- Italy impounds Banksy-funded migrant rescue ship MV Louise Michel as part of a government crackdown on humanitarian rescue operations in the Mediterranean.
- The crew of MV Louise Michel claims that they have not received any written justification for the detention of the ship.
- Italy's right-wing government believes that such rescue ships create an illusion of safety and encourage migrants to undertake the dangerous Mediterranean Sea crossing.
- Despite Italy's efforts to limit such operations, the number of migrants reaching Italian shores has surged this year.
- Italy is bracing for a rise in migrants coming from Tunisia, where socio-economic conditions are deteriorating rapidly under authoritarian rule.
Italy seizes Banksy-funded rescue ship as migrant crossings surge
Activists say MV Louise Michel was detained after delivering 180 rescued people to Lampedusa
Amy Kazmin
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