Last week, Richard Gere, who was holidaying in Tuscany, travelled to Sicily and joined the charity to deliver food and supplies to the migrants.
Gere who is currently on the island of Lampedusa, Sicily, after a visit onboard a Spanish NGO ship, Proactiva Open Arms, where he met some of the 160 migrants the vessel rescued in the strait of Sicily. The ship has been stuck for 10 days off Lampedusa due to Italy’s ban on landing migrants.
A row has developed after the US actor urged the Italian government to ‘stop demonising asylum seekers’. Italy’s far-right deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, has clashed with Richard Gere over the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean, suggesting the Hollywood star should house himself those stranded on rescue ships after the US actor urged the Italian government to “stop demonising asylum seekers”.
The 69-year-old actor appeared in a video message urging people to support the charity and the people on board. “All hands on board would have been lost,” Gere said in the video.
“So, the people you see here on this boat, they’re only here because of the donations to Open Arms for the work they do.”
“I already came to Lampedusa two or three years ago,” Gere said, “to visit the migrants hotspot so I knew the situation first-hand: they are people who have lived horrible stories, they have suffered a lot, they call them migrants but they are refugees who need help.”
Gere also compared the crisis in the Mediterranean and the prohibition of landing migrants with the Trump administration’s policies on the border with Mexico: “We have our problems with refugees coming from Honduras, Salvador, Nicaragua, Mexico … It’s very similar to what you are going through here,” he said.
“This has to stop everywhere on this planet now. And it will stop if we say so,” Gere said, adding that he doesn’t want to get into a political fight.
On Saturday, Salvini, who last year declared Italy’s ports closed to migrant rescue ships, replied to the actor: “Given this generous millionaire is voicing concern for the fate of the Open Arms migrants, we thank him.”
“He can take all the people aboard back to Hollywood, on his private plane,’’ Salvini said, “and support them in his villas. Thank you, Richard!”’
“All hands on board would have been lost,” Gere said in the video. All Illegal immigrants (sorry, asylum seekers) Richard? Who’s fault is it that they were off the coast of Italy exactly?
“This has to stop everywhere on this planet now. And it will stop if we say so,”. Sorry Richard, didn’t realise that third rate has been actors were now in charge of other countries borders..
Lastly, if you don’t want to get into a political fight stop sticking your huge hooter into matters that don’t concern you and are NONE of your fucking business.
Nominated by willie stroker