SeaWatch lands in Lampedusa: captain arrested

The captain of the SeaWatch, Carola Rackete, recently taken away by the Guardia di Finanza, is under arrest. She has been charged, according to reports, with violating Article 1100 of the Navigation Code: resisting or engaging in violence against a warship, which carries a sentence of three to ten years in prison. "The captain or officer of a ship who commits acts of resistance or violence against a national warship is punishable by three to ten years of imprisonment. The sentence for those who participate in the crime is reduced by one-third to one-half": this is the text of Article 1100 of the Navigation Code. A clash broke out between opposing factions on the pier in Lampedusa after the Sea Watch violated the entry ban and docked: on one side, supporters of the NGO applauded the captain's decision; on the other, a group of Lampedusans, including former deputy mayor Angela Maraventano, who shouted and railed against the organization's volunteers. "It's a disgrace," Maraventano shouted, addressing the ship. "You can't come here and do whatever you want. Don't come to our island or it'll be hell." And then, "let the refugees disembark," she added, addressing the police, "and arrest them all." Former mayor Giusi Nicolini responded to the former deputy mayor: "What do you want? Who are you to decide who should come and who shouldn't?" Before docking, a Guardia di Finanza patrol boat attempted several times to prevent the vessel from docking, until it had to withdraw to avoid getting stuck between the Sea Watch and the dock.