Almost 20,000 people have marched through Berlin and Hamburg demanding that Germany take in more migrants stranded at sea. Sunday's marches were organized in response to the violent anti-migrant protests in Chemnitz.
In a series of demonstrations organized by the "Seebrücke" (Sea Bridge) rights group, several pro-migrant protesters donned orange life jackets in solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of migrants fleeing parts of Africa for Europe.
Other demonstrators held up signs reading "Human rights, not rightist humans," and "Seebrücke instead of Seehofer," a reference to Germany's hard-line interior minister.
Some 5,000 people kicked off the protests along Hamburg's piers, with about 10,000 others joining as the crowd marched past the grounds of St Pauli, the local football club famous for its working-class left-wing support.
"We must not allow refugees to drown at sea, nor must we allow them to be mobbed and beaten up," Hamburg's Protestant bishop, Kirsten Fehrs, told the pro-migrant rally. "If we let this happen, we will be on our way to barbarity."
Fehrs went on to say that Europe was obliged to establish safe and legal escape routes from Africa to the continent. "Politics must not be exempt of empathy."
Also attending the rally was Claus-Peter Reisch, captain of the "Lifeline" rescue ship, which is currently being held by authorities in Malta.
NGO ship rescues Europe-bound migrants in Mediterranean
The search-and-rescue ship Aquarius saved nearly 300 people in the Mediterranean Sea over Easter. European maritime authorities prevented the NGO workers from rescuing 80-90 men during one operation.
Image: DW/F. Warwick
First on site
At around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 31, the search-and-rescue vessel Aquarius, along with the Libyan coast guard, was alerted by the Italian Rescue Maritime Coordination Center (IMRCC) that a rubber boat was in distress in international waters. Aquarius is manned by rescue workers from SOS Mediteranee, medics from Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and a nautical and technical crew.
Image: DW/F. Warwick
People in distress
Aquarius made first contact with the rubber boat in international waters at around 11:00 a.m. Soon after, the SOS head coordinator was informed by IMRCC that the Libyan coastguard would take charge of the rescue operation. As people in the overcrowded rubber boat, visibly in distress, waved frantically, Aquarius was instructed to standby and wait for further instructions.
Image: DW/F. Warwick
Helping hand
Two hours later, and with no Libyan coastguard in sight, the Aquarius was able to convince the IMRCC and the Libyans to allow them to rescue children, women and families. They evacuated 39 vulnerable people. They had to leave the remaining 80-90 men on the rubber boat to the Libyan coastguard. The Aquarius has the capacity to carry 500 rescued people.
Image: DW/F. Warwick
All in it together
MSF nurse Sylvie was on board the Aquarius' fast-speed rescue boat, whose personnel identified medical and vulnerable cases later evacuated to the NGO ship. Over the course of three missions, the staff saved 292 people from more than 20 countries, the majority from sub-Saharan Africa. Besides showing signs of dehydration, exhaustion and weakness, some also displayed signs of physical abuse.
Image: DW/F. Warwick
Having fun
As parents rested on the ship's deck, MSF logistician Francois took a moment to interact with the newly arrived children. Those rescued got a chance to bond with the ship's crew as well as to express themselves in safe and secure surroundings.
Image: DW/F. Warwick
Doctor's orders
Dr. Dan from California gave each new arrival a check-up to see whether anyone was in need of urgent medical care. Once on land, those rescued are examined by local medical staff in Italy.
Image: DW/F. Warwick
Holding tight in rough weather
As the vessel pitched and rolled in strong winds, SOS Mediteranee team member Theo cuddled a child rescued the day before. "As a seaman it's your duty to save anybody in distress," he said. "We all shed tears yesterday. I had a baby and children in my arms. We helped some women. What's the most important is to get all these out people out of the water, to save them and for them to survive."
Image: DW/F. Warwick
Thanking the Lord
As the Aquarius approached the Sicilian city of Messina, the designated Italian port of safety, many of the rescued women began singing French and English gospel songs praising the Lord and thanking him for safe passage across the Mediterranean Sea.
Image: DW/F. Warwick
On terra firma
Francois personally helped all 292 men, women and children disembark. "Emotionally it was really hard, because once the last guy stepped out on shore, it was over. I could just call everyone and say disembarkation successfully finished, and then I felt empty."
Image: DW/F. Warwick
Thank-you kiss
These lucky people made it to Europe. According to international NGOs figures, between 750,000 and 900,000 immigrants and asylum-seekers remain trapped in Libya, whose migrant detention centers the UN has called inhumane. Many see merely one way out: to attempt to cross one of the world's most deadly seas in rubber dinghies that can only be considered floating death traps.
Image: DW/F. Warwick
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Peaceful protests
In Berlin, some 2,500 people also took part in pro-migrant protests. The crowds marched from the city's Molkenmarkt square to the Brandenburg Gate under the banner "Berlin: A safe haven for refugees."
The Seebrücke group said it had sent a petition to Berlin's Senate, urging the city to take in migrants rescued at sea. The city should do all it can to "provide visas and residency rights to those rescued," it said.
Several people also took part in pro-migrant marches in the German cities of Cologne, Frankfurt and Duisburg on Sunday.
The demonstrations, organized by a range of Catholic and Protestant civic organization, were part of Europe-wide weeks of protests under the banner "Build Bridges, Not Walls."
For many, Sunday's marches were a welcome response to this week's scenes in the eastern German city of Chemnitz, where thousands of far-right demonstrators, fueled by rage and violence, clashed with anti-fascist counterdemonstrators.