L’ocean viking docked around 8:50 a.m. on November 11 in Toulon, a little before 9 a.m. The 234 migrants, including 57 children, are now taken care of by the French State, which has mobilized 600 people.
Legally, migrants do not arrive on French soil. They are transferred to a waiting zone, that is to say an international zone created administratively on the peninsula of Giens, explains the special envoy of RFI in Toulon, Yoram Melloul. The director general for foreigners in France, Éric Jalon, detailed the arrangements for taking care of the passengers of the humanitarian ship ocean viking : “ We notify them of their placement in a waiting zone in which they can stay for up to 20 days, or even 26 days if they apply for asylum between the 14th and 20th day”.
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In this waiting area, they will be interviewed by sixteen agents from the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (Ofpra) mobilized on this occasion and capable of carrying out 90 interviews a day: “The Ofpra will tell us whether the asylum application is manifestly well-founded or manifestly unfounded. If it is not manifestly unfounded, then all these people should be directed to places of accommodation and to our one-stop shops for asylum seekers. This is also when the relocations will take place since, last night, nine countries had committed to relocating, potentially concerning two thirds of the people who are being cared for this morning here in Toulon”, further specifies the director general of foreigners in France.
Deportation to countries of origin
On the other hand, if the Ofpra considers that the asylum application is manifestly unfounded, the people will then be expelled to their country of origin: “ For people whose asylum application would be manifestly unfounded, who would present a security risk, we will implement (…) the removal procedures so that they return to their country of origine”, warned Eric Jalon who specified that the contacts had been ” has already been taken with the countries of declared nationalities, to initiate the identification and recognition procedures “, he continued, praising the “ demand for dignity and humanity “, but also of” security, rigor and firmness ” of the government.
There ” phase “checks and interviews” will probably last several days “Said the prefect of Var, Evence Richard.
High police surveillance
After three weeks at sea looking for a harbor, the humanitarian ship with 234 people on board is now on a military base near Toulon, in the south of France, under heavy police surveillance. “ There is a lot of emotion on board, everyone is very very tired but relieved to arrive on land, it’s the end of an ordeal “, declared to AFP Laurence Bondard, for the NGO SOS Méditerranée which charters the ship.
Germany is expected to accommodate around 80 people. Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Lithuania, Malta, Portugal and Ireland are also expected to participate in relocations. The head of the Italian government Giorgia Meloni had refused the ship access to its ports.
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