[Foreign Policy] Moral Imperialism and the Manufacturing Consent at the example of Sea-Watch and Carola Rackete 2019-07-15
In the case of the captain of Sea-Watch 3 Carola Rackete politicians and journalists from Germany represent and spread fake news and the manufacturing consent.
The assertion by Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) and Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD) is that a young woman was arrested by a European country because she has saved human lives.
However this argument is dangerous not least because it is wrong.
Rackete was arrested for landinng with the Sea-Watch 3 without permission in an Italian port and rammed a boat of the Italian Financial Police (Guardia di Finanza).
So there a critical look at the situation is worth doing.
When politicians spread false claims and announce how the only possible outcome of the process has to be during ongoing investigations on the subject of investigation is already extremely questionable. In the present case German politicians are interfering in the affairs of another and sovereign country. With that the German Federal Government is doing what the governments in Poland and Hungary are constantly accused of doing. The German government interferes in the work of prosecutors and courts.
The violation of constitutional norms has not been a European virtue. From the publications in the context of the LuxLeaks, the breach of the Maastricht Treaty and the No Bail Out clause, to the unconstitutional recognition of a self-proclaimed interim government in Ukraine rule of law was regularly broken. When trying to unmask the designated right-wing populists German politicians are now the ones to reinterpret the legal system of other states. And there is no international right of entry only the duty to rescue people in distress. So if the Italian government wants to close its borders it has the right regardless of whether it pleases outsiders.
If one takes the statements of Steinmeier (SPD) and Maas (SPD) two politicians with diplomatic experience and lawyers seriously then there are very clear demands. Italy must immediately give up its territorial sovereignty and the Italian judiciary must follow the instructions of German politicians. The last time European states received orders from German politicians in this tone was in the 1930s. So it was not only theoretically conceivable that German politicians would just apologize for the violations of the law of the German citizen Rackete. Despite comments from German politicians Rackete thanked them with criticism. In an interview Rackete said that her impression was that nobody at national and international level wanted to help her. [7]
Against this background it is striking that no other country was steered for. Instead of going to Tunisia, Egypt, France, Greece or Spain during the long odyssey they had to go ashore in Italy. In addition the German Sea-Watch association failed before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). It was tried to create an emergency application in Italy. According to this the ECHR can intervene in cases of a threat to human rights and instruct states. [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]
This combination is all the more suspicious. Perhaps one did not expect that the emergency application would fail. It seems as if it was aimed at least for a symbolic entrance into Italy or even a confrontation with the Italian government. All this was constantly and on side accompanied by the media.
[1] Berlin direkt: Bundespräsident Frank-Walter Steinmeier verteidigt "Sea-Watch 3"-Kapitänin: "Wer Menschenleben rettet, kann nicht Verbrecher sein", sagt er im @ZDF-Sommerinterview / mehr dazu um 19:10 Uhr im @ZDF @ZDFheute 2019-06-30
https://twitter.com/berlindirekt/status/1145337447846465536
[2] "Sea-Watch"-Kapitänin - Steinmeier rügt Italien für Festnahme von Rackete 2019-06-30
https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/carola-rackete-frank-walter-steinmeier-ruegt-italien-a-1275101.html
[3] STEINMEIER VERTEIDIGT RACKETE : Bundespräsident kritisiert Festnahme von Sea-Watch-Kapitänin 2019-06-30
https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/inland/festnahme-von-carola-rackete-steinmeier-verteidigt-sea-watch-kapitaenin-16261654.html
[4] FALL RACKETE - Bundesregierung wendet sich gegen „Kriminalisierung“ von Seenotrettern 2019-07-01
https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article196143361/Fall-Carola-Rackete-Erwarte-dass-die-EU-die-sofortige-Freilassung-einfordert.html
[5] Heiko Maas: Menschenleben zu retten ist eine humanitäre Verpflichtung. Seenotrettung darf nicht kriminalisiert werden. Es ist an der italienischen Justiz, die Vorwürfe schnell zu klären. #Seawatch 2019-06-29
https://twitter.com/HeikoMaas/status/1144949474076319744
[6] Heiko Maas: Aus unserer Sicht kann am Ende eines rechtsstaatlichen Verfahrens nur die Freilassung von #CarolaRackete stehen. Das werde ich Italien nochmal deutlich machen. Für die europäische Ebene gilt: Das Geschachere um die Verteilung der Geflüchteten ist unwürdig und muss ein Ende haben. 2019-07-01
https://twitter.com/HeikoMaas/status/1145629269353205760
[7] Carola Rackete - "Sea-Watch"-Kapitänin kritisiert deutsche Regierung 2019-07-05
