Seebrücke International

We are happy about the new support from Médecins Sans Frontières. These missions show how important every ship is that is out there rescuing people. Together for Rescue, United for Med!

On Sunday night, the Oyvon was called into action again and rescued 27 people in distress at sea. These people were also allowed to disembark in Lampedusa.

Photo of the Oyvon. An orange box reads: "New rescue ship Oyvon completes first missions: 68 rescued people safely disembarked in Lampedusa." In the upper right corner is the Seebrücke logo in white on orange.

On Saturday, the Oyvon, the new rescue ship from Médecins Sans Frontières, had its first mission. Forty-one people were finally brought to safety after spending three days on an unseaworthy boat in the open sea. They were allowed to disembark in Lampedusa.

You can take to the streets with our local groups, inform yourself, organise yourself and show creative protest! We stand up for a migration policy based on solidarity and demand freedom of movement for all people!
Please support our local groups with a donation at the event!

White background with the following text: “Events 17.11.-23.11.2025 17.11. Berlin, 7 p.m., b-lage (film screening) Cologne, 7 p.m., location on request (open plenary session) Leipzig, 5 p.m., Richard-Wagner-Platz (rally) 18 November Frankfurt am Main, 11 a.m., StadtRAUMfrankfurt (day conference) Karlsruhe, 2.30 p.m., market square in front of the Stadtkirche (rally) 19 November Kassel, 12.30 p.m., Filmladen (film screening) Kiel, 6:45 p.m., Gewerkschaftshaus (open plenary session) Magdeburg, 4:30 p.m., Campustheater (panel discussion) 20 November Kassel, 8 p.m., Gloria (film screening) The Seebrücke logo is in white on orange in the upper right corner.

White background with the following text: “Events 17.11.-23.11.2025 21.11. Hanover, 8 p.m., Kino im Sprengel (film screening and discussion) Heidelberg, 8 p.m., Café Gegendruck (karaoke) Moers, 7 p.m., Altes Landratsamt (film screening) 23 November Bern, 2 p.m., Brasserie Lorraine (Drawing for Justice) Bern, 6 p.m., Kino in der Reitschule cinema (film screening and discussion) Hamburg, 8 p.m., Centro sociale (film screening and discussion) Below is a photo showing ropes and a lifebuoy. In the upper right corner is the Seebrücke logo in white on orange.

Become active in favour of an asylum and migration policy based on solidarity. With our local groups, we are fighting for the observance of human rights! You can find a weekly overview here, a daily overview and more information about our events on our website.

🚨This morning, 41 people, who had spent three distressing days at sea on an overcrowded and unseaworthy rubber boat, were brought to safety on board the Oyvon. Three of the survivors are women and 14 are children, nine of whom are unaccompanied. 🧵

Mediterranea Saving Humans will appeal the penalties; the NGO was already vindicated in the last detention.
These blockades are politically motivated. Time and time again, courts have shown that they are not lawful. We demand: Free Mediterranea! The blocking of civilian sea rescue must stop!

Photo of the Mediterranea at a jetty. A white box reads: “After rescuing 92 people in distress at sea: Mediterranea detained for 60 days plus a fine of €10,000”. In the top right-hand corner is the Seebrücke logo in white on orange.

After rescuing 92 people in distress at sea, the civilian rescue ship Mediterranea was detained. Now the extent of the blockade has been determined: 60 days and a €10,000 fine. This is the second time such drastic penalties have been imposed.

3. Instead of a militarised policy of isolation, a civilian, state-coordinated sea rescue service must be established in the central Mediterranean – human rights are non-negotiable.
We stand together with those who are risking their lives in the Mediterranean.

2. It must also advocate for the training and support of the so-called Libyan coast guard to be removed from the European IRINI mission.

We make the following demands to the German Bundestag:
1. The German government must clearly stipulate in its mandate that no training, equipment or logistical support will be provided to the so-called Libyan coast guard.

The so-called Libyan coast guard is committing crimes against humanity, and the German government has decided to support it.

Over the past 10 years, more than 60 violent incidents have been documented in the Mediterranean, including a 20-minute bombardment of the sea rescue ship Ocean Viking in August 2025.

