Actor urges Italy to accept 160 people waiting in rescue ship

Hollywood star Richard Gere on Saturday called on the Italian government to stop “demonising people” and instead help migrants who have been stranded on a Spanish charity boat in the Mediterranean for more than a week.

Mr. Gere, who visited the Open Arms ship in a show of support on Friday, joined a news conference in the Italian island of Lampedusa to call for the 160 migrants stuck on the boat to be allowed to disembark.

He compared the political situation in Italy, where League leader and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has repeatedly refused requests by migrant ships to dock, to that of the U.S. administration of Donald Trump.

“We have our problems with refugees coming from Honduras, Salavador, Nicaragua, Mexico... It’s very similar to what you are going through here,” he said, accusing politicians in both Italy and the United States of demonising migrants.

“This has to stop everywhere on this planet now. And it will stop if we say stop.”

Stand-offs with non-governmental organisation (NGO) boats have become common in the last year as European nations are at odds over who should be responsible for accepting migrants.

The Open Arms said it had rescued 39 more people on Saturday, bringing the earlier count of 121 to 160.

This week, the European Union’s executive called on member States to show solidarity and find a solution for the boat.