https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/carola-rackete-sea-watch-kapitaenin-kritisiert-bundesregierung-a-1275989.html
[8] Exklusiv: Was geschah an Bord der "Sea-Watch 3"? | Panorama | NDR 2019-07-11/12
https://daserste.ndr.de/panorama/archiv/2019/Exklusiv-Was-geschah-an-Bord-der-Sea-Watch-3,seawatch616.html
https://youtu.be/RLZ56rnQyZU
[9] Retter scheitern mit Eilantrag - „Sea-Watch 3“ darf nicht in Italien anlegen 2019-06-25
https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/retter-scheitern-mit-eilantrag-sea-watch-3-darf-nicht-in-italien-anlegen/24494088.html
[10] Eilantrag abgelehnt, Einreise verweigert - Flüchtlinge scheitern vor Gericht und müssen auf See bleiben 2019-06-25
https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/sea-watch-3-fluechtlinge-scheitern-vor-europaeischem-gerichtshof-fuer-menschenrechte-a-1274294.html
[11] Europäischer Gerichtshof lehnt Sea-Watch-Antrag ab 2019-06-25
https://diepresse.com/home/ausland/welt/5649846/Europaeischer-Gerichtshof-lehnt-SeaWatchAntrag-ab
[12] Eilantrag gegen Italien - "Sea-Watch" scheitert vor Gericht 2019-06-25
https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/sea-watch-145.html
[13] Seenotrettung : "Sea-Watch 3" darf nicht in Italien anlegen 2019-06-25
https://www.zeit.de/gesellschaft/zeitgeschehen/2019-06/seenotrettung-sea-watch-3-italien-europaeischer-gerichtshof-menschenrechte
Germanys moral Imperialism
The German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD) criticized the approach of the Italian government as early as 30, June 2019. According to Steinmeier (SPD) it may indeed be that there are Italian regulations as to when a ship may approach a port. However on can expect a different attitude from the Italian government since Italy is not just any state but in the midst of the European Union and the founding state of the European Union. [1] [2] [3] [4]Nur: Italien ist nicht irgendein Staat. Italien ist inmitten der Europäischen Union, ist Gründungsstaat der Europäischen Union. Und deshalb dürfen wir von einem Land wie Italien erwarten, dass man mit einem solchen Fall anders umgeht.And the German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) has repeatedly warned that it is a humanitarian obligation to save lives and not to criminalize it to rescue people. In addition the release of Rackete must stand at the end of a constitutional procedure. [5] [6]
Just: Italy is not just any state. Italy is in the middle of the European Union, is the founding state of the European Union. And that's why we can expect a country like Italy to handle such a case differently.
Federal President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD) [1]
Menschenleben zu retten ist eine humanitäre Verpflichtung. Seenotrettung darf nicht kriminalisiert werden. Es ist an der italienischen Justiz, die Vorwürfe schnell zu klären. #Seawatch [5]The fact that a young woman ignores a state ban and invokes higher rights wouldn't be out of the ordinary. It happens again and again that activists chain themselves to trees or train tracks to prevent an open pit mining site or the transport of nuclear waste. Contrary to the allegations no authority in Italy accuses Rackete of maritime rescue or claims that maritime rescue is a criminal offense. In the case of Rackete it is that she has landed in an Italian port with the Sea-Watch 3 without permission and that she has rammed a boat of the Italian Financial Police (Guardia di Finanza).
Rescuing human lives is a humanitarian obligation. Sea rescue must not be criminalized. It is up to the Italian judiciary to clarify the allegations quickly. #Seawatch
Aus unserer Sicht kann am Ende eines rechtsstaatlichen Verfahrens nur die Freilassung von #CarolaRackete stehen. Das werde ich Italien nochmal deutlich machen. Für die europäische Ebene gilt: Das Geschachere um die Verteilung der Geflüchteten ist unwürdig und muss ein Ende haben. [6]
From our point of view only the release of #CarolaRackete can stand at the end of a constitutional procedure. I will pressure on this in Italy. For the European level: The business of distributing the refugees is unworthy and must come to an end.
Foreign Minister of Germany Heiko Maas (SPD)
When politicians spread false claims and announce how the only possible outcome of the process has to be during ongoing investigations on the subject of investigation is already extremely questionable. In the present case German politicians are interfering in the affairs of another and sovereign country. With that the German Federal Government is doing what the governments in Poland and Hungary are constantly accused of doing. The German government interferes in the work of prosecutors and courts.
The violation of constitutional norms has not been a European virtue. From the publications in the context of the LuxLeaks, the breach of the Maastricht Treaty and the No Bail Out clause, to the unconstitutional recognition of a self-proclaimed interim government in Ukraine rule of law was regularly broken. When trying to unmask the designated right-wing populists German politicians are now the ones to reinterpret the legal system of other states. And there is no international right of entry only the duty to rescue people in distress. So if the Italian government wants to close its borders it has the right regardless of whether it pleases outsiders.
