When an EU-funded Libyan Coast Guard patrol boat unleashed a hail of bullets at the rescue ship Ocean Viking in the Mediterranean Sea in August, it seemed very far away from Britain. But in the weeks that followed, it became clear how the attack – and others like it – had in fact struck close to home.
There were two British citizens on board the Viking. In another attack a month later, there were three. But despite evidence that the UK’s European allies financially support the forces attacking British citizens in international waters, Yvette Cooper, the recently installed foreign secretary, has remained silent. When questioned whether she had discussed the attack with Europe, her department dispatched a junior minister to curtly reply “no”.
This is not because Cooper isn’t paying attention. Preventing migration is at the top of the UK political agenda. Last year she accepted an invitation to attend a festival organised by Italy’s far-right, and she and Prime Minister Keir Starmer have both praised Italy’s “remarkable progress” on migration. Such “progress” includes donating the very boat involved in the assault on the Viking, along with many others.
