How "toxic" are men in Germany?

How can Andrew Tate, a TikTok star and self-proclaimed misogynist, be a role model? The results of a new survey on masculinity in Germany are disturbing.


Stephanie Höppner

DW

June 17, 2023

Toxic masculinity: violence, dominance, homophobia

Image: Westend61/Iamgo Images

A survey revealing that many young people in Germany find domestic violence is "acceptable," women belong in the kitchen, and public displays of homosexuality are to be rejected has come as a shock.

One-in-three men surveyed by the non-governmental organization Plan International said they were okay with occasional violence toward women; 34% said they get rough with women at times "to make them show respect." In March, 1,000 men and 1,000 women between the ages of 18-and-35 took part in a standardized written online survey for Plan International's latest survey on tensions surrounding the idea of male identity.

Other statements also present an unsettling image of masculinity. According to the survey, 48% of the respondents feel bothered when men are openly gay. The role models they name include US entrepreneur Elon Musk and Andrew Tate — an influencer who presented himself as a self-proclaimed misogynist on TikTok and made a name for himself with statements like "females are the ultimate status symbol" and "masculine life is war."

The survey initially caused a great stir in the media, followed by fierce criticism. Users on social networks questioned whether the study was really representative, especially since the survey was conducted virtually and so clearly targeted an online-savvy group.

Others criticized the fact that concrete questions were missing. However, the main focus was whether or not young men in Germany really think and act that way.

'Totally unacceptable'

Experts agree the organization's survey has pitfalls. "I would have liked to have seen more detail on how the study was designed," says Dag Schölper from the Bundesforum Männer, an advocacy group for boys and men. He told DW that unfortunately it is not exactly clear how the answers were given either.

"All the same, even if one-third of 1,000 random men give an affirmative answer — they may not be entirely serious when saying whether they could imagine beating their partner — they still said yes rather than automatically saying, that is totally inacceptable," says Schölper. He adds that statistics on violence show that such an attitude exists and is acted upon in parts of society. The numbers prove him right. About 143,000 people experienced violence at the hands of their partner or ex-partner in 2021, according to an analysis of criminal statistics by Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA).

In about 80% of cases, the victims were women and the vast majority of perpetrators were male. Compared to the previous year, it marks a slight decrease but a look at the past five years shows an increase.

Prejudice against women

The figures concerning the perception of masculinity and possible prejudices are somewhat lower, but still disconcerting. A 2017 survey by the German government's anti-discrimination agency, for instance, says about 40% of respondents said they were bothered by publicly displayed homosexuality.

About 90% of respondents in a United Nations survey for the 2023 Gender Social Norms Index (GSNI) said they harbored prejudices against women. Two-thirds of respondents did not trust women with political leadership roles. One-in-four said it is okay for a man to hit a woman. Despite numerous campaigns, the GSNI shows "no improvement in prejudice against women in a decade," the organization said earlier this week.

Gender equality: the pendulum swings back

But why is so-called toxic masculinity still so predominant? "There are always pendulum swings, and they are also reflected in the survey," says Schölper. "Homosexuality and queer life are increasingly visible in public, they don't just take place in secret. People who find that problematic feel challenged, perhaps threatened."

Crises like the coronavirus pandemic also revive traditional gender roles, when people return to the traditional to create a sense of security. During the pandemic, women once again took over more care work, and domestic violence increased according to sociologists. And according to Schölper, there is a worldwide backlash movement that has bolstered rigid, narrow ideas of gender.

The figures are clear mandate, says the expert. "We need to work with boys and men," he says, arguing that municipalities must understand that a counseling structure for men is a public service to make sure that when they have problems, they don't turn to the internet "and people like Andrew Tate to seek advice."

This article was originally written in German.

ECOCIDE

Whimpers of Protest in Russia Against Kremlin’s ‘Destructive’ War Against Ukraine

Dissenting Russian local government officials condemn catastrophic consequences of the war.

by Kyiv Post | June 17, 2023

This general view shows partially submerged buildings in Kherson on June 8, 2023. 

Oleksii FILIPPOV / AFP

The ISW Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment of June 16, 2023 carried the following report:

Select current and former Russian municipal officials signed an open letter calling on the Russian forces to return to the “universally” recognized Russian borders due to the crisis caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (KHPP) dam.

Municipal officials from Moscow and St. Petersburg as well as Moscow and Leningrad oblasts signed the document, which argued that the destruction of the KHPP dam will affect the ecosystem of the planet, health issues, and the economy for many decades.

