Greece: Rescuing Migrants is Now a Crime
Mainstream media frames the trial of humanitarian aid workers in Greece with a question: 'Rescue or crime?' Meanwhile, Greece, a European Union member state, continues its documented practice of illegal pushbacks, violating international law and stranding asylum seekers at sea. The context conveniently omitted is that these prosecutions are a clear deterrent, ensuring fewer witnesses to the
escalating brutality of EU border policies. While the UN Secretary-General has condemned these pushbacks as 'unacceptable,' the EU funnels billions into border fortification, effectively criminalizing compassion. So, as the aid workers face up to 25 years for 'human trafficking' (i.e., pulling drowning people from the water), the actual crimes of illegal pushbacks and systematic human rights
abuses by state actors remain largely unpunished. One might wonder if the real 'crime' is attempting to apply humanitarian principles to a system designed to be inhumane.