If one takes the statements of Steinmeier (SPD) and Maas (SPD) two politicians with diplomatic experience and lawyers seriously then there are very clear demands. Italy must immediately give up its territorial sovereignty and the Italian judiciary must follow the instructions of German politicians. The last time European states received orders from German politicians in this tone was in the 1930s. So it was not only theoretically conceivable that German politicians would just apologize for the violations of the law of the German citizen Rackete. Despite comments from German politicians Rackete thanked them with criticism. In an interview Rackete said that her impression was that nobody at national and international level wanted to help her. [7]
The Manufacturing of Consent
The journey of Sea-Watch 3 was also accompanied by journalists from public broadcaster. The show Panorama from the ARD has published on July 11, 2019 an extensive film report on the Sea-Watch 3 with reports and interviews. According to Panorama two reporters were on board all the time from departure to capture of the captain. But there is no criticism of the approach of the Sea-Watch 3 in the report. Instead the Italian government is unilaterally criticized. [8,ndr] [8,youtube]Against this background it is striking that no other country was steered for. Instead of going to Tunisia, Egypt, France, Greece or Spain during the long odyssey they had to go ashore in Italy. In addition the German Sea-Watch association failed before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). It was tried to create an emergency application in Italy. According to this the ECHR can intervene in cases of a threat to human rights and instruct states. [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]
This combination is all the more suspicious. Perhaps one did not expect that the emergency application would fail. It seems as if it was aimed at least for a symbolic entrance into Italy or even a confrontation with the Italian government. All this was constantly and on side accompanied by the media.
[1] Berlin direkt: Bundespräsident Frank-Walter Steinmeier verteidigt "Sea-Watch 3"-Kapitänin: "Wer Menschenleben rettet, kann nicht Verbrecher sein", sagt er im @ZDF-Sommerinterview / mehr dazu um 19:10 Uhr im @ZDF @ZDFheute 2019-06-30
https://twitter.com/berlindirekt/status/1145337447846465536
[2] "Sea-Watch"-Kapitänin - Steinmeier rügt Italien für Festnahme von Rackete 2019-06-30
https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/carola-rackete-frank-walter-steinmeier-ruegt-italien-a-1275101.html
[3] STEINMEIER VERTEIDIGT RACKETE : Bundespräsident kritisiert Festnahme von Sea-Watch-Kapitänin 2019-06-30
https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/inland/festnahme-von-carola-rackete-steinmeier-verteidigt-sea-watch-kapitaenin-16261654.html
[4] FALL RACKETE - Bundesregierung wendet sich gegen „Kriminalisierung“ von Seenotrettern 2019-07-01
https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article196143361/Fall-Carola-Rackete-Erwarte-dass-die-EU-die-sofortige-Freilassung-einfordert.html
[5] Heiko Maas: Menschenleben zu retten ist eine humanitäre Verpflichtung. Seenotrettung darf nicht kriminalisiert werden. Es ist an der italienischen Justiz, die Vorwürfe schnell zu klären. #Seawatch 2019-06-29
https://twitter.com/HeikoMaas/status/1144949474076319744
[6] Heiko Maas: Aus unserer Sicht kann am Ende eines rechtsstaatlichen Verfahrens nur die Freilassung von #CarolaRackete stehen. Das werde ich Italien nochmal deutlich machen. Für die europäische Ebene gilt: Das Geschachere um die Verteilung der Geflüchteten ist unwürdig und muss ein Ende haben. 2019-07-01
https://twitter.com/HeikoMaas/status/1145629269353205760
[7] Carola Rackete - "Sea-Watch"-Kapitänin kritisiert deutsche Regierung 2019-07-05
https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/carola-rackete-sea-watch-kapitaenin-kritisiert-bundesregierung-a-1275989.html
[8] Exklusiv: Was geschah an Bord der "Sea-Watch 3"? | Panorama | NDR 2019-07-11/12
https://daserste.ndr.de/panorama/archiv/2019/Exklusiv-Was-geschah-an-Bord-der-Sea-Watch-3,seawatch616.html
https://youtu.be/RLZ56rnQyZU
[9] Retter scheitern mit Eilantrag - „Sea-Watch 3“ darf nicht in Italien anlegen 2019-06-25
https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/retter-scheitern-mit-eilantrag-sea-watch-3-darf-nicht-in-italien-anlegen/24494088.html
[10] Eilantrag abgelehnt, Einreise verweigert - Flüchtlinge scheitern vor Gericht und müssen auf See bleiben 2019-06-25
https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/sea-watch-3-fluechtlinge-scheitern-vor-europaeischem-gerichtshof-fuer-menschenrechte-a-1274294.html
[11] Europäischer Gerichtshof lehnt Sea-Watch-Antrag ab 2019-06-25
https://diepresse.com/home/ausland/welt/5649846/Europaeischer-Gerichtshof-lehnt-SeaWatchAntrag-ab
[12] Eilantrag gegen Italien - "Sea-Watch" scheitert vor Gericht 2019-06-25
https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/sea-watch-145.html
[13] Seenotrettung : "Sea-Watch 3" darf nicht in Italien anlegen 2019-06-25
https://www.zeit.de/gesellschaft/zeitgeschehen/2019-06/seenotrettung-sea-watch-3-italien-europaeischer-gerichtshof-menschenrechte
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