Together with German sea rescue organisations and supporting organisations, we condemn the German government's plan to support Libyan actors at sea.

Photo of two speedboats next to a rubber dinghy. An orange box reads: ‘Bundestag decides to continue IRINI. Support for the so-called Libyan coast guard no longer ruled out.’ In the upper right corner is the Seebrücke logo in white on orange.

Yesterday, the German Bundestag decided to extend the mandate for the EU naval mission EUNAVFOR MED IRINI. The renewed mandate no longer excludes support and training for the so-called Libyan coast guard. This had been the case since 2022.

Some have been waiting for years in Pakistan under difficult conditions to be accepted. We stand with those affected and demand: Don't forget Afghanistan! Vulnerable persons must be accepted quickly now!

They ask Chancellor Merz to resolve the situation in such a way that their lives are not put at risk.
Those affected are former local employees of the German Armed Forces and other German institutions, as well as other vulnerable persons such as human rights activists, judges and journalists.

They go on to write: ‘We do not understand this proposal. Not from a government that is committed to human rights and believes in human dignity. We did not seek your protection for money – we wanted and needed to escape Taliban rule in order to survive.’

Those affected describe this offer as ‘incomprehensible and hurtful’.

They write: ‘We cannot return to Afghanistan. For many of us, this return would end brutally and violently.’ They also criticise the current offer from the Federal Ministry of the Interior to withdraw the promise of admission in exchange for money.

Photo of Friedrich Merz at a lectern. An orange box reads "Don't forget Afghanistan. Afghans in Pakistan write letter to Chancellor Merz." In the upper right corner is the Seebrücke logo in white on orange.

Around 2,000 Afghans with acceptance letters from Germany are stuck in Pakistan. Now, some of them have written a letter to Chancellor Merz. They are calling on the German government to keep its promise of protection and not to hand them over to the Taliban.

Photo: imago images / panama pictures

This is Médecins Sans Frontières' response to the restrictions and blockades imposed on civilian ships by the Italian authorities. We say: Welcome Oyvon! We wish the Oyvon fair winds!

Photo of the Oyvon on the water. A white box reads ‘Welcome Oyvon! Médecins Sans Frontières with new ship in the central Mediterranean.’ In the upper right corner is the Seebrücke logo in white on orange.

Médecins Sans Frontières is sending a new ship! The news comes about a year after Médecins Sans Frontières stopped its mission with the rescue ship Geo Barents in the Mediterranean. The Oyvon (from Norwegian: hope for the island) is a smaller & faster ship than the Geo Barents.
Photo: Ole K. Hammerø

The Principle of Non-Refoulement: we hear this term a lot when talking about migration and international law — but what does it really mean?

The film premiered in 2024 at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Audience Award at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival.
More information coming soon.

At the same time, the film takes a critical look at the failure of the Fortress Europe–visible in the example of Greece, where European policies of sealing off borders are having devastating consequences&the EU bears joint responsibility for the suffering of many people seeking protection.

To a Land Unknown is a sensitive, moving and captivating examination of the situation of Palestinians and what it means to be a stateless refugee in a world marked by racist prejudice and social inequality.

Bound by love and friendship, but also by the burden of despair that haunts them across time and space, they struggle to escape their misery and secure a better future for themselves and their loved ones they left behind.

The film tells the story of cousins Reda (Aram Sabbah) and Chatila (Mahmoud Bakri), who struggle daily in a neighbourhood on the outskirts of Athens with the same plight as hundreds of thousands of other Palestinians: life as refugees.

Several stills from the film and the poster for the film To a Land Unknown’. An orange box reads: “A flight to Germany that ends in Athens. For the cinema release of ’To a Land Unknown'". Below is written: The Project Seebrücke is partly supportet by Grenzenlose Solidarität e.V. In the top right-hand corner is the Seebrücke logo in white on orange and the lettering of the association Grenzenlose Solidarität e.V. (Borderless Solidarity).

Director Mahdi Fleifel's cinema tour for his film ‘To a Land Unknown’ is about to begin – and we're a part of it!