The deaths in the Ionian Sea are due to the European Union’s inhumane policies

Jun 15, 2023

Yesterday, Wednesday the 14th of June, we were informed by the media about the tragedy that had occurred in the Ionian Sea in the early hours of the morning. A boat carrying hundreds of migrants (sources could not even agree on the number of people on board, with figures ranging from 400 to 750) sank, causing the death of at least 79 people. Estimates indicate that this figure could be much higher.

This type of tragedy is repeated, year after year. Last year over 2,400 migrants died in the Mediterranean Sea; at present it is the deadliest place in the world for migrant people.

The mafias who traffic with the lives of the migrants are normally blamed. However, the responsibility of the European Union and of the Governments forming it, which are the main promoters of inhumane migratory policies, are constantly overlooked. The closing or militarisation of borders is backed by the European Union and causes thousands of deaths, year after year.

It is not an isolated incident. We are facing a new case of what is called ‘necropolitics’, where agencies such as Frontex (the European Agency for External Border and Coastal Security) arbitrarily and with total impunity, decide who will live and who will die.