The letter stated that Putin’s actions since Feb. 24, 2022 have caused unspecified catastrophic events but did not cite continued Russian military operations in Ukraine as a reason for the withdrawal of Russian forces.

Non-Kremlin aligned Russian officials may be using public concern about the environmental and humanitarian situation associated with the destruction of the KHPP dam to voice opposition to the war in Ukraine without directly criticizing the war effort itself.

The Kremlin has widely set the conditions for crackdowns against anti-war dissent. Russians who hold anti-war sentiments may use the destruction of the KHPP to voice their opposition to the war in a very limited fashion.

See the original here, and a more detailed report from RFE/RL in Russian here.

German archeologists find Bronze Age sword so well preserved it ‘almost shines’
AP
17 Jun, 2023


The sword was found during excavations last week in Noerdlingen, between Nuremberg and Stuttgart in southern Germany. Photo / Bayerisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege

A bronze sword made more than 3000 years ago that is so well-preserved it “almost still shines” has been unearthed in Germany, officials say.

Bavaria’s state office for the preservation of historical monuments says the sword, which is believed to date back to the end of the 14th century BC — the middle of the Bronze Age — was found during excavations last week in Noerdlingen, between Nuremberg and Stuttgart in southern Germany.

Bavaria’s state office for the preservation of historical monuments says the sword, which is believed to date back to the end of the 14th century BC. 

Photo / Bayerisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege

It has a bronze octagonal hilt and comes from a grave in which three people — a man, a woman and a boy — were buried in quick succession with bronze objects, the Bavarian office said in a statement this week. It is not yet clear whether the three were related to each other and, if so, how.

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“The sword and the burial still need to be examined so that our archeologists can categorise this find more precisely,” said the head of the office, Mathias Pfeil. “But we can already say that the state of preservation is extraordinary. A find like this is very rare.”

It’s unusual to find swords from the period, but they have emerged from burial mounds that were opened in the 19th century or as individual finds, the office said.

Brazilian police find plan on Bolsonaro aide’s phone to block handover to Lula, report says

Brazil’s Federal Police have found a detailed planning document for a military intervention to block the handover of power in last year’s election on the phone of an aide to former President Jair Bolsonaro, news magazine Veja reported.


Issued on: 17/06/2023 -



Supporters of Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro refused to accept his election defeat against Lula and stormed Congress, the Supreme Court and presidential palace in January, 2023 - a week after the inauguration of his rival, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. © Eraldo Peres, AP / File picture

Text by: NEWS WIRES

It was unclear who wrote the document and whether it reached Bolsonaro, a far-righter and a former army captain who narrowly lost the October presidential election to leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

A similar, less detailed document was found in January at the home of former Justice Minister Anderson Torres, part of a growing body of evidence that members of Bolsonaro’s inner circle were looking at ways to block Lula from taking office and strip the powers of Brazil’s top federal courts.

Citing a Federal Police report, Veja reported that the plan was found on the phone of Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid, one of Bolsonaro’s personal assistants who stayed on as an aide after he stepped down. Cid is currently under arrest for the alleged falsification of Bolsonaro’s COVID-19 vaccination card.

Cid’s lawyer Bernardo Fenelon said in a statement that his client would only defend himself to investigators.

According to Veja, the three-page document provided a road map for how to block Lula’s inauguration, using the military as a “moderating force.” To justify such an institutional rupture, the document alleged unconstitutional actions by the judiciary and media to favor Lula in the election.

The document calls for the nomination of an “intervener” with power over the armed forces and all of Brazil’s federal public security agencies. Offending justices in the Supreme Court and the federal electoral court would be investigated, removed and replaced.

The revamped electoral court would oversee fresh elections that would only take place once the military had decided the constitutional order had been reestablished.

Brazil’s army said any “opinions and personal comments do not represent the thinking of the ... chain of command, nor the official positioning of the Force.”

“Any individual conduct judged to be irregular will be dealt with in court,” it added.

(Reuters)

Teachers in Hungary protest 'revenge' education reform bill

Teachers in Hungary protest 'revenge' education bill, 16 June, 2023

 - Copyright Euronews

By Euronews with AFP • Updated: 17/06/2023 

The main teachers union, the PDSZ, says the latest new rules pile pressure on over-worked and underpaid staff by revoking their status as public employees, increasing workload, and tightening performance evaluation.

Several thousand Hungarian teachers and students rallied Friday in Budapest against a draft education reform bill they say punishes teachers for protesting for better pay and working conditions.

