Nostr notes by MV Louise Michel

Abolish Frontex! Abolish Fortress Europe! Stop the European ...

2026-10-30T09:39:28Z

Abolish Frontex!
Abolish Fortress Europe!
Stop the European deportation agency. The deprivation of rights of people on the move must finally come to an end.

#AbolishFrontex

At least 12 dead in the #AegeanSea The Greek and Turkish ...

2026-10-21T15:45:20Z

At least 12 dead in the #AegeanSea
The Greek and Turkish coastguards share the responsibility.

On Monday morning, first the Turkish, later the Greek coastguard spotted a speedboat carrying people on the move and chased it. The speedboat capsized. Six people died.

Later, a second boat was found and chased by the Greek coastguard. It collided with the coastguard vessel. Another six people, including a baby, died.

This is not the first time the coastguard has escalated the situation and caused deaths. In February this year, there was already a collision in which 15 people died and 24 were injured, some seriously.

We demand an immediate investigation into the circumstances of the accident!
The #EU, #Greece and #Turkey must admit their responsibility.

We need safe escape routes immediately!

This is how Spanish soldiers on patrol in Ceuta talk, laughing, ...

2026-10-18T12:01:15Z

This is how Spanish soldiers on patrol in Ceuta talk, laughing, about beating people on the move, according to audio recordings obtained by a Spanish news outlet. At least three soldiers can be heard on a night shift, describing attacks on people on the move who, by their own account, posed no threat.

For months, dozens of people have been reporting beatings and degrading treatment by military patrols in the city. Their testimonies have been backed up by:

- photos
- videos verified by media outlets
- medical reports
- an Amnesty International report documenting cases of torture and degrading treatment, now before the courts
- and now, the soldiers’ own words

This is not isolated violence. It is a pattern, and it has been normalised at the borders of Europe, from the Central Mediterranean to Ceuta.

Those who document it, report it, and refuse to look away are the reason we know. Those responsible must be held accountable.

This morning, our crew spotted an overcrowded rubber boat in ...

2026-10-16T16:00:13Z

This morning, our crew spotted an overcrowded rubber boat in distress with 39 people on board, including 6 women, 2 minors, 2 children and 2 babies.

Everyone was safely evacuated onto the Louise Michel.

As the team was finishing the rescue, they overheard another mayday relay. Sadly, when they arrived on scene, the boat had been intercepted. Our crew found an empty boat and saw an unidentified boat leaving the area with people on board.

The Louise Michel is now en route to its designated port of Reggia Calabria.

No one should have to put themselves in danger in their search for a self-determined life.

Freedom of movement for all!

We know €20 a month is a real commitment, and we’re grateful ...

2026-10-16T06:30:22Z

We know €20 a month is a real commitment, and we’re grateful to everyone who makes it.

500 people giving €20 a month makes €120,000 a year. That’s close to the cost of a full rotation: three weeks of MV Louise Michel at sea, on a search and rescue rotation.

Europe has built a system we oppose. Your solidarity is how we keep sailing.

Donation link in bio.

WE'RE LOOKING FOR A CHIEF ENGINEER MV Louise Michel is ...

2026-10-14T06:00:47Z

WE'RE LOOKING FOR A CHIEF ENGINEER

MV Louise Michel is looking for a Chief Engineer to join our crew for the upcoming rotation in the Central Mediterranean.

• Required papers: Stcw lll/2 or lll/3, min. 3000kW
• Paid position
📅 Rotation: 28 October – 2 December
📍Embarking in Sicily // Central Mediterranean

Nobody should drown looking for a better life. If you have the conviction, we want to hear from you.

📩 If you're interested contact us by sending an email to crewing@mvlouisemichel.org 📩

On October 8th, a ship carrying around 350 people, including 15 ...

2026-10-13T11:43:26Z

On October 8th, a ship carrying around 350 people, including 15 children, sank off the shore of Djibouti, East Africa. More than 130 people were recovered dead, and over 100 others remain missing.

The boat was travelling from Djibouti to Yemen when it capsized on Thursday night. This loss of life was preventable. The real decision to create safe escape routes, or to rescue people in distress at sea, remains a political one.

Our thoughts are with the families and friends and those who have lost their lives. They should still be with us.

Safe escape routes and freedom of movement, now!

#Yemen #Djibouti

October 12 marks one month since police raids and mass arrests ...

2026-10-12T07:27:19Z

October 12 marks one month since police raids and mass arrests targeted the LGBTQI+ community and movement in #Turkey.

Between September 12 and 14, police raided seven LGBTQI+ rights groups and two groups supporting people living with HIV, along with bars and nightclubs, in five Turkish cities. At least 112 people were arrested.

One month later, most of them remain behind bars, while the pressure on LGBTQI+ communities, on our civil society, continues. There are serious concerns that authorities will move to close down organisations and violate the human rights of our queer comrades in prison.

Criminalising LGBTQI+ people and the groups that defend them is an attack on freedom of expression and association, and it puts all of us at risk. Being yourself should never be a crime.

We are joining the call for international solidarity today.
Spread the word!

#HerYerdeyizAşkım #Özgürlükİstiyoruz

Since 2016, the EU has been financing, training and equipping ...

2026-10-10T18:01:25Z

Since 2016, the EU has been financing, training and equipping armed forces with one purpose: to stop people from leaving Libya by sea.

The EU calls these forces a "Coast Guard", a label that helps build legitimacy for its own anti-migration policy. We use the term "so-called Libyan Coast Guard" to highlight how the EU bypasses human rights.

All 39 survivors, from the last rescue have been safely ...

2026-10-06T07:28:45Z

All 39 survivors, from the last rescue have been safely disembarked in Messina, Italy.
Two pregnant woman have gone to hospital for routine medical assessments.

We wish everyone the best for the rest of their journey.

39 people, including 7 women, one of them pregnant, were embarked ...

2026-10-04T09:30:06Z

39 people, including 7 women, one of them pregnant, were embarked on the Louise Michel this morning.

In the early hours, our crew was alerted by the civilian rescue hotline Alarm Phone to an unseaworthy and overcrowded rubber boat in distress.

The people on board had no life-saving equipment and insufficient fuel and food. Some were suffering from minor fuel burns.

Our crew has now completed the rescue, and all 39 people are safely on board the Louise Michel. After providing first aid and distributing essentials such as food and blankets, we are now on our way to the port of safety in Messina, Italy.

No one should have to put themselves in danger in their search for a self-determined life.

Freedom of movement for all!

This week is all about preparation. The crew is training for ...

2026-10-03T06:00:39Z

This week is all about preparation. The crew is training for sailing and for the many situations that can arise at sea: from safety drills and emergency procedures to first aid, rescue techniques and communication. Working together as a team, staying calm under pressure and knowing exactly what to do when it matters are essential for keeping everyone safe, both our crew and the people we may encounter at sea.

Meanwhile, the #EU continues to tighten its borders, and less attention is being paid to the human rights situation in the #Mediterranean. But the racist, increasingly restrictive laws and borders do nothing to change the many reasons people have for fleeing. They only make the crossing more dangerous.

Help us stand up for freedom of movement and human rights for all 💛 Help us keep working. Donation link on bio.

At a meeting of EU home affairs ministers today, discussions will ...

2026-10-02T11:04:30Z

At a meeting of EU home affairs ministers today, discussions will focus on discriminatory regulations and the further isolation of the EU. The aim is to make it possible to suspend the right to asylum and to deport people from return hubs without individual proceedings.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, speaking in relation to Ceuta and without regard for human rights, stated that it is Europeans alone and not “smugglers and human traffickers” who decide who enters the EU.

In reality, the EU pays and trains those who decide the fate of people fleeing their homes, those who blackmail them, hold them captive or, through corruption, make the journey across the Mediterranean possible.

Ursula - Is that what human rights and freedom of movement mean to you?

Photo: Chiara Bellamoli

Governments point to falling arrival numbers as proof that border ...

2026-09-30T06:00:35Z

Governments point to falling arrival numbers as proof that border policy is "working." The data says otherwise: deaths on the Central Mediterranean route more than doubled in the first four months of 2026 compared to the same period last year, even as arrivals dropped sharply. Fewer people are finding safety, and more are dying trying. Louise Michel exists because the sea doesn't get less dangerous just because fewer people are counted.

Donate Now. Link in bio.

Photo: Nici Wegner

54 people, including 3 children, embarked the Louise Michel ...

2026-09-02T04:37:05Z

54 people, including 3 children, embarked the Louise Michel yesterday evening.

Our crew found an overcrowded, unseaworthy metal boat in distress. The people on it had no life-saving equipment and insufficient fuel and food.

