"Your police [steal] blankets from people that you force to live on the streets, while you raid protests and criminalize people that are standing up for rights of migrants," said Pia Klemp.
βThe captain of a controversial ship that saved migrants in the Mediterranean Sea has refused to accept a medal for her work.
Pia Klemp, who is German, gained attention for rescuing thousands of stranded migrants with her crew as part of the nongovernmental organization Sea Watch International. For her efforts, she reportedly faces up to 20 years in prison in Italy, where the hard-line anti-immigrant government accused her of assisting illegal immigration.
In a Facebook message published Tuesday night, Klemp announced that she was rejecting the Grand Vermeil Medal, which the city of Paris awards for bravery. She told Mayor Anne Hidalgo that the city was brimming with hypocrisy.
βYour police [steal] blankets from people that you force to live on the streets, while you raid protests and criminalize people that are standing up for rights of migrants and asylum seekers. β¦ You want to give me a medal for actions that you fight in your own ramparts,β Klemp wrote in the scathing post.
βIt is time we call out hypocrite honorings and fill the void with social justice,β she said.
She went on to say that people donβt need medals. βWe do not need authorities deciding about who is a βheroβ and who is βillegal,β β she said. βIn fact they are in no position to make this call, because we are all equal.β
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