Marseille, home to the SOS Mediterranee NGO which operates the vessel with Doctors Without Borders (MSF), saw the largest show of support. Organisers said 10,000 people took part in the demonstration though police put the figure at nearer 3,500. "The goal is to make an appeal to citizens and show that SOS Mediterranee draws its legitimacy from civil society," said the NGO's spokeswoman Sophie Rahal in Paris. The boat's operators say it has rescued some 29,500 migrants to date and SOS Mediterranee president Francis Vallat said "the situation is more critical than ever". Meanwhile, around 100 flouted an official protest ban and gathered in the northern port of Calais -- where authorities in late 2016 dismantled the notorious Jungle refugee camp, which at its height at been home to some 10,000 migrants.

Source: The Local October 07, 2018 00:45 UTC