Dubbed a 'revenge law' by critics, the legislation which regulates pay grades and working hours in schools has fuelled unrest among teachers protesting over broader education reforms since last year.

Teachers supported by student groups have been staging regular unauthorised strike action and holding rallies outside the Interior Ministry which oversees education.

"Yesterday was my last day in my little group, I resigned," said Laura Vag, a kindergarten teacher, as lawmakers debated the bill inside parliament.

Several teachers have been fired by local education authorities for work stoppages.

The main teachers union the PDSZ says the latest new rules pile pressure on over-worked and underpaid staff by revoking their status as public employees, increasing workload, and tightening performance evaluation.

"It's hopeless, there are fewer and fewer of us, the government is chasing teachers from the profession," 41-year-old Vag told AFP as protesters held up placards reading "Free country, free education!" and "Who is listening to us?"

With the new law "we will work more for even less money and fewer rights," said Valentina Kiss, 29, a school IT worker.

Hungary is in the grip of a chronic teacher shortage, with few young people joining the profession and around half of teachers aged over 50.

Hungarian teachers are also the lowest paid of any EU member in the OECD, at just 60 of other Hungarian university graduates, according to EU figures.

The government acknowledges pay is too low. But it has tied a planned series of raises - to 80 per cent of the average graduate salary by 2025 - to long-awaited EU funding held up over concerns over Hungary's corruption and slipping democratic standards.

According to the government, the new law will ensure that teachers who work more and at higher performance levels are paid more, on condition that the EU funds arrive.

Tensions High as Chinese Vessels Shadow Vietnam's Oil, Gas Operations

 
June 17, 2023
Govi Snell

A Vietnamese coast guard officer speaks on a radio as he monitors a Chinese vessel (top) in the South China Sea, about 210 km off Vietnam's shore, May 15, 2014. Chinese incursions into Vietnamese waters have increased since early May 2023.

HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM —

China is sending more ships to Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and the frequency and length of those trips, which have picked up since early May, is raising tensions in the South China Sea.

After a nearly monthlong incursion of a survey ship and its large entourage, more Chinese vessels are sailing through sensitive locations within Vietnamese waters. Vietnam’s EEZ extends out 200 nautical miles from the country's coast.

The presence of Chinese research, coast guard and civilian ships in these waters, in addition to harassing Vietnamese oil and gas operations, showcases Beijing’s push of contested claims in the resource-rich waters, experts say.

Hanoi rejects Beijing’s "nine-dash line," a map demarcation that China uses to claim near-total jurisdiction over the South China Sea, and that sentiment is apparently not limited to government officials.

"China thinks they are stronger, they are better, so they have the right to trespass anywhere they want in the East Sea even though they know it's illegal," a 26-year-old living in Ho Chi Minh City told VOA, requesting anonymity because of potential repercussions for discussing political matters and using the Vietnamese term for the sea.

"The conflict between Vietnam and China is a political hot potato," he said.

Ray Powell, who leads Stanford University's Project Myoushu on the South China Sea, told VOA last month that China's intrusion "has become routine."

"China wants to normalize it to the point that Vietnam no longer reacts or protests," he said.

On June 10, China's patrol ship Zhong Goo Yu Zheng 310 and a luxury passenger vessel, San Sha 2 Hao, sailed through Vietnam's EEZ near oil and gas fields close to Vanguard Bank, a Vietnamese outpost and flashpoint between the countries. In 2019, a China coast contingent and Chinese survey vessel operated around Vanguard Bank, resulting in a monthslong standoff between Vietnamese and Chinese coast guards and diplomatic outcry.

Vietnam, international backlash

"They spent about 30 hours in Vietnam's EEZ, mostly in and among its oil and gas operations," Powell wrote. "[It's] simply communicating to Hanoi that China has 'jurisdiction' over these waters."

This was far from the only recent incursion.

The world's largest coast guard vessel, China coast guard ship 5901, was active near Vanguard Bank on June 8.

China's coast guard ship 5403 was also operating near oil drilling initiatives in Vietnam's EEZ from May 23 to June 4.

In the most "heavy handed" intrusion since 2019, according to Powell, the Chinese research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 10 operated in the country's EEZ for nearly a month. From May 7 to June 4, the research vessel – flanked at times by as many as 12 ships – operated primarily around joint oil and gas operations led by Russian and Vietnamese firms.

Although countries are allowed through foreign EEZs, unauthorized surveys are not and are considered hostile if done without prior notice.