Following first aid and the distribution of basics like food and blankets, the Louise Michel is now en route to its designated port of safety, Valentia.

No one should have to put themselves in danger in their search for a self-determined life. Freedom of movement for all!

Since the Louise started her work in 2020, 10,495 people on the ...

2026-08-28T09:33:56Z

Since the Louise started her work in 2020, 10,495 people on the move have been recorded as missing in the Central Mediterranean alone.

Our hope that Europe would stand up for its own foundations, its core values of human rights and freedom for all, has still not been realised.

While the reasons for fleeing, such as droughts caused by man-made climate change, poverty, and war, are increasing, the EU is not taking political responsibility for its own complicity in these problems but continues to seal itself off.

Exactly six years ago, our crew completed their first rotation and were able to assist 300 people in distress at sea.

We are still at sea today; rather than the reasons for our work being resolved through political measures, both people on the move and we ourselves are being threatened by EU-funded Libyan militias, which is making our work immensely difficult.

The so-called Libyan coastguard fired two shots towards the ...

2026-08-27T07:55:59Z

The so-called Libyan coastguard fired two shots towards the Louise Michel.

Late yesterday afternoon, our crew became aware of a boat in distress.

Alongside the Louise Michel, the so-called Libyan coastguard (scLcG) also arrived and began an interception operation, an illegal pushback.

During the interception operation, at least two people went overboard.

Our crew repeatedly offered support and assistance via radio requesting to at least be able to rescue the people from the water.

After about 20 minutes and no answer, the scLCG headed towards the Louise Michel and fired two shots in its direction.

The Louise was not hit and all our crew are thankfully safe.

All people in distress, including the ones who went overboard were taken onto the scLCG.
We can only speculate about what has happened to them.

The escalating violence and the forced pushback carried out by the scLCG, which is co-funded by the EU, must come end.

Freedom of movement for all!

The Louise is free and back at sea Now that our detention has ...

2026-08-25T14:16:26Z

The Louise is free and back at sea

Now that our detention has finally been lifted and our new crew has completed a week of intensive training, the Louise is back at sea.

Our tireless fight for freedom of movement for all continues as we support People on the Move in their search for a better life.

Everyone has the right to choose freely where they want to live.
No one should die whilst searching for a better life.

Humanitarian aid treats symptoms. To tackle the cause something ...

2026-08-19T16:34:30Z

Humanitarian aid treats symptoms. To tackle the cause something different is needed.

Crises that are caused politically by governments, need political solutions. Those in power are shifting their responsibilities onto civilian organisations and humanitarian aid workers. What we need are political solutions for safe and legal migration routes.

The roots of these global crises lie in global injustice, exploitation, politically driven violence and natural catastrophes driven by man-made climate change, as seen in regions such as #Sudan, #Yemen, #Palestine, #Congo, Libya, and the Central Mediterranean.

Humanitarian assistance is essential in both emergencies and protracted crises, but is only a temporary patch without political solutions that address conflict, persecution, and climate impacts.

Today and every day, we honour the humanitarians who have been killed while carrying out this vital work, and call for justice for those who target aid operations. Our support goes out to the loved ones left behind.

Solidarity and Rage.

We call on the #EU to create safe escape routes for everyone.

Freedom of movement for all!

34 0000 Followers and what we can do together If every one of you ...

2026-08-18T17:03:12Z

34 0000 Followers
and what we can do together

If every one of you donates 5 Euros we can operate the ship for one month.
If every one donates 10 Euros we can operate our ship for 2 months.

If just 10 000 of you donate 15 Euros every month, we can keep the ship operational continiously.
Sea Rescue is expensive, Solidarity is priceless.

Join our fight for Freedom of movement.

Donate:
https://mvlouisemichel.org/donate/

Louise Michel is free Our rescue ship Louise Michel is free again ...

2026-08-14T09:47:18Z

Louise Michel is free

Our rescue ship Louise Michel is free again after 20-days in detention.

A new crew has arrived and is now training for our upcoming operations.

Ships like the Louise Michel exist because Europe fails in its obligations to protect human rights.

With the newly implemented rules for CEAS (Common European asylum system), the EU has again decided to go against humanity and basic human rights. These new rules have faster deportation procedures, stricter border controls, and prison-like transfer detention centers. They must be resisted.

We stand up for human rights for all, advocating for freedom of movement, and standing in solidarity people seeking together.

Together, we are stronger.

Join our movement.

Support our work and donate.

https://mvlouisemichel.org/donate/

#SAR #HumanRights #SeaRescue

Strait of Gibraltar. The Channel. The Central Med. Borders kill ...

2026-08-12T11:54:20Z

Strait of Gibraltar. The Channel. The Central Med.
Borders kill everywhere.

In late July, tens of thousands of people crossed into Ceuta over the Strait of Gibraltar in under 48 hours. Dozens died, though the exact number remains disputed and difficult to verify.

Days ago, a record 230 people crossed the English Channel packed onto a single inflatable boat.

Both crossings are the largest in this territory's history.

Every day, people face the brutality of borders. Be it in Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, France, or elsewhere.

People have always moved. They always will. Movement is part of human existence. Shaped by inequality, exploitation, conflict and the unequal distribution of safety and opportunity that the global north profits from.

When every legal route is closed, people take the only one left. The rough sea. The result isn't less migration - it's more death.

The solution is more justice, not more fences.
Open safe routes. End the border regimes that kill.

Fight with us. Donate through the link in our bio.

July began with intensive training as our new crew prepared for ...

2026-07-31T07:44:33Z

July began with intensive training as our new crew prepared for the next rotation.

On 13 July, we supported 27 people on a rubber boat in distress.

Throughout the month, our crew encountered multiple empty boats drifting at sea. We don't know what happened to the people who were once on board, an unsettling reminder of the many stories that remain untold.

On 18 July, we witnessed an illegal interception carried out by the so-called Libyan Coast Guard. People were taken from the sea and likely returned to Libya, where many face violence and torture in detention centres.

On 23 July, our crew rescued six people from the water after they had been forced into the sea.

Following these, the MV Louise Michel was detained by the Italian authorities and has been held in Pozzallo ever since.

Detaining rescue ships does not stop people from fleeing. It only makes the way over the Mediterranean even deadlier.

Thank you to everyone who continues to stand with us.
Your solidarity and donations keeps hope alive.
 Donation link in bio.

Louise Michel still detained in port On Thursday our rescue ship ...

2026-07-29T10:48:21Z

Louise Michel still detained in port

On Thursday our rescue ship MV Louise Michel entered the Sicilian port of #Pozzallo. 6 Survivors from a previous rescue were disembarked by a coastguard vessel.
Since then our ship has been blocked from leaving port under the so called Piantedosi decree.

The authorities accusation implies that we could have gone to the port of #Catania which would have taken us below our safety reserves of fuel.

We will not jeopardise the safety of the survivors on board, the crew and the ship, by ignoring navigational standards just to play Italys political games against sea rescue ships and people on the move.

Sea rescue is a human right.

A rescue is only finished once survivors have reached the closest port of safety.

Free Louise Michel.
Freedom of movement for all.

#HumanRights #SeaRescue

People move for many reasons: safety, family, dignity, or simply ...

2026-07-27T17:35:39Z

People move for many reasons: safety, family, dignity, or simply the chance to build a future. Borders should never determine whose life is worth protecting.

These #Banksy designed T-shirts, stand for the principle that every person deserves the freedom to move and the right to stay.

100% of proceeds go directly to the MV Louise Michel, supporting civilian search and rescue in the #Mediterranean.

Every shirt, every donation, and every shared conversation helps sustain practical solidarity and keeps this work going.

Support our work. Wear the message. Stand up for freedom of movement, for everyone.

Website link in bio.

#FreedomOfMovement #HumanRights

Louise Michel recovers 6 survivors from the water Yesterday night ...

2026-07-22T15:49:54Z

Louise Michel recovers 6 survivors from the water

Yesterday night our crew recovered 6 people from the water after noticing flashing lights in the night. A fast boat close by left the scene at high speed southwards. The survivors reported to have been forced by gunpoint to jump into the water.

This is what European border policy looks like.
These are the people the EU collaborates with.
We need safe migration routes.
Freedom of movement for all!

The EU's bloody Deal with Tunisia and what it means for ...

2026-07-16T09:44:24Z

The EU's bloody Deal with Tunisia and what it means for people on the move.

Today marks three years since the EU made a deal with Tunisia to stop departures of boats heading to Europe. Since then Tunisia has received hundrets of millions for migration and border control.

