A demonstration, calling on the European Union and its member state government to implement policies to protect the lives of refugees, was held outside the law courts in Valletta today.

The event, “Sea Bridge - solidarity with refugees at sea and ashore”, saw demonstrators carry banners saying “Europe Kills”, in reference to the reluctance of European governments to accept migrations stranded at sea, whose lives are often in danger unless rescued.

“Right now humans die at sea”, one banner read, with another saying “All different, all equal - stop racism”, as the song “No one is illegal” was being played.

The activists, amongst them members of the NGO Grafiti, placed several life jackets, and other buoyancy aids, used to prevent people in the sea from drowning.

One of the demonstrators, Maria, an operator on board the search and rescue aircraft Moonbird, which has been blocked from leaving Malta, expressed her disbelief at being grounded and unable to perform its humanitarian role.

“The EU doesn’t want any witnesses to its deadly policies,” she claimed.

Richard Brenner, an engineer on board the humanitarian ship Lifeline, which is blockaded in Malta, said that he and other crew members were attending the manifestation to show their anger at the way the EU and its member states were treating them.

“I am here because in the last mission we were more or less arrested at sea, with 234 rescue migrants on board, caught in a storm between European countries or European politics,” he said.

The event - which comes in the wake of the Lifeline having been allowed to enter Malta's ports after an ad hoc agreement with other EU countries, to each take a portion of the migrants on board, had been reached - was held in association with the Seebrücke network, which organises manifestations across Germany and Spain to call for solidarity with refugees.