Oddities in Xiang Yang Hong 10's route pointed to Beijing's assertion of its disputed jurisdiction. During the four-week stretch, the research ship would go to China's Fiery Cross Reef, before returning to Vietnamese waters. Instead of taking a direct route, the vessel used a northeastern path that took it approximately 85 nautical miles away from Nha Trang, a city on Vietnam's south-central coast.

"It was just one more way that they showed they can cross Vietnam's EEZ whenever they want to, " Powell said. "There's no reason to go past there other than sending a message."

Beijing's aims, Hanoi's response

While intimidating energy exploration is the most obvious aim, it is seen as likely just part of Beijing's overall agenda.

"Exploring the deep South China Sea has become China's strategy for obtaining valuable information for economic development and military intelligence," wrote Vietnam-based researcher Van Pham, head of the nonprofit South China Sea Chronicle Initiative, which monitors maritime traffic.

China has been rotating research and survey vessels in foreign EEZs in the South China Sea consistently, Pham said. Coast guard ships also operate at sensitive locations in disputed territory "on a daily basis," Pham added, and the organization has observed Chinese fishing boats near Vietnam's oil and gas blocks.

Vietnamese fishermen are often caught up in the conflict. Between 2014 and 2022, 98 Vietnamese boats were destroyed by Chinese vessels.

Responding to China's intrusion is a tricky balancing act for Hanoi, said Nguyen The Phuong, an international relations lecturer at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and Finance.

"Any small misstep on the Vietnamese side could escalate the conflict," Phuong said. "It is extremely difficult."

Call for 'respect'

At a May 18 press conference, Hanoi made a rare statement in response to the monthlong intrusion of Xiang Yang Hong 10.

Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang urged China to withdraw the research vessel, coast guard and fishing boats and "respect Vietnam’s sovereignty and jurisdictional rights."

"Vietnam needs to be very careful on how to protect its sovereignty from the outside and from the inside how to manage nationalism in a way that it could not damage the state's legitimacy," Phuong said.

This discord is likely to increase.

"This will happen in the future again [and will be] much more intense," Phuong said.

For now, a 28-year-old Ho Chi Minh City native is confident the Vietnamese government is doing enough to maintain stability.

"The Vietnamese government will understand how to deal with these situations," he said, requesting anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic. "I think the Vietnamese government is good at dealing with them to avoid war."

Syrians tell CMG about fear of speaking out over 'U.S. oil theft'

A reporter from China Media Group (CMG) recently interviewed an informant in the oil-producing region of northeastern Syria who explained the process by which he claimed Syrian oil is stolen by U.S. forces.

CGTN
Middle East 17-Jun-2023

U.S. military vehicles drive pass the oil-rich town of Rumeilan in the al-Hasakah Governorate in the northeast of Syria, July 1st, 2020. /CFP

For a long time, the U.S. military has collaborated with local opposition armed groups, transporting dozens of oil tanker carrying stolen oil out of the country almost every day, the informant said. "Under the high-pressure control of the U.S. military and opposition armed groups, local residents dare not speak out," he added.

More than 80 percent of Syria's daily oil production was illegally smuggled by the U.S. military in the first half of 2022, according to the Syrian government.

U.S. forces and mercenaries stole an average of 66,000 barrels of oil per day in Syria, according to Syria's Ministry of Oil and Mineral Resources, which said the country's average daily oil production is estimated to have reached 80,000 barrels in the period.

A U.S. military vehicle drives in one of the villages that was subject to bombardment the previous week in the countryside east of Qamishli in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province, August 21, 2022. /CFP

'We are all witnesses': People of Hasakah province

The informant told the CMG reporter that U.S. patrol teams escort convoys of oil tankers to transit points. There have been cases where individuals attempting to capture footage with cameras or mobile phones were arrested and, in some instances, even lost their lives, the informant claimed.

The U.S. military has also installed detectors in the area to prevent civilians from using their phones to capture footage, the informant said. Whenever a convoy of U.S.-escorted oil tankers passes through, the entire area experiences communication disruptions, he added.

During the past month, the informant has conducted interviews with several eyewitnesses and sources about illicit oil extraction activities. CMG learned that the U.S. military has maintained a longstanding partnership with local opposition armed groups, transporting dozens of oil tankers carrying stolen oil across the border on a daily basis. Due to safety concerns, very few individuals are willing to reveal themselves directly to the camera.

Locals in Hasakah province told the CMG reporter that Syrian oil is being stolen, and the people of Hasakah province are all witnesses. They said the U.S. military escorts oil tankers across the border and sells the oil, but that they don't know where it goes next. This has been happening since 2015 and continues, they told the reporter.