Since July 2025, more than 4,700 sub-Saharan people have been flown out of Tunisia under a state-run programme the authorities call voluntary, reported by Tunisian press, tracked by independent activist monitoring.

At the same time informal camps in Tunisia get bulldozed, phones and documents confiscated, Tunisians fined or jailed for renting to or hiring Black people on the move, and for those who refuse to sign the “volutary return”, there comes the threat of being pushed into the desert at the Libyan border.

When authorities destroy every other means of survival, boarding a deportation flight is the only way left to avoid starvation or violence. This is not voluntary.

And what happens after is unknown. Within days, phones go silent. No records, no monitoring, no way to know whether these people, including unaccompanied children are safe.

The violence funded by the EU fund increses more and more.

In February 2026 EU declared Tunisia a "safe country" while the EU Commission Von Der Leyen applauded for a 97% drop in arrivals from there.

Read the joint statement of dozens of human rights organisations calling on the EU to suspend all support to Tunisia's security forces. Link in bio.

All 27 survivors safely disembarked in Catania 27 people that our ...

2026-07-15T17:14:11Z

All 27 survivors safely disembarked in Catania

27 people that our crew supported previously could disembark yesterday in the Sicilian city Catania. Our crew had spotted the people in distress on a rubber boat while searching for 2 other reported cases. After continuing the search for a while we had to abandon the search. We do not know what happened to the people on the other boats.

We will now stock up the ship and sail out as soon as possible.

We need safe migration routes.
Freedom of movement for all.
Safety is a human right.

4th July 2026: Pope Leo visits lampedusa Empty words at a symbol ...

2026-07-15T15:10:38Z

4th July 2026: Pope Leo visits lampedusa
Empty words at a symbol of Europe's failure

On 4 July, a plaque was unveiled during Pope Leo's visit to Lampedusa on the pier where almost everyone rescued at sea is brought ashore. It reads: "Pope Francis Pier. A place of landing, hope and humanity."
Words that almost sound polemic at a place that causes so much pain for people seeking safety.

Humanity is hardly found there. When people arrive, they are met by Frontex officers who illegally interviews people without informing anyone of their rights. They ask how they travelled, who was steering, building the cases that send people to prison for steering a boat out of survival.

On top of this, there are six toilets for the people who arrive that have never been connected to running water. For years, a married couple who guards the pier flushed them by hand with buckets, buying the toilet paper themselves.

€3.4 million was allocated for the Pope's visit. And while the pier is now named after a pope known for his pro-migration stance, it is still a place characterised by neglect, indignity and persecution.

Italy, won't allow “landing, hope and humanity“ be anything but empty words. Stand up for the right to come and stay. Create safe routes for everyone. Put an end to racist, inhumane asylum policies.

Photo: Johannes Rabel/Sea-Watch

27 people safe on board of Louise Michel Yesterday our crew found ...

2026-07-14T13:57:25Z

27 people safe on board of Louise Michel

Yesterday our crew found a rubber boat in distress. All 27 people could be embarked onto the Louise Michel. As several other boats were earlier reported in the area through mayday relays, our crew continued the search until the evening but had to abandon due to the night. We do not know what happened to the other boats. We are now heading towards Catania, the assigned port of safety.

Safety is a human right.
Freedom of movement for all.

Since June 12, 2026, the European Pact on Migration and Asylum ...

2026-07-12T06:08:59Z

Since June 12, 2026, the European Pact on Migration and Asylum has been law across the Union.
Read what that means:

Accelerated border procedures that reject asylum claims before they're even heard. Detention at the borders, including for families with children. Faster deportations to third countries declared "safe", like Tunisia, where sub-Saharan people are arrested and sold to Libyan militias, something Europe knows about and funds without flinching.

This pact tries to close every pathway to reach Europe and then calls it a crisis when people arrive anyway. The only way they have left: the most dangerous one.

People don't stop moving because borders get more difficult to overcome. They just die more often.

This is what Europe calls security. Paid for with our money.

For years we have been documenting the racist violence of this border regime, and the EU's role in funding and arming it. It's this violence that the Pact just made permanent. A system that devalues some lives, is the same one that threatens everyone’s life.

We want to continue documenting what this Pact tries to hide. Keep us on the water, donate at the link in bio.

The report "Women State trafficking“ from RR(X) with ASGI, ...

2026-07-10T11:03:40Z

The report "Women State trafficking“ from RR(X) with ASGI, Border Forensics, The Routes Journal, On Borders and Melting Pot documents 33 harrowing testimonies from women who were intercepted, detained, and trafficked from Tunisia and Libya.

The EU still lists Tunisia as a "safe country." On July 16, we mark three years since the EU-Tunisia Memorandum of Understanding, hailed by Brussels as a success story, a model to be replicated, spread, multiplied.
This is what that model looks like.

Safe routes would mean: Humanitarian visas. Legal and accessible ...

2026-06-30T17:57:16Z

Safe routes would mean:
Humanitarian visas.
Legal and accessible pathways for everyone.
A right to seek asylum without risking your life.
The freedom to enter a plane or a ferry if you choose to.

This is not a fantasy.
It is a political choice.

Louise Michel exists because we believe in a different world.
Help us stay at sea and join our fight for safe migration routes.

https://mvlouisemichel.org/donate/

We need your support. To continue our fight for freedom of ...

2026-06-26T07:31:53Z

We need your support.
To continue our fight for freedom of movement for all.

Organise an Event. Print posters. Talk to your neighbour, family and friends.

Donate to keep the Louise Michel at sea.

https://mvlouisemichel.org/donate/

We fight for a world where freedom of movement is a right. Not a ...

2026-06-24T11:36:03Z

We fight for a world where freedom of movement is a right.

Not a privilege.
Not something distributed by passport.
Not something you earn by being born in the right place.

A right. For everyone.

We fight for a world where nobody has to choose between staying somewhere unsafe and risking their life at sea.

We fight for the freedom to move and the freedom to stay.
In safety. In dignity.

This world doesn't exist yet.
But another world is possible.
This is why we keep fighting.

Support our work.
Link in bio.

Today we honour the courage, resilience and dignity of people ...

2026-06-20T12:35:08Z

Today we honour the courage, resilience and dignity of people forced to leave their homes.

Being a refugee is not an identity someone chooses. It is a reality imposed by war, persecution, violence and displacement.

For almost six years, Louise Michel has stood in solidarity with people on the move.

As we enter our next chapter, we are building the community of support needed to continue this work.

The mission continues. The need continues.

Support us! Donate today!
https://mvlouisemichel.org/donate/

Refugee protection was created after the horrors of war, ...

2026-06-18T14:04:43Z

Refugee protection was created after the horrors of war, persecution and displacement. It exists because everyone has the right to seek safety.

Protection is not charity. It is a legal and moral obligation.
Today these protections are increasingly being undermined.

We defend the principle that nobody should be denied safety because of where they were born.

Refugee protection only matters when it is defended.

Support us:
https://mvlouisemichel.org/donate/

Fascism decides whose lives matter and whose do not. It ...

2026-06-14T15:59:43Z

Fascism decides whose lives matter and whose do not.
It criminalises difference and teaches exclusion.
Since years we have witnessed growing attacks on people on the move, refugees and those who show solidarity.

On friday, the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum came into full effect.

It will normalise:
• the arbitrary use of detention for people on
the move, including children and families
• increase racial profiling
• return people to so-called ‘safe third
countries’ where they face the risk of
violence, torture and abuse

Overall, it will increase human suffering at every single stage of the journey in search of asylum in the EU. We refuse these politics.

55 people disembarked in Lampedusa Yesterday the Louise Michel ...

2026-06-12T14:49:23Z

55 people disembarked in Lampedusa

Yesterday the Louise Michel assisted 55 people from a rubber boat. Only because the weather was going to get worse we were assigned Lampedusa, the closest place of safety.

Everyone is now on land, can rest and gather strength for the next steps of their journey.

On the day the EU Migration Pact enters fully into force, we remind ourselves that people cross this way because every other way has been shut down. Almost every legal route, every door closed. EU governments and the EU Commission focus on building up borders, making safe migration impossible. The result of all of these policies is an estimate between 100,000 and 200,000 deaths in the last 10 years.

We want a world where no one has to survive deadly borders to reach safety. Where the closest port is always the right port. Where movement needs no justification. Where safety is not rationed by passport or by skin.

Freedom of movement for all!

47 survivors disembarked in Crotone Last night all 47 survivors ...

2026-06-06T14:52:59Z

47 survivors disembarked in Crotone

Last night all 47 survivors could finally disembark in the Italian port of #Crotone.
Before that, Italy had assigned an even further port but changed it after our pressure as fuel and fresh water were getting low.

