The Ivory Coast Shipwreck

Holding faith, and a good conscience which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck

holding faith and a good conscience which some having thrust away made a shipwreck concerning the faith

Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep

Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I suffered shipwreck. I have been a night and a day in the deep.

Thus, Giorgio Bisagna, expert in immigration law and a lawyer in Palermo, states In the case of the Lampedusa shipwreck, the crime could have been committed by those who did not intervene to assist the refugees who were in the sea .

Many of the survivors of this shipwreck are alive thanks to the help of fishermen who were in the area, although various witnesses state that at least three boats passed close to the site of the tragedy without stopping to help the victims .

Incredibly, the European Union s response to the drowning deaths in the Mediterranean has been to cut the budget for the naval response unit charged with monitoring refugee crossings and rescuing shipwreck survivors. This not only flies in the face of morality it is also counterproductive.