Syrian political expert Muhammad Omari told CMG that the plundering of Syrian oil is a component of the U.S. regional policy, which, along with economic sanctions, infrastructure destruction and food looting, aims to incite the Syrian people against the government, perpetuate and intensify the poverty situation in Syria, and lead to chaos and the spread of terrorism.

"Most importantly, they prevent the Syrian government from accessing economic resources, hinder the return of Syrian refugees, and impede the reconstruction of Syria," he added.

U.S. soldiers patrol near an oil field in al-Qahtaniyah in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province, June 14, 2023. /CFP


'They took away resources and brought poverty'

Locals told CMG that due to U.S. control over Syria's most important resources and the country's sources of income, things have become challenging for all aspects of the lives of the Syrian people.

"If I want to drive, I have to consider how to refuel. Despite having many oil fields in our country, we are facing an energy shortage issue because of the U.S. oil theft," a Syrian named Ahmed Hassan said.

"The resources of our country, such as oil, wheat, cotton, have been plundered by the illegal occupation of the United States in northeastern Syria," said Majid Rossi, "they have taken these resources from the hands of the Syrian people, leading to poverty, hunger, and disease among the Syrian people."

The Syrian government has repeatedly condemned the actions of the United States, stating that they flagrantly violate international law and the Charter of the United Nations, causing catastrophic consequences for Syria.

The presence of the U.S. military has become a nightmare for the local people, they told CMG. Locals said the U.S. disregards human rights in pursuit of its own interests and added that this is a manifestation of its hegemonic ideology.

SOUTH SUDAN
Bentiu oil refinery plans to export refined products by August


Bentiu Refinery could export refined petroleum products to the East African region by August of this year, according to the refinery’s owner SNP Group.

NSP is a joint venture between South Sudan’s Nile Petroleum Corporation and Russia’s Safinat.

Located in Unity State, the refinery has faced several challenges in becoming operational, including flooding, COVID-19 and technical failures.

“[The refinery] is operational and in good shape. We have been providing products to Sudan. With the current situation in our neighbouring country, we are looking to the East African region. We have already been contacted by a number of companies in the region, as well as the Congo,” said David Galla, Vice President of SNP Group, at the South Sudan Oil & Power (SSOP) conference on Friday.

“By August or September, the product will be ready to be shipped across the region,” he added.

This milestone would be significant for South Sudan, who despite having the third-largest oil reserves in sub-Saharan Africa, has suffered from limited refining capacity to date and imports the majority of its local refined oil demand.

“The viability of these plans is supported by the high quality of production from the refinery, of which “70% has close to zero sulfur content. This is very rare,” noted Galla.

He pointed out that SNP Group is also seeking to build an internal market for its low-sulfur, heavy fuel oil, which could be used to generate power, stimulate industry and reduce local costs of power consumption.

The energy event in Juba is organised by Energy Capital & Power in partnership with the Ministry of Petroleum, South Sudan to unite the country’s energy stakeholders with global investors to discuss opportunities within the burgeoning industry.

South Sudan struggling to maintain oil exports

Awow Daniel Chuong, a technical advisor at the Ministry of Petroleum. (File photo)

JUBA - 17 JUN 2023

South Sudan is battling to secure critical oil equipment and supplies for production due to the ongoing war in Sudan, a senior official said.

South Sudan sends its crude oil to Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast of its northern neighbour via a 1600-kilometre pipeline.

Oil accounts for up to 90% of government revenues.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj during the Oil and Power Conference in Juba on Friday, Awow Daniel Chuong, a technical advisor at the Ministry of Petroleum, said the war in Sudan is affecting the supply of essential materials required for oil production.

“Oil cannot run without the critical materials that are required for production because the oil route that we used to rely on, especially in the oilfields, is the route of Port Sudan, and now the crisis in Sudan is not making things simple today, things are very difficult,” Daniel said.

Daniel said the government is considering an alternative oil export route through Ethiopia to Djibouti. In September 2022, Juba bought land in Djibouti to build a new export terminal.

“Djibouti route is one of the routes that has already been explored a long time ago but today, people are working very hard so that this route is opened so that we can have an alternative route. The route of Sudan will continue to be there, but also still we need an alternative route, the route of Kenya is there, but also in terms of costs, it can be very difficult,” he said.

The ethnical adviser announced the country currently produces 170,000 barrels of oil per day.