We are happy that the journey at sea is behind them now. But we are also raging for the hostile behaviour of authorities against people seeking safety.

Safety is a human right.
We need safe and legal migration routes for all.

The Louise Michel is back at sea. After yesterday's ...

2026-06-03T14:47:58Z

The Louise Michel is back at sea.

After yesterday's disembarkation in Reggio Calabria, the Louise Michel sailed straight back out.

As long as borders exist and restrict human movement and policies criminalize safe passage, the sea remains a space of resistance. People will continue to exercise their right to move, and we will continue to stand in solidarity with them.
For the right to leave and for the right to stay.
Together, we can make a difference.

Freedom of movement for all!

9 people safely disembarked in Reggio Calabria After the Louise ...

2026-06-02T14:51:34Z

9 people safely disembarked in Reggio Calabria

After the Louise Michel assisted nine people in distress at sea on Sunday night, Italy directed our crew to Reggio Calabria. A port on Italy’s mainland, far more north than the closest possible port of Sicaly. This is a political move to keep rescue ships from doing their vital work, and to harrass people that have already suffered the brutal consequences of Europe’s isolationism.

Today, the 9 survivors our crew took on board, were finally able to disembark safely at the port of Reggio Calabria.

We wish everyone all the best for the future.
Freedom of movement should be for everyone.
Human rights are for everyone.

9 people on board of Louise Michel, but Italy assigns another ...

2026-06-01T12:46:40Z

9 people on board of Louise Michel, but Italy assigns another distant port.

Last night, the Louise Michel took 9 people from a rubber boat in distress on board within the Libyan/Tunisian SAR region. The crew were alerted from nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyd968gmewwp6kyqpq3mv28qmk2t86lcgrn5spsma76tdnv4agdzmk5l0mz2r7z5rzdrvsk5crnp (nprofile…crnp) , roughly 24 hours after the 9 people departed from Zuwara, Libya. Our crew is taking care of the most urgent needs while heading north towards Italy.

Meanwhile, Italian authorities have assigned Reggio Calabria as our Port of Safety, which is roughly a day and a half of navigation away. This means more unnecessary days at sea with already traumatised survivors.

Freedom of movement is a right. People are forced to risk their lives on these dangerous crossings because racist political decisions dictate who can move safely and who cannot.

At least 7,400 people have been sold as human commodities at the ...

2026-05-25T10:15:40Z

At least 7,400 people have been sold as human commodities at the border between Tunisia and Libya in the last 3 years.

Being sold, humiliated and abused is daily practice. People are treated as objects, to exploit and dehumanise systematically.

Gender-based violence against women* is omnipresent and structural, including ab*se like intimate searches, lack of medical care, r*pe and forced pr*stitution.

All of this human tr*fficking is done by officers from the Tunisian National Garde and Libyan Border Guard, authorities supported and financed by the EU. This is what they understand under "migration control".

Thank you RR [X] supported by Border Forensics, ASGI, The Routes Journal, OnBorders and MeltingPot Europa for publishing the Women State Trafficking report.

The EU must stop all support of human rights violation, direct or indirect. Violence against women on the move must end. Human trafficking must end! Now!

Yesterday we took one more step against defamation and fake news ...

2026-05-15T20:48:43Z

Yesterday we took one more step against defamation and fake news
Bologna, May 14, 2026

Former sea rescue captain, Pia Klemp, and representatives from the Louise Michel, stood in court to testify against the editor of Quotidiano Nazionale, an Italian newspaper which spread false information about Pia Klemp, the Louise Michel, and, most importantly, about people on the move arriving in Italy when our ship was detained in 2023.
The article was sexist, disseminated falsehoods about Klemp and her legal standing, and used her public persona to push a racist, defaming narrative about people on the move.

The public discourse about migration and people on the move is growing more toxic and hostile than ever, exactly because of articles like the one we brought a case against in court. Such articles are continually pushed out for all to read without any regard for truth. This kind of misinformation has deadly consequences for the thousands of people on the move, who risk their lives because of racist border policies supported by these wholly inaccurate narratives.

Yesterday, today, and every day, we stand for the right to leave, the right to move and the right to stay. For everyone.

After the rescue of 90 people, SW5 was shot by the EU-funded ...

2026-05-13T09:48:36Z

After the rescue of 90 people, SW5 was shot by the EU-funded so-called Libyan coastguard. Read about the attacks that we, as the Justice Fleet, documented by Lybian militias for years. This is systematic violence against people on the move and NGOs.

https://justice-fleet.org/en/incidents

Billions for weapons. Borders for people. In small: This is the ...

2026-05-12T09:01:48Z

Billions for weapons. Borders for people.
In small: This is the Europe that commemorated victims of fascism this week.

1,211 people have already died in the Mediterranean this year alone, marking it one of the deadliest years in the Mediterrenean sea.

This is the Europe that this week commemorated the victims of fascism and Europe Day. It is also the Europe that is spending billions on rearmament, while cutting health systems, gutting social services, oppressing people speaking up and abolishing the right to asylum. It's all tied together: an economy of war requires enemies. It requires people who do not deserve protection, whose movement is a threat, whose lives are acceptable losses and collateral damage.

The EU follows a logic built on race, on class, on gender, on sexuality, on the idea that some bodies are valuable and others are not. That some people are deserving citizens and others are problems to be managed.

But borders are nonsensical, imaginary lines drawn in the sand over existing Indigenous communities.

We are dedicating all our energy to breaking down borders. We are committed to freedom of movement and a safe life for everyone.

To support our work, donate at the link in our bio or buy the T-shirts and patches designed by Banksy on our website to provide funding for our operations, fight legal cases and help spread the word about these inhumane policies.

We commemorate all those who fell victim to nazifascism, all ...

2026-05-08T14:36:13Z

We commemorate all those who fell victim to nazifascism, all those who were persecuted and displaced.
Under nazifascism, Jews, Sinti and Roma, queer people, people with disabilities, political opponents, unionists and resistance fighters were systematically persecuted and murdered.

Nazism was made possible by bystanders, silence and turning a blind eye. Remembrance is not a trivial matter, but an integral part of our fight to ensure that we recognize the injustices, oppressions and genocides of the present.

Today, racist, warmongering discourses dominates European politics. The right to asylum is effectively being shrunk to almost non-existence with the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. Repatriation laws and centers are being enacted to speed up deportations and detentions.

To remember means to fight. Today and everyday. For social justice and solidarity.

#May8 #LiberationDay

We are looking for a chief officer for our second rotation of the ...

2026-05-04T19:23:52Z

We are looking for a chief officer for our second rotation of the year.

Rotation dates: 1.7 - 12.8.2026
Requirements: COC Chief Mate 500GT-3000GT or more than 3000GT (STCW II/2).

We strongly encourage people from communities systemically excluded from maritime work (women,
LGBTQIA+ people, BIPOC, people with disabilities, people with migration experience) to apply.

If you want your skills to support people's right to move safely, contact: crewing@mvlouisemichel.org

May 1st has always been international, for workers everywhere. ...

2026-05-01T08:38:11Z

May 1st has always been international, for workers everywhere. Not just better conditions for some workers in some places. It was about the systems that divided workers from each other and kept them all weaker, like borders.

The standard of living some of us have was partly built on the labour of people who were never included in the deal. And borders don't just control movement: they produce a category of worker who have no leverage at all.

International working class solidarity means seeing that connection and intersection and deciding it matters.

Against the pressure to compete and deliver, against poverty and harassment!

From now until April 24, Louise Michel is looking for ...

2026-03-31T14:11:59Z

From now until April 24, Louise Michel is looking for professional boatbuilders willing to join us.
Travel, food, and compensation are provided.

We strongly encourage people from communities systemically excluded from maritime work (women,
LGBTQIA+ people, BIPOC, people with disabilities, people with migration experience) to apply.

Strengthening our crew means bringing in those whose skills and experiences are too often overlooked.

If you want your skills to support people's right to move safely, contact: -> crewing@mvlouisemichel.org

@vic.harster

The former Chief of the European border and coast guard agency - ...

2026-03-24T12:47:45Z

The former Chief of the European border and coast guard agency - Frontex - stands accused of crimes against humanity.

Several reports by human rights organisations have shown the involvement of the EU agency in illegal push backs, kidnappings at sea and collaboration with criminal militias, causing tens of thousands of deaths at sea and in detention camps along the EU borders. French prosecutors have now opened investigations against the former chief who is now sitting in the #EU parliament for the French fascist #RassemblementNational party, continuing his hatred against immigration.

