with Arturo, captain of the refugee rescue ship Seapunk I. He's going to tell us all about the Seapunks activist group and its connection with punk rock music. He also tells us about a dramatic rescue mission in the Mediterranean Sea in January, in which several people died. We also discuss how the Italian authorities force NGO ships to take the refugees to distant ports, and how this deliberately results in more refugee deaths. ---Get in touch--- Twitter: Mastodon: Bluesky: Instagram: ...
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Episode 68: EU plans to criminalise solidarity with refugees
The Civil Fleet Podcast
In this episode, we speak with Yasha Maccanico a researcher and journalist at StateWatch, a UK-based charity focused on civil liberties, human rights and democracy in Europe. We talk about a proposed EU law that could make it easier for states to criminalise acts of solidarity with people on the move. Yasha also talks to us about abuses of state power in Europe under the guise of lowering immigration, the externalisation of the EU's borders in Africa, and much more. ---Get in touch--- Twitter: Mastodon: Bluesky: Instagram: ...
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Episode 67: Syria, Gaza, and European hostility to refugees
The Civil Fleet Podcast
In this episode, we speak with Michaël Neuman from Doctors' Without Borders (MSF). He tells us about the charity's work in Syria, and how the fall of Bashar Assad's regime could affect this. We also discuss MSF's work in Gaza, Israel's ongoing genocide against the Palestinians and the fact that, unlike most conflicts, the people there have no escape. Michaël also tells us why MSF decided it needed to help asylum seekers in the UK, and why European governments have been far too quick to pause asylum claims for Syrians. ---Get in touch--- Twitter:...
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Episode 66: We found a child floating alone in the dark
The Civil Fleet Podcast
In this episode, we speak with Katja and Matthias, co-founders of the refugee rescue group CompassCollective. They tell us how they operate their rescue ship, the Trotamar III, to document human rights violations and save lives in the central Mediterranean. They also tell us about the recent rescue of an 11-year-old-girl they found by chance floating alone at sea for 2 or 3 days. ---Get in touch--- Twitter: Mastodon: Bluesky: Instagram: [email protected] Support:...
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Episode 65: ‘A pain in the ass to inhumane authorities’
The Civil Fleet Podcast
In this episode, we speak with Paul Wagner, the media officer for Sea-Watch's airborne operations. He tells us about the rescue organisation's reconnaissance missions over the central Mediterranean, the push and pullbacks they have witnessed at sea, and how the EU has refugee blood on its hands. He also tell us about the various ways the Italian government has tried to stop them from carrying out their human rights monitoring missions. ---Get in touch--- Twitter: Mastodon: Bluesky: Instagram: ...
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Episode 64: Pingpong pushbacks at the Poland-Belarus border
The Civil Fleet Podcast
In this episode we speak with Ola, an activist from the Grupa Granica coalition in Poland about the situation for refugees, migrants and people-on-the-move at the country's border with Belarus. She tells us how border guards on both sides are mistreating people-on-the-move there, about the ping-pong pushbacks across the border, and how the country's Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, plans to "temporarily" ban the human right to claim asylum. Ola also tells us about Grupa Granica's work supporting people-on-the-move with food, clothes and first aid, and how the authorities have...
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Episode 63: ‘You feel like the most wanted criminal in the world’
The Civil Fleet Podcast
In this episode, we speak with Denny, a young refugee from Kashmir who was forced to flee his homeland almost 9 years ago. He is going to tell us about life in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, his journey through Europe, how he was mistreated by the authorities and supported by activists. We also talk about his time living in a squat in Bosnia, and how looking after a dog helped his mental state. ---Get in touch--- Twitter: Mastodon: Bluesky: Instagram: [email protected] Support: ...
info_outlineIn this episode, we speak with Michaël Neuman from Doctors' Without Borders (MSF).
He tells us about the charity's work in Syria, and how the fall of Bashar Assad's regime could affect this.
We also discuss MSF's work in Gaza, Israel's ongoing genocide against the Palestinians and the fact that, unlike most conflicts, the people there have no escape.
Michaël also tells us why MSF decided it needed to help asylum seekers in the UK, and why European governments have been far too quick to pause asylum claims for Syrians.
---Get in touch---
Twitter: @FleetCivil
Mastodon: @[email protected]
Bluesky: @thecivilfleet.bsky.social
Instagram: thecivilfleet
--- Show notes ---
For more on MSF, visit: msf.org.uk
Follow MSF UK on Twitter here: @MSF
Check out MSF Crash's website here: msf-crash.org/en
Michael refers to the cyclone which battered Mayotte in December. Read about MSF's work on teh Indian Ocean island here: https://msf.org.uk/article/cyclone-chido-how-msf-responding-mayotte-and-mozambique
For more on MSF's rescue ship, the Geo Barents, see here: https://thecivilfleet.wordpress.com/tag/Geo-Barents
AND, check out episode 14 of The Civil Fleet Podcast, with the ship's search-and-rescue team leader Riccardo Gatti and midwife Kira Smith.
Listen to episode 21 also, with MSF UK advocacy officer Sophie McCann.
This 2017 video by Vox is a fairly good summation of the differing sides in the Syrian Civil War: youtube.com/watch?v=JFpanWNgfQY&t=3s&ab_channel=Vox
Here is an excellent speech by the late journalist Robert Fisk in 2016 on the Arab Spring, Egypt, Isis, Iraq and the West's role in the Middle East: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gzq_uPzGfw&ab_channel=UCD-UniversityCollegeDublin
Ben mentions a previous episode with Syrian refugee Hasan. Check out episode 25 of The Civil Fleet Podcast to hear that
For more on MSF's work in Gaza, see here: https://www.msf.org/gaza-israel-war
Michael mentions an article in the Haaretz newspaper about Israeli soldiers killing any Palestinian person who crosses the Neztarim corridor. You can read that here: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-12-18/ty-article-magazine/.premium/idf-soldiers-expose-arbitrary-killings-and-rampant-lawlessness-in-gazas-netzarim-corridor/00000193-da7f-de86-a9f3-fefff2e50000
That article is behind a paywall, unfortunately, BUT you can read about it here (for free!) on Middle East Eye: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/hundreds-indiscriminately-shot-dead-israeli-soldiers-gaza-kill-zone
Michael mentions the siege of Mosul. For more on that, see here: https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/video-life-aftermath-war-mosul
For more on MSF's work in the UK, particularly at the Wethersfield migrant containment centre, see here: https://msf.org.uk/article/explainer-why-msf-treating-people-seeking-asylum-uk
For more on the conditions inside Britain's migrant containment centres, check out episode 32 with journalist Bethany Rielly (then home affairs reporter at the Morning Star newspaper, now a co-editor at the New Internationalist)
For more on Doctors of the World, see here: https://www.doctorsoftheworld.org.uk
Ben mentions his exclusive articles revealing the number of deaths in UK Home Office Accommodation in 2022 and 2023. Read that here: https://thecivilfleet.wordpress.com/revealed