“Oil production is picking up now. It dropped drastically to less than 120,000 barrels per day, but it is picking up. It is 170,000 barrels per day now, but again we are being constrained by the crisis in Sudan, which will make it drop again because of logistics,” he said.

Peter Biar Ajak, a South Sudanese scholar in the Belfer Centre's International Security Programme in the US, recently told Al Jazeera that the country is concerned that if the fighting continues the pipeline could be damaged.

UN demands urgent action after Greece migrant boat tragedy

The United Nations has called for in-depth investigations into the migrant boat sinking off Greece this week, believed to have left hundred dead, and urgent action to prevent further tragedies.

Medical staffs carry a survivor on a stretcher outside a warehouse at the port in Kalamata town, Greece, on 15 June, 2023. © AFP - Angelos Tzortzinis

Text by: RFIFollow
Issued on: 17/06/2023

On Wednesday, a fishing boat overloaded with migrants capsized and sank off the Peloponnese, killing at least 78 people. Around 104 people were found alive.

While the number of people on board at the time remains unclear, the UN pointed on Friday to various witness accounts suggesting it was somewhere between 400 and 750.

The UN agencies for refugees and migrants called in a joint statement for "urgent and decisive action to prevent further deaths at sea following the latest tragedy in the Mediterranean, the worst in several years".Hope fades for hundreds still missing in Greece migrant boat disaster

They insisted states had an obligation to come together to address the dangerous gaps in search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean, pointing out that "the duty to rescue people in distress at sea without delay is a fundamental rule of international maritime law".

In particular, they rejected efforts to criminalise those who try to help in such situations, reiterating that "search and rescue at sea is a legal and humanitarian imperative".

The agencies also insisted that search and rescue operations should always be conducted in a manner aimed to prevent loss of life at sea, and said they welcomed that an investigation had been ordered in Greece into the circumstances that eventually led to the boat capsizing.
Human traffickers

The UN rights office meanwhile called for "thorough" investigations into the "horrific tragedy".

Spokesman Jeremy Laurence told reporters in Geneva there was a need to investigate "people smugglers and human traffickers and ensure they are brought to justice", and that more broadly "there are a lot of questions that need to be asked".

A undated handout photo provided by the Hellenic Coast Guard shows migrants onboard a boat during a rescue operation, before their boat capsized on the open sea, off Greece, on 14 June, 2023. © Hellenic Coast Guard / Reuters

Federico Soda, head of the International Organisation for Migration's (IOM) emergency department, said the tragedy once again showed the approach to migrant crossings in the Mediterranean needed to change.

"It is clear, that the current approach to the Mediterranean is unworkable," he said in the statement.

"Year after year, it continues to be the most dangerous migration route in the world, with the highest fatality rate."

UNHCR deputy chief Gillian Triggs also stressed the European Union's obligation to "put safety and solidarity at the heart of its action in the Mediterranean".

"In view of the increased movements of refugees and migrants in the Mediterranean, collective efforts, including greater coordination between all Mediterranean States, solidarity and responsibility sharing are essential to save lives," she said in the statement.

(with AFP)

UNHCR: Migrant boat disaster could have been avoided

Greek migrant boat disaster may be ‘worst ever tragedy’ in Mediterranean sea, EU commissioner says

By Florence Davey Attlee, Elinda Labropoulou, Zahid Mahmood, Mostafa Salem, Nadine Schmidt, Eyad Kourdi, Sharon Braithwaite and Heather Chen, CNN

Published  Sat June 17, 2023

CNN —

The sinking of a packed migrant boat off the coast of Greece may be “the worst tragedy ever” in the Mediterranean sea, according to the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson.

Dozens of people were killed and hundreds more left missing when the boat, traveling from the coastal city of Tobruk in Libya to Italy, capsized off the coast of Greece earlier this week. The true toll of the disaster is yet to become clear.

“We don’t have all information yet on what has happened but it seems like this is the worst ever tragedy we’ve seen in the Mediterranean,” she told a press conference in Brussels on Friday.

The tragedy has shone a spotlight on the EU refugee crisis in which every year, tens of thousands of migrants fleeing war, persecution, climate change and poverty risk treacherous routes to Europe.

Johansson condemned the role of “smugglers” who put people on the boats. “They are not sending them to Europe, they are sending them to death. This is what they’re doing and it’s absolutely necessary to prevent it,” she said.