An investigation that should have been carried out long ago. Even longer ago we should have abolished an agency like #Frontex.

#FightFrontex

Call for Captain We are looking for a captain. From May 13 - June ...

2026-03-10T16:41:45Z

Call for Captain

We are looking for a captain.
From May 13 - June 24

Required license:

COC 500GT-3000GT or more (stcw II/2) unlimited.

It’s a paid position.

Please get in touch wich us via:
crewing@mvlouisemichel.org

#SAR #captain #callforcrew

Anti-fascism is done by hand! Big thank you to all the activists ...

2026-02-25T17:13:47Z

Anti-fascism is done by hand!

Big thank you to all the activists whose collective labor is keeping the Louise Michel afloat.

In the spirit of active solidarity, our team of activists have made impressive progress during this shipyard period: the ship is now not only paint free on the hull and transom, it has gone under repairs, controls and checks by the people who dedicated time coming to the shipyard in this practice of collective resistance.
Soon our pink ship will be sailing against #FortressEurope again!

Together, we are fighting for a good life for Everyone!

At least six bodies, including one child, have washed up on the ...

2026-02-23T19:34:36Z

At least six bodies, including one child, have washed up on the Libyan coast in recent days. Another 15 were found in Sicily, dead.

These are people.
People with hopes.
People with dreams.
People with families.

People whose future was taken away in the waves of Europe's external border.
This is the deliberate result of a brutal border regime that is build on separation, racism, isolation and violence.

Borders kill.

#SAR #EU #AbolishBorders

Europes own ICE: Frontex Different contexts, same repressive ...

2026-02-19T13:25:15Z

Europes own ICE: Frontex

Different contexts, same repressive principles.
Whether it’s the waters of the Mediterranean or cities in the #US, the machinery of exclusion is the same. We often hear mainstream European voices criticize the horrors of #ICE, but they conveniently forget that a mirror image exists in our own backyard: #Frontex.

Neither force is out there "protecting" us; they are enforcing a global ideology of racial control.

We need to resist the violent, racist, and colonial oppression being practiced by these border forces every single day.
Solidarity with all people on the move. From the Turtle Island to the #CentralMed, the struggle is one.

Yesterday, the Meloni Government approved a new immigration bill ...

2026-02-13T19:02:41Z

Yesterday, the Meloni Government approved a new immigration bill built on one principle: repression.
Naval blockades, keeping asylum seekers in Albania and reducing the right to protection and so much more.

These policies are just outright inhumane. Instead of focusing on safe and legal routes, the Meloni government keeps showing its true colors and going forward with ideas that have been part of their plans years before being in power.

What we see happening in Italy is just what could happen EU-wide with the new Pact on Asylum and Migration. We need to to build stronger coalitions, connect among grassroots movements, deepen our work with the existing allies, and create new connections to fight this everywhere!

The EU Parliament adopted a list of "safe countries of ...

2026-02-11T18:09:50Z

The EU Parliament adopted a list of "safe countries of origin".

This list is designed to fast-track rejections and restrict access to asylum. It weakens the right to protection and ignores documented human rights violations in the countries included. Among them: Kosovo, Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Morocco, and also Tunisia.

Just in Tunisia alone, opposition figures are prosecuted, critical voices are silenced, and migrants face systemic racism, violence, and collective expulsions to the desert. The EU doesn't care about all of this as long as they can deport people there.

Asylum is a right, not a political bargaining chip.
Reject the list. Defend the right to seek protection.⁩

The Budapest court proceedings against Maja T., Anna M., and ...

2026-02-04T18:06:58Z

The Budapest court proceedings against Maja T., Anna M., and Gabriele M. ended today.

Maja T. was sentenced to 8 years in prison, Gabriele M. was sentenced to 7 years in prison and Anna M. was sentenced to 2 years in prison. The end of a mock political process that had already seen serious violations in Maja's, and all the other antifascists’, detention, refusal to allow demonstrations outside the courtroom, and fascists present to monitor and instill fear.

This strategy of repression against antifascists follows the same absurd logic as the criminalisation of migration: a public enemy to create a state of emergency so to have full powers and squash dissent.

Starting today, there will be days of solidarity and struggle in Europe. No matter where: let's organise, be visible, be loud, and apply pressure together.

Free all Antifas!! Siamo tutt antifascist!!!

Free Syria for all Free Rojava In December 2024 the Dictator ...

2026-01-31T16:14:04Z

Free Syria for all
Free Rojava

In December 2024 the Dictator Baschar al Assad was overthrown by the Islamic Militia HTS (Hai'at Tahrir asch-Scham). Over the last weeks the new Syrian government that formed out of the HTS intensified fights with the autonomous Kurdish areas around Rojava.

Rojava is the result of an emacipatory revolution. The same Kurdish fighters that stood against the so called Islamic State (IS) and fought for women's liberation are now again under attack.

We stand in solidarity with the Kurdish Revolution in Syria and Rojava. Only a free Syria for all is a free Syria!

Jin, Jiyan, Azadî
Bijî berxwedana Rojava

Jan 22nd 2026 380 people missing in the the #CentralMed They ...

2026-01-30T16:35:30Z

Jan 22nd 2026
380 people missing in the the #CentralMed
They drowned while searching for a safe life

An iron boat with 61 people, exhausted from being at sea without eating for three days, some of them with hypothermia, was found by the Italian Coast Guard on January 22nd.

These people faced a cyclone that devastated the coasts of Southern Italy, Tunisia and Libya, with waves up to 10 metres high and wind gusts up to 150 kilometres per hour.

Two one-year-old twins travelling with their mother have been lost at sea. Shortly after disembarkation, one man died in the emergency room. His name was S. Dembele.

We mourn S. Dembele, these twin girls, and all the around 380 people that left Tunisia in the same few days, in other boats whose fate we have no knowledge of.

What we do know is that people keep dying at sea, with the complicity and the policies made by Italy and the #EU.

Rest in Power.

#CyclonHarry #SAR

🚨 Louise Michel is urgently looking for professional ...

2026-01-29T14:52:26Z

🚨 Louise Michel is urgently looking for professional boatbuilders or wood workers for February!! 🚢✨

We’re doing important winter works on the ship and we’re looking for professional boatbuilders or wood workers to join us in Malta for the month of February.

Work includes:
- repairs on the hull
- reconstruction of the flybridge deck
- rebuilding superstructure walls
- installing new fenders on the transom
- rebuilding behind the anchor plate
- interior carpentry
- ... and more essential refit tasks!

We cover all travel + food costs, and offer a compensation.

If you want to contribute to a project dedicated to freedom of movement and solidarity at sea, please reach out:
📩 crewing@mvlouisemichel.org

After Alex Pretti stood between a woman and seven ICE agents, he ...

2026-01-28T17:51:43Z

After Alex Pretti stood between a woman and seven ICE agents, he was pepper sprayed, beaten to the ground and killed with at least ten shots. This is akin to a public execution.

Trump's racist policies and narratives tear families apart, destroy lives, are degrading and discrediting. They kill. In Minnesota this month, first Renée Nicole Good, now Alex Pretti. At least seven people have been shot and killed by US Immigration authorities in the past year since Trump took office again, with 2025 seeing the highest number of deaths in ICE detention since 2004.

Stand up against racist policies and ICE out. Be loud for solidarity!

#iceout #abolishice

“Migration is a social phenomenon, not a crime. We must protect ...

2026-01-23T16:53:33Z

“Migration is a social phenomenon, not a crime.
We must protect lives, not punish those seeking safety and dignity.” — Adla Shashati, Greek Forum of Migrants

The EU is systematically stripping people on the move of their rights.

Through EU-level cooperation between conservatives and far right politicians, new migration and asylum regulations will phase in during 2026, which will see detention, surveillance, and deportation being expanded. People will be increasingly locked up in prison-like “repatriation centres”, some of which are outside the EU, with fewer legal safeguards and less access to support.

The idea of “safe countries of origin” is being fast-tracked, placing the heavy burden of proof on people on the move, making it absurdly harder for those seeking safety to prove their need for protection if they come from a country included in the list. Legal aid is being restricted. For those in detention, it risks being abolished altogether.

We oppose this EU border regime built on racism, punishment, and exclusion.

We need to reject borders from our territories and our minds, and deconstruct all systems that decide who is allowed to live freely. We need to dream of a world without cages.

Massacre in Iran Solidarity with the brave protesters Bullets and ...

2026-01-15T16:31:38Z

Massacre in Iran Solidarity with the brave protesters

Bullets and death instead of freedom and life

Iranians are rising up en masse against the authoritarian, theocratic Mullah Regime. The protests were triggered by a severe economic crisis and are sharply directed against the oppressive regime.

