Autonomous migration and transgressive solidarity : the case of the El Hiblu 3

Abstract

“Free the El Hiblu 3!” Rallying around this slogan, a diverse group of activists and organizations have united in solidarity with three teenagers accused of terrorism in Malta. The three were onboard the El Hiblu on March 28, 2019, when the Maltese armed forces escorted it into Valletta’s Grand Harbour. While en route from Istanbul to Tripoli, the El Hiblu’s crew had rescued more than 100 people at sea under direction from an aircraft deployed by the European Union (EU). In the negotiations that ensued between the crew and the travellers over where they would be disembarked, three teenagers used their language skills to act as translators: Amara was 15, from Guinea and had a love for languages; Kader was 16, a passionate football fan and from the Ivory Coast; and Abdalla was 19, from Guinea and travelling with his wife (Neufeld 2021).