Members of the humanitarian NGO Lifeline have received death threats over the past weeks in their native Germany, it emerged on Friday.

Speaking during a 'Meet The NGOs' event organised by Moviment Graffitti, a representative of the NGO Lifeline said that the group had received death threats over the past week in relation to their work in rescuing asylum seekers in the Mediterranean Sea.

These threats have come in various forms, and include social media messages and letters threatening rape or death, bomb threats and the depositing of firecrackers into their offices through the letterbox.

This being said however, the representative told this newsroom that they had received no such threats from Maltese people, and that all the Maltese that they had met whilst on the island were very friendly people.

During this event, representatives from three NGOs currently stuck in Malta - Lifeline, Sea-Watch and Sea-Eye - discussed their work as NGOs and their procedures, before fielding various questions from the public who were present.

The Lifeline especially has been at the centre of controversy ever since its arrival in Malta on 27 June with 234 immigrants onboard.

 

Since then, the captain of the ship has been taken to court on charges of irregular ship registration and the case is still ongoing. 

Sea-Watch and Sea-Eye meanwhile are both prohibited from leaving Grand Harbour, whilst the former's aircraft, Moonbird, has also been stopped from flying out of the islands to conduct search missions outside of Maltese territorial waters.

The meeting, organised by activist group Moviment Graffitti, was also attended by members of Moviment Patrijotti Maltin, some of whom held a large banner reading 'Stop Human Trafficking' on the pavement opposite the venue.

 

Photos: Alenka Falzon