Protesters are being killed, sentenced to death, detained, and silenced through arrests and internet shutdowns to cut communication inside and outside the country.

The people of Iran have the right to decide their own future and to rebel against their oppression! We stand with all protesters standing up for freedom and equal rights.

All eyes on Iran.

Photo: AFP

#IranMassacre #IranInternetShutDown

2025 in the central Mediterrenean for people on the move In 2025 ...

2025-12-31T15:00:59Z

2025 in the central Mediterrenean
for people on the move

In 2025 the central Mediterrenean remained one of the deadliest borders in the world. In the last 12 months at least 1,184 people have died or are missing while attempting to cross the sea between Libya, Tunisia and Italy.

Libyan actors have increased their presence not only in front of the Libyan coast but also in international waters, and at least 25,286 people have been violently intercepted and returned to Libyan detention centers, where torture, sexual violence and slavery is still rife.

Even though it can be hard to confirm numbers it is assumed that thousands of people are still stuck, sometimes for years in these horrific camps.

10 years after Italy stopped the last EU state organised Rescue programme, the central Mediterranean remains a deadly symbol of Europe’s cruel and racist border regime.

However, it also remains a symbol of resilience and strength for people on the move, determined to defy Fortress Europe.

Solidarity and Resistance.

📷 Sara Creta

⁨📷⁩ ⁨Thanks for the early Christmas present Fascist ...

2025-12-20T18:15:48Z

⁨📷⁩ ⁨Thanks for the early Christmas present
Fascist newspaper ordered to pay compensation to several NGOs for defamation

Maurizio Belpietro, editor of #Panorama, has been convicted of defamation and ordered to pay €10,000 in provisional damages for calling NGOs “the new pirates” on the magazine’s cover.

This ruling, concerning our project alongside Open Arms, EMERGENCY, Sea-Watch, SOS Mediterranee, and Mediterranea, confirms what we have said all along: this was not journalism, but a deliberate attempt to delegitimise solidarity and dehumanise people on the move.

Now #Belpietro and his supporters claim they are being “silenced.” They are not. They are facing accountability, something they are clearly unaccustomed to.

This decision matters because attacks like these poison public discourse, justify violence and death at the borders, and ultimately endanger the lives of people forced to cross #FortressEurope in a dangerous way. We need to reclaim public space from hate and lies, and make room for the voices of those who are silenced by border violence. This is a good step in that direction.⁩

All 86 people disembark in Reggio Calabria All 86 people on board ...

2025-12-14T18:54:45Z

All 86 people disembark in Reggio Calabria

All 86 people on board the MV Louise Michel were able to disembark in Reggio Calabria.

We wish everyone strength as they navigate the difficult path through Europe's racist and exclusionary bureaucracy.

We need safe flight routes, freedom of movement and equal opportunities for all, now!

Another rescue of 61 people 86 people are now on board the Louise ...

2025-12-13T16:32:48Z

Another rescue of 61 people
86 people are now on board the Louise Michel

In the late hours of last night, the Louise Michel carried out another rescue.
#Alarmphone alerted our crew about a very overcrowded rubber boat in distress that had departed from Zawiya, #Libya. All 61 people were safely taken on board.

There are now 86 people on board the #LouiseMichel.

The ship is heading towards its assigned Port of Safety in #ReggioCalabria.

Freedom of movement for all!

95 % of victims of gender-based violence are women TW: Sexual ...

2025-11-30T10:44:13Z

95 % of victims of gender-based violence are women
TW: Sexual violence

Women around the world face gender-based and sexual violence as a daily threat; in their homes, at work, in public and while on the move. The World Health Organisation estimates that globally, nearly 1 in 3 of women worldwide have been subjected to physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime.

Sexual violence is particularly prevalent in crisis regions due to its use as a weapon of war. The highest number of reports come from Sudan, where survivors report rape, sexual slavery, and other forms of sexual violence. According to Amnesty International, the paramilitary group RSF has often been described as the perpetrator.

But the reality is that this violence does not end when women flee.

According to UNHCR, up to 90% of women crossing the Mediterranean report having suffered rape or sexual violence before or during their journey.

This is preventable.

We need safe routes, real protection, accountability for perpetrators, and the dismantling of the systems - patriarchal, racist, militarised - that protect and perpetuate this violence.

Criminalizing solidarity must have consequences. Yesterday we ...

2025-11-28T16:51:56Z

Criminalizing solidarity must have consequences.

Yesterday we testified in Milan in the defamation trial against #MaurizioBelpietro, who in 2022 labelled search and rescue NGOs “the new pirates" in the magazine, #Panaroma.

This attack did not just target NGOs, it was part of a narrative built to discredit people on the move and make deaths at sea acceptable.

We stand alongside NGOs defending a simple truth:
saving lives is a duty, not piracy and not a crime.
Discrediting those who do it is.

#FreedomOfMovement #Solidarity #Italy

50 people safe on board of Louise Michel Louise Michel was ...

2025-11-18T22:17:08Z

50 people safe on board of Louise Michel

Louise Michel was alerted by Alarm Phone earlier today about several boats in distress. This afternoon, our crew spotted a very overcrowded small, green rubber boat with 50 people on board. Everyone was safely brought aboard the Louise Michel. We are still searching for another boat in distress, reported as a wooden boat with about 70 people on board.

Unfortunately, the last known position is from hours ago, which makes the search challenging. If we cannot locate them soon, we hope that they manage to reach the Italian coast safely.

Italy attacks rescue organization @RescueMed for following ...

2025-11-18T10:05:58Z

Italy attacks rescue organization @RescueMed for following maritime law! The first ship of the #JusticeFleet faces 60 days’ detention & a 10k fine for bringing rescued persons to land safely. 2 public prosecutor offices even ordered urgent arrival in port. https://shorturl.at/WB7mW

This is exactly why we joined forces as the Justice Fleet: 13 organizations stand as alliance to defend human rights at sea. The 🇮🇹 detentions ignore facts, human rights, & even binding judicial decisions. We will not obey illegitimate orders that contradict justice and humanity.

We will continue to do what is right: rescue lives and defend human rights at sea and on land. Read more about the Justice Fleet here: justice-fleet.org. Solidarity with @RescueMed !

Freedom of movement Our new crew has arrived on board and is ...

2025-11-14T08:56:56Z

Freedom of movement

Our new crew has arrived on board and is getting ready for the next rotation.

The political situation has not eased. People continue to flee in search of safety. Europe continues to seal itself off.

The human right to freedom of movement should apply to everyone! For equality, for freedom, for solidarity with each other!

We continue to fight against fascism.
Freedom of movement for all! Now!

#SAR #FreedomOfMovement #LouiseMichel #SeaRescue

Call for Captain We are looking for a captain. From now until ...

2025-11-09T12:24:31Z

Call for Captain

We are looking for a captain. From now until 17th of Dec

Required license:
COC 500GT-3000GT or more (stcw II/2) unlimited.

Its a paid position.

Please get in touch wich us via crewing@mvlouisemichel.org

🚨The first ship of the Justice Fleet is detained! Italy ...

2025-11-07T15:41:58Z

🚨The first ship of the Justice Fleet is detained! Italy illegitimately blocked the ship of Mediterranea Saving Humans.

But together we fight back. It is clear: they are breaking the law by bureaucratic sabotage of rescue operations while we fight for the right to move and for safe and legal pathways!

The Balkan route is a major land crossing into the #EU. Since ...

2025-11-06T10:08:30Z

The Balkan route is a major land crossing into the #EU. Since 2014, at least 250 people have died there, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM)’s Missing Migrants Project. Many more disappear without a trace, with the #RedCross estimating that nearly 90% of missing people on these routes are never found.

This makes the #Balkan not only a very deadly but also the most undocumented route through #Europe. People drown in rivers, freeze in woods, suffocate in trucks, or simply vanish undocumented, unnamed, erased.

In December 2024, three teenagers from #Egypt died of hypothermia near the #Bulgaria – #Turkey border. NGOs @NoNameKitchen and @CollettivoRotteBalcaniche documented that Bulgarian authorities blocked rescue teams, ignored emergency calls, and left them to die. This was not negligence, it was deliberate abandonment.

Bulgaria’s border regime is a frontline of Europe’s external border machine. With funds and support from the EU and agencies like #Frontex, the route is being more and more militarised and human beings contained.

This has to stop. We need safe passage for everyone.
Borders kill, on land and at sea.
Freedom of movement for all!

