The ports of Borriana, Benicarló, Dénia or Vinaròs have been a safe base for years for the rescue ships of humanitarian organizations that have saved thousands of people from drowning in the Mediterranean. There, these boats and their crews have received assistance, food or have been able to repair their engines, in addition to enjoying periods of rest after months at sea. The Valencian Community had become a welcoming land and a safe and reliable port, as has always been engraved in the old maritime code. But this international brand image of the Valencian people could be tarnished by administrative management.
The Aurora Grup de Suport, an entity created in the port of Borriana from popular social, political and cultural movements, is studying different options to continue “developing with guarantees” its activity of support for the humanitarian civil rescue fleet outside the Valencian territory. The announcement of this group that includes 16 entities comes after the government of Carlos Mazón claimed the rescue ship Aita Mari port taxes of the last four years and from which this type of ship had been exempted by the previous left-wing Consell. “It’s not that we don’t want to pay, we want legal security to be able to do our work. “They can’t ask us for the retroactivity of costs that were not anticipated,” Vicent Aleixandre, co-founder of the entity, explained to elDiario.es, who reveals that the Generalitat has initiated other cases against humanitarian ships that have docked in the Valencian Community.
German Tanja Seidel, new coordinator of operations and international development of L’Aurora, regrets the “enormous damage in terms of loss of human life that will be caused by the retroactive imposition of port taxes on humanitarian entities by the current Valencian government.” “We are not surprised by this new attack by the extreme right, we expected it. We remain hopeful that democratic political parties with humanitarian values will provide a quick solution to this situation,” added Tanja Seidel. From the Aurora Grup de Suport, they demand responsibility and humanity from public representatives. “What kind of reliability and international projection does an institution like the Valencian Government demonstrate by committing to eliminating the fees and then applying them retroactively? It is insane and goes against all sense of humanity,” they added.
From the Aurora, they regret having to consider leaving Valencian territory and not only for humanitarian reasons, “also due to the lack of vision of leaders across the political spectrum”. “The arrival of these ships is synonymous with prosperity, job creation and new horizons for the workers of our cities. It is regrettable that a port like Borriana, built with the consensus and efforts of our ancestors, loses this unique opportunity to continue being a reference”, says Vicent Aleixandre.
From the entity, we see “the loss of the networks created with love over all these years with suppliers, local producers, small businesses, hospitality, services and professionals, which also generates an impact on the local economy”. “Equipping the ships in record time involves a complex choreography that begins with the action of the companies responsible for the various shipyards and ends with the complete supply of the ships. Local food suppliers, vehicle rental companies, transport companies, waste treatment, refueling and naval specialists, to name a few, participate in this process. Without leaving aside accommodation, reception and the provision of all types of services, which also benefit positively from the presence of hundreds of volunteers from this fleet in our territory”, explain the same sources.
The Aurora Grup de Suport has been working for months on the location and selection of new ports in southern Catalonia, Murcia, the Balearic Islands and Sicily, where operational actions can be relocated, taking into account technical, location and service criteria. Marco Antonio Martínez, coordinator of this department, has extensive experience as a captain in charge of rescue operations on board ships such as Aita Mari, Open arms, Louise Michel either Overcome, where he had the opportunity to save hundreds of people at sea.
In recent weeks, the entity has launched a campaign of denunciation and mobilization with which it seeks alliances with citizens and organizations from Valencia and throughout Europe with the aim of making the Valencian government think. The objective is to demand the effective remission of port taxes for all non-profit entities affected. To begin with, it will join the call organized by the SMH entity on Friday, September 6 at 11 a.m. in front of the Palau de la Generalitat Valenciana.
The Aurora collective began its humanitarian support mission in 2015 and carries out constant operations in the ports of Borriana and Vinaròs. It has also carried out actions in the ports of Dénia, Sagunt and Benicarló. From these enclaves, it has supported more than twenty humanitarian entities from all over Europe, making the ports of the Valencian Community an international reference of solidarity and self-organization for the effective respect of human rights. During this period, they have assisted 16 different ships that have prepared 72 rescue rotations in the Mediterranean.