Relatives searching for loved ones after Greek migrant boat disaster, as hundreds more feared dead

“Unfortunately, we have seen this coming because since the start of the year, there was a new modus operandi with these fishing boats leaving from the eastern part of Libya… and we’ve seen an increase of 600% of these departures this year,” she added, stressing the need to find “different ways to fight the smugglers and save lives.”

“When it comes to fighting the smugglers, we can’t rely on only one way to do that. We have to use intelligence – we have to use common police investigations together with countries of origin, with countries of transit, with countries of departure,” she said.

Other global bodies such as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) called for “urgent and decisive action” to prevent further deaths in the Mediterranean and emphasized “the duty to rescue people in distress at sea without delay.”

Denial from authorities

Greek authorities have faced criticism for how the disaster was handled.

Nine arrested over capsized migrant boat, as Greek authorities criticized for failure to respond

On Friday, they denied claims that the boat had capsized after the coast guard attempted to tow it to shore.

Authorities had initially said the coast guard kept its distance but their assistance “had been declined” after they threw a rope to the vessel to “stabilize and check if it needed help.”

Speaking to Greek national broadcaster ERT, government spokesperson Ilias Siakanderis said the coast guard arrived two hours before the boat capsized after its engine broke down and there had been “no connection” between the two.

“The engine broke down at 1:40 a.m. and at 2:00 a.m. it sank – therefore there can be no connection between (the coast guard approaching the boat and the time of its sinking),” he told ERT.

“A rope was used only to give provisions by the two merchant ships. A rope, not a mooring rope, was also used when the coast guard approached,” he added. “Those on board took the rope for a few minutes, then threw it in the sea and continued their journey.”

“It was a rope thrown in order to approach, stabilize, and check if they needed help – they refused… and continued their journey.”

Tarek Aldroobi, who had three relatives on board, told CNN that they had seen Greek authorities towing the vessel with ropes, but says they were tied in the “wrong places” – which caused it to capsize.

“Their boat was in a good condition and the Greek navy tried towing them to the beach but the ropes were tied in the wrong places,” Aldroobi said. “When the Greek navy tried pulling them it caused the boat to capsize.”

CNN has reached out to Greek authorities regarding the allegations.

Desperate search

A huge search and rescue operation took place, with rescue workers managing to save some people. Egyptians, Syrians, Pakistanis and Palestinians were among those saved.

Just over 100 people were rescued and at least 78 people died while some reports put the number of those aboard at up to 750.

Relatives of those on board are now desperately searching for survivors.

Ayman Abu Mahmoud, a spokesperson of Horan Free League, the biggest media activism group in the southwestern Syrian city of Deraa, told CNN that one of the survivors told him the boat “malfunctioned” and Greek guards were “trying to drag the boat to safety with a rope.”

“When they were dragging, the boat leaned on its side and the disaster happened,” Abu Mahmoud said.

“The coastal guard boat drove away for 3 kilometers after the drowning happened and those who were able to swim that distance made it,” he said, quoting a survivor who gave him an account of what happened.

OPINION

WHY THOSE EXPERIENCING "CLIMATE HELL" ARE TAKING THEIR CASE TO THE UN COURT

Those whose feet are already in the water, in the Pacific, have opened a front in the battle for climate justice before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Netherlands. Solicited by a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly, this Court will have to deliver an opinion with potentially major legal consequences, explains the author.

16 JUNE 2023 BY GÉRALDINE GIRAUDEAU, 

FOR THE CONVERSATION FRANCE

Two residents of Majuro Atoll, the capital of the Marshall Islands, make their way through areas flooded by extreme tides on 20 February 2011. © Giff Johnson / AFP

On March 29, 2023, the United Nations General Assembly adopted by consensus a resolution requesting the opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on state obligations in relation to climate change. The resolution, initiated by Vanuatu, marks a decisive step from both a legal and political point of view.

Legally, the resolution poses two very general questions for the ICJ, the main judicial body of the United Nations. The Court is called to rule on States’ obligations to combat climate change "for the benefit of States and future generations", but also on the legal consequences for those who violate these obligations.

In other words, this raises the delicate question of the responsibility of greenhouse gas emitters for damage caused to other States, in particular small island developing States, as well as to the peoples and individuals affected.

Politically, the collective support for the text is a strong signal, albeit with limits. At the same time, it is emblematic of the new visibility of Oceania, and of a narrative shift: those experiencing "climate hell" have become actors pushing for change.

THE AMAZING CAMPAIGN OF PACIFIC STUDENTS

The General Assembly's approval is first and foremost a victory for civil society; coincidentally, the same day saw the opening of hearings before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in another case, that of the "Swiss pensioners" of the Elders for Climate Protection group.