🔴 Breaking news: We’re launching the largest alliance of ...

2025-11-05T09:22:56Z

🔴 Breaking news: We’re launching the largest alliance of civil search & rescue organizations ever! We defend the law, rejecting illegitimate orders from Italian authorities & illegal militias like the Libyan coastguard. We will keep fighting! Read more: justice-fleet.org

All Eyes on Sudan Sudan is facing the world’s largest ...

2025-10-30T09:37:16Z

All Eyes on Sudan

Sudan is facing the world’s largest humanitarian and displacement crisis and yet, the world looks away.

More than 12 million people have been displaced since war broke out in April 2023 between the army of Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF militia led by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo. Over 150,000 people have been killed.

Now, the city of #Al-Fasher has fallen to the #RSF. Civilians are being targeted, hospitals looted, and entire neighbourhoods destroyed. Half of those displaced are children.

But Sudan’s collapse is not an isolated tragedy; it's the result of decades of colonial destabilisation, exploitation, and the continous influence of other states such as #Egypt, #Russia, #China, The United Arab Emirates and #SaudiArabia. The latter directly receiving weaponry from European states such as #UK, #France and #Germany, as well as the #USA.

The same system that is selling weapons in already war-torn areas, is then sending more weapons to build a border regime to prevent people fleeing from this violence.

We need to stop this madness of endless militarisation. Politics for people, not for profit, and human rights for all.

All eyes on Sudan.

#Sudan

All 39 survivors disembarked in Catania Police harrasing women in ...

2025-10-25T17:34:05Z

All 39 survivors disembarked in Catania
Police harrasing women in hijab

After yesterdays rescue operations, all 39 survivors could disembark today in the Sicilian port of Catania. During disembarkation people were photographed and a women was forced to remove her hijab by the Italian police.

Ripping people of their basic rights after a long, dangerous journey to safety - this is how Europe welcomes people on the move.
Shame on EU!

Disembarkation completed in Reggio Calabria Another far away port ...

2025-10-15T22:09:40Z

Disembarkation completed in Reggio Calabria

Another far away port

The 32 people rescued by Louise Michel are now safely ashore in Reggio Calabria. We are relieved they are safe but we cannot accept this as “normal”.

Once again, Italian authorities assigned us a distant port, forcing a small rescue vessel to sail to mainland Italy, instead of allowing prompt disembarkation in the nearest safe harbour, as international law, and just plain humanity, requires.

This political theatre, played on the lives and exhaustion of survivors, needs to end.

#BordersKill #LouiseMichel

32 survivors on board Louise Michel and another 73 on Nadir, ...

2025-10-14T20:40:57Z

32 survivors on board Louise Michel
and another 73 on Nadir, supported by our crew

This morning, our crew was alerted about a boat in distress and headed towards the position. The sailing vessel Nadir, operated by ResqShip, which was at the scene earlier could embark everyone on board of their ship with the support of our small rescue boat.

Later in the afternoon, 32 people were safely evacuated from another boat in distress. The rubber boat had previously been reported by Alarmphone and Seawatch's monitoring aircraft Seabird.

During the rescue we were alerted to another boat in distress, which was then stabilised by the sailing vessel Dakini and later rescued by the Italian Coast guard.

Our crew is now taking care of the 32 survivors on our ship while slowly heading north.

All survivors safely disembarked in Pozzallo After several days ...

2025-10-12T13:10:17Z

All survivors safely disembarked in Pozzallo

After several days out sea since leaving Lybia, the 68 people, including 4 children and one baby, from two separate rescues have disembarked in #Pozzallo, #Sicily.

We wish them strength and courage as they begin their journeys in Europe.

Rescues are complete only when the people on the move are able disembark in a place of safety. #Lybia and #Tunisia are not safe for people on the move.
Freedom of movement for all!

#SAR #freedomofmovement

⁨Ni pardon ni oubli A guide for the families of those lost at ...

2025-10-10T16:50:31Z

⁨Ni pardon ni oubli

A guide for the families of those lost at sea & at Italy’s borders

Not long ago Memoria Mediterranea launched a crucial new guide, available in Italian, French and English on their website, designed for families whose loved ones died or disappeared at sea, or along Italy’s borders. This is more than a document, it is a political act of memory, dignity, and accountability.

Too often, families are left without answers. The sea swallows stories, borders erase lives. Mem.Med offers a tool to support legal steps, testimonials, searches, and recognition. It affirms that every life lost must be named.

We stand in solidarity with the families of the missing. Their pain should not be silenced. We call on authorities to take responsibility, to share information, to open archives, to stop obstructing visibility.

EU, each of these dead and missing individuals is one too many. Borders kill!

#NeverForget #BordersKill⁩

CALL FOR CAPTAIN We are looking for a Captain from 5/11-17/12 ...

2025-10-05T13:55:46Z

CALL FOR CAPTAIN

We are looking for a Captain from 5/11-17/12

Required license:
COC 500GT-3000GT or more (stcw II/2) unlimited.

Please contact us via mail crewing@mvlouisemichel.org

Solidarity with the Global Sumud Flotilla The ships of the Global ...

2025-10-04T09:20:09Z

Solidarity with the Global Sumud Flotilla

The ships of the Global Sumud Flotilla have been violently intercepted by Israeli forces. 42 boats, with more than 400 activists from across the world, had set sail to try to break the illegal siege on Gaza and to deliver aid to a population deliberately starved. Their act placed humanity, international solidarity and civil disobedience above borders.

Systematic destruction of Palestinian life, enforced through famine, bombardments, and displacement, is genocide.

The very same European governments who let people die while crossing the Mediterranean are complicit in these crimes. Financing the siege, arming Israel and hiding behind empty statements. But millions around the world are refusing to look away: demonstrating, striking and rising up in solidarity.

We demand the immediate release of the flotilla’s.

From the central Mediterranean to Palestine.
For a free Gaza. For a free Palestine.

#freetheflottilla #freepalestine

Protect humans not borders On the 3rd of October, 2013, more than ...

2025-10-03T18:52:39Z

Protect humans not borders

On the 3rd of October, 2013,
more than 360 people drowned in front of Lampedusa, 155 survived.

Since then, more than 32,000 people have been confirmed dead in the waters between Libya, Tunisia and Italy - the true number is likely to be higher. Instead of preventing more lives being lost in the Mediterranean, the EU operates and funds one of the deadliest border regimes in the world. Supporting and training Libyan groups to perform violent interceptions and leaving people to die at sea.

The 3rd of October should serve as a reminder: seeking safety is a human right and must be protected. Criminals in parliaments must be held accountable for every single death. We need policies that value life, not violence.

Protect humans not borders.
Borders kill.

The world is on fire, literally and politically. In 2024 alone, ...

2025-10-02T12:39:49Z

The world is on fire, literally and politically. In 2024 alone, 32.5 million people had to escape war, dictatorships, extreme weather, hunger. It was the year with the highest number of wars and armed conflicts since the end of the Second World War.

But war isn’t the only reason people run. Extreme weather, poverty and systemic injustice push millions from their homes every year. Half the world lives on less than $2 a day. To put it simply: those who suffer most are always the poorest.

People migrate for a variety of reasons: wars, climate collapse, inequality, family, love, study, curiosity, or simply the desire to live with dignity. All of these are valid reasons.

Yet the current border and visa system divides the world between those allowed to move freely, and those criminalised for trying and whose way of moving is breaking a border first to claim asylum.

Freedom of movement should not be a luxury reserved for passport holders of certain countries.
It should be a universal right.

Freedom of movement for everyone!

📸 Protests in Nepal, Sunil Pradhan

Fascism is not a moment in history. It is a strategy of power: ...

2025-09-30T14:47:12Z

Fascism is not a moment in history. It is a strategy of power: obedience enforced through hierarchy and the use of force. It thrives on division, exclusion, and the persecution of those who refuse to submit.

Anti-fascism is the refusal to accept such abuse of power. It is solidarity in action, defending those targeted, giving space to the marginalised, and resisting oppressive structures wherever they appear: in the streets, at sea, in courtrooms and beyond.

That is exactly why governments are attempting to criminalise it. In the last few days alone, the US President signed an order classifying Antifa as a terrorist organisation. In the Netherlands, members of the ruling coalition have pushed for the same. Hungary is urging the EU to follow suit.

This move to criminalise Antifa is not about “security”. It is about silencing resistance. Anti-fascism is not an organisation to be banned. It is a decentralised and necessary practice, a daily act of care and defiance. Without it, every struggle for justice becomes impossible.

To criminalise anti-fascism is to clear the path for fascism.

Long live Antifa!

