Last Sunday Italian authorities reportedly told rescue ships not to respond to several distress signals coming from boats carrying migrants, arguing that the vessels in question were in Libyan waters and therefore the responsibility of Libyan government.
Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Salvini also declared that "Italian ports are and will be closed to those who aid human traffickers," and insisted that "voracious NGOs" should stop rescuing migrants off the North African coast and bringing them to Italy.