It all began four years ago in a classroom at the University of the Pacific, on the campus of Port-Vila, the capital of Vanuatu. A few students, with the help of their supervisors, took up the aborted project of Palau and the Marshall Islands, which had tried in 2011 to bring the case before the ICJ.

A decade later, the context is more favourable and, above all, the campaign of the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change is particularly active. In a part of the world where the effects of climate change have long been felt, the determination of those concerned is serious.

A PETITION TAKEN UP BY VANUATU

Vanuatu, a small Melanesian island state, is particularly prone to disasters, as this year's news tragically reminded us (a state of emergency had to be declared following the two-day passage of cyclones Judy and Kevin in March 2023).

The Vanuatu government then took up the young people's petition on an interstate level. At their 51st meeting in Suva, Fiji, in July 2022, the members of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) officially endorsed the request at the UN, and eventually won the support of the majority of the world's states.

This is the first time that a resolution requesting an ICJ opinion has been adopted by consensus, and at a time of crisis for multilateralism, this cohesion is not insignificant. However, its scope needs to be clarified.

CLARIFYING THE OBLIGATIONS OF STATES

Article 96 of the United Nations Charter provides that the General Assembly or the Security Council "may request the International Court of Justice to give an advisory opinion on any legal question".

Such opinions, given within the framework of the Court's advisory jurisdiction, have no binding legal force, but are not without effect. They have a very high moral authority and contribute to the development of the law by providing essential elements of interpretation.

In this case, the Court could give its opinion within the next two years, thereby clarifying the obligations of States in the field of climate change, in particular their obligation to cooperate.

The aim, moreover, is to influence the positions of the parties during negotiations under the climate regime, helping to boost ambitions and provide legal arguments for the most vulnerable states. Such an opinion is also likely to clarify the relationship between climate law and other areas of international law, in particular the protection of human rights and the law of the sea.

The text of the resolution refers not only to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, but also to a variety of instruments, such as the 1966 Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the Montego Bay Convention.

RISK OF RESISTANCE

The more precise and substantiated the judges' opinion, the more likely it is to be effective at national level, by being taken up by domestic judges, particularly when they are approached by civil society on climate issues.

An ICJ opinion will not be enough, and the initiators of the project are themselves perfectly aware of this, as illustrated by the speech of Vanuatu’s Prime Minister Alatoi Ishmael Kalsakau.

First of all, consensus does not mean unanimity of views. It was a pleasant surprise to see that the United States did not oppose it, whereas it had been feared like with China that it would ask for a formal vote.

The US representative, in his statement after the text was adopted, nonetheless voiced his government's "very serious concerns", arguing that a judicial process could complicate collective efforts, to the detriment of diplomatic channels.

THE RISK OF "SOFT" ANSWERS

Secondly, the judges' task will not be an easy one. The 26 opinions handed down by the ICJ, the most recent of which concerned the Chagos Archipelago, have met with varying degrees of success, not only because of the political contexts surrounding these cases, but also because the answers provided depend on the questions posed.

In this case, the questions posed by the resolution are particularly wide-ranging. First formulated by the legal advisors, they then pass through the filter of modifications discussed by the UN members supporting the text, and are thus the result of compromises.

This leaves room for the judges in The Hague to add more or less substance. However, responses that are too "soft" with regard to States' climate obligations could have detrimental effects, and thus run counter to the objective pursued.

The final risk is a clash of procedures, with two other international jurisdictions having recently been called upon.

A CLASH OF PROCEDURES?

In December 2022, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) received a request for an opinion from the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law - created by Tuvalu and Antigua and Barbuda specifically to be able to seize the Tribunal - on State obligations to protect the marine environment, in relation to climate change, under the Law of the Sea Convention.

In January 2023, Colombia and Chile requested an opinion from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on State obligations to combat climate emergencies, under international human rights law. These interventions could usefully complement each other, but they could also, to a certain extent and in view of the timetables, diverge on certain points.

In pushing the UN to take an important step towards climate justice, the Pacific voices and those who have joined them have chosen to believe that the balance of benefits and risks is in their favour. While we can only have reasonable expectations, the ICJ's perspective on the challenge of the century could well be a significant contribution.

This article, translated by Justice Info, is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article.

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Géraldine Giraudeau is Professor of Public Law at the Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ) - Université Paris-Saclay, in France. She taught for several years in the Pacific, notably at the University of Waikato in New Zealand, and devotes a significant part of her research to this region.