Since 2014, at least 76,593 people worldwide have died while ...

2025-09-03T08:24:36Z

Since 2014, at least 76,593 people worldwide have died while fleeing their home countries, according to the Missing Migrants Project of the International Organisation of Migration. Most of these people died while crossing borders: drowned in the Mediterranean, crashed while traveling in hazardous trucks, exhausted, starved, beaten, or falling sick and being denied health care. These are all foreseeable results of border policies that block safe passage, push people back to unsafe countries, and make journeys longer and deadlier.

The #CentralMediterranean is the deadliest route, with more than 25,000 recorded deaths in the past decade. The true number is certainly higher and illustrates how desperate people regularly risk their lives fleeing unsafe conditions in search of a life in dignity.

#Europe invests in building walls and the militarisation of borders by funding countries such as #Turkey, #Libya and #Tunisia. Countries known to abuse human rights. This very same ‘border protection’ system enables the smuggling system by forcing those desperate to flee to take dangerous routes to safety. Meanwhile, boat drivers are used as scapegoats to push fascist, racist and anti-immigration policies at home. In reality, it is borders that kill every day.

Every single one of these deaths was preventable.

Open borders now! We need safe routes for all!

#SAR #humanrights #FreedomOfMevement #NoBorders #BordersKill

FOR THE RIGHT TO LEAVE FOR THE RIGHT TO STAY July 20th, World ...

2025-06-20T14:13:20Z

FOR THE RIGHT TO LEAVE
FOR THE RIGHT TO STAY
July 20th, World Refugee Day

The right to freedom of movement is a human right. The right to asylum is a human right. Or to put it simple: the right to a life in safety is a human right.

In 2024, more than 120 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide. The reasons for this are as different as humans can be. Wars, armed conflicts, corruption, climate change, economic crises, or individual threats based on gender identity or sexual orientation.

But even the simple desire to live somewhere else should be achievable for everyone.

When we say everyone, we mean everyone. We are not the judges of one's life nor of how someone should live. The freedom to be able to be yourself, and have access to the very basics resources necessary for living and healthcare should not be a privilege. And yet today it seems it is.

In 10 years of civil sea rescue, Europe has increasingly shown its ugliest face. One in which the border protection and hoarding of wealth are seemingly worth more than human lives. This must change.

Today and everyday, we stand for the right to asylum. Freedom of movement for all is not a phrase, it’s a basic human right. Where we are born should not be the deciding factor in the opportunities we have and how much our life is valued. No one is illegal.

All survivors now safely disembarked. After a partial transfer ...

2025-06-17T16:27:34Z

All survivors now safely disembarked.

After a partial transfer and more than 40 hours at sea, we disembarked the remaining 46 people on board the Louise Michel including 10 minors, one of them a baby just a few months old, in Crotone, Italy. Everyone is now receiving care.

Yesterday afternoon, 147 of the 193 people rescued by the ...

2025-06-16T11:07:52Z

Yesterday afternoon, 147 of the 193 people rescued by the #LouiseMichel were transferred onto an #ItalianCoastGuard vessel not far from #Lampedusa. 46 people now remain on board.

Overnight, our crew has rescued a total of 188 people in three ...

2025-06-15T11:55:35Z

Overnight, our crew has rescued a total of 188 people in three separate operations.

We need safe migration routes. Open borders now!

“Let our tears become a sea of rage for the injustice that is ...

2025-06-14T17:55:05Z

“Let our tears become a sea of rage for the injustice that is killing our children.”

Today marks two years since the Adriana trawler sank off the coast of Pylos, Greece. Over 600 people drowned, a shipwreck that remains one of the deadliest in the Mediterranean.
Just weeks ago, the Greek Naval Court confirmed what survivors and civil society have long known: Greek coast guard officials should bear a full investigation in their actions and responsibility for this shipwreck, a state crime that could have been prevented.

However, too often, states like Greece and Italy criminalize survivors. For this shipwreck, nine Egyptian men, the “Pylos 9, were scapegoated, accused of smuggling and causing the tragedy. They were imprisoned for nearly a year before finally being acquitted in May 2024.

Let us not be misguided by this attempt of throwing dust in public opinion’s eyes and putting the blame elsewhere rather than on the State and its bodies’ authority to act and prevent any loss of human life. These smuggling rings that governments claim to be against would not even exist if European states opened borders not just for the privileged but to anyone that decided to build a life elsewhere, even in their territories.

As the families of Pylos victims said recently in a message to the relatives of those who died in a deadly train crash in Greece:
“Let our tears become a sea of rage.”
We echo that rage.

We went to court, and we won. We are holding the media ...

2025-04-16T11:46:39Z

We went to court, and we won.

We are holding the media accountable for their role in spreading lies about us, Pia Klemp, and most importantly, people on the move.

2 Years after the MV Louise Michel was detained, the Project and Pia Klemp are taking legal actions across courts in Italy against 15 publications. Today the first trial was scheduled in Bologna. The defendants withdrew their opposition which proves we were right. This is a first win. But it is only the beginning.

We are stepping into the courtrooms to end these smear campaigns. Not because our feelings were hurt, but as resolute defenders of our rights, of accurate information and justice. As feminism teaches us, we want to start from ourselves, our privilege and means to sustain these fights that so often affect people on the move, who rarely have the capacity to squash defamatory articles and narratives.

We demand accountability from a system that thrives on sensationalized, distorted facts and prejudice, a system that distracts us from the real victims: people on the move who die at sea, unnamed and misrepresented.

#LouiseMichelCase #TruthMatters #JusticeForAllOrNoJusticeAtAll

While boat drivers are labeled and criminalised as smugglers, the ...

2025-04-10T14:11:52Z

While boat drivers are labeled and criminalised as smugglers, the real traffickers, like Libyan warlord and torturer Gheniwa, who came to #Italy not long ago unscathed, or Almasri before him, remain untouched.

No one who had to pass through #Lybia and its prisons to cross the #CentralMed can deny having been subjected to systematic violence, torture, sexual harassment and rape.

How can the Italian government equate captains and the people who actually are on the boats with those who profit from their suffering like Gheniwa and Almasri? The latter take flights, sometimes state owned, their entry is accepted and their health is taken care of.

We ultimately need safe escape routes and human rights for all. Human trafficking and the criminalization of people on the move must finally be brought to an end.

#HumanRights #SAR #FreedomOfMovement

Photo2: GettyImages, 3 ANSA

Update on the Mediterranean Sea In 2024, a record 8,938 refugees ...

2025-04-04T09:48:09Z

Update on the Mediterranean Sea

In 2024, a record 8,938 refugees lost their lives, making it the deadliest year for displaced people worldwide, according to statistics published by #IOM.

The first quarter of 2025
- Italy has confirmed that the secret services used invasive military spyware Paragon #Graphite to monitor activists from Mediterranea Saving Humans and Refugees In Libya.

- Malta’s Prime Minister, Abela, said he will push to reform the European Convention on Human Rights, calling it "outdated", as he aims to simplify the deportation process for asylum seekers.

-The #EU Commission proposed the Common European System for Returns, a way to have faster deportations and "return hubs" in third countries, an indirect term for deportation centers.

- Mass graves containing the bodies of people on the move have been found in #Libya.

- The "State Trafficking Report” has exposed a human trafficking network involving #Tunisian police and military selling people on the move to armed Libyan groups and the Libyan army. All while Tunisia and Libya continue receiving European and Italian financial support.

383 missing or dead people have already been recorded in the Mediterranean in the first three months of 2025. Every single one of these deaths could have been prevented. Every single one has been accepted by the responsible politicians without turning a hair.

If a human life is no longer worth anything - what then?
Stand up for human rights for all! Stand in solidarity!

#SAR #HumanRights #FreedomOfMovement #CentralMed

In 2024, 106 people were accused of “facilitating irregular ...

2025-03-30T19:01:41Z

In 2024, 106 people were accused of “facilitating irregular migration" - that’s nearly one arrest every three days.

We must dismantle policies that perpetuate violence and exploitation. Freedom of movement isn’t just a humane solution, it’s a political imperative!

#SAR #FreedomOfMovement #HumanRights #SeaRescue #Solidarity

Thanks to a huge team of talented and skilled workers and ...

2025-03-25T14:54:18Z

Thanks to a huge team of talented and skilled workers and volunteers who have been working hard for weeks to get her back in condition, the Louise will soon be ready again for her important political work in the Mediterranean.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who keeps the Louise running! Your work is incredibly valuable and irreplaceable.

We are grateful for every donation. You can find the donation link on our website.

Solidarity and Resistance!

📷 Vic Harster