After the three French volunteers arrested a few weeks ago in Ventimiglia, on the border between Italy and France, there is more talking about breaking the law to save lives going on.

This time, it is about Félix Croft, a French activist arrested almost one year ago for having helped five Sudanese asylum seekers - including a pregnant woman and two children - to cross the French border.

An attack on solidarity

Croft was charged with facilitating illegal immigration, but he was threatened with a penalty far higher than normal: such offense is normally punished with up to 3 years of detention and a fine of up to 15,000 euros, but in this case the court was asked to consider a sentence of 3 years and 4 months in prison and a fine of 50,000 euros.

A similar case, that of Cédric Herrou, who helped around 200 migrants enter France and was charged with the same crime as Croft, ended in a court acknowledging that humanitarian acts cannot be criminally prosecuted.

Humanity is not a crime

As highlighted by Patrizio Gonnella, president of Antigone/CILD, this sentence would have been completely disproportionate compared to the alleged offense, in addition to being completely unjustified - just as the many other cases of so-called solidarity offenses, which should not be looked at as crimes, but rather as what they are: instances of humanity. It is deeply wrong to compare these type of acts with those of human traffickers.

Sociologist Nando Sigona has poignantly asked, "Is this the next 'solution' to the refugee crisis coming from EU politicians? Intimidating volunteers to undermine the support for more a humane solution to the crisis?"

The fact that the French court cleared Croft of all charges by applying the humanitarian clause should be saluted. With their ruling, the judges acknowledged that humanity and solidarity are not to be considered as a crime - which is especially important today, with activists helping migrants and NGOs saving lives at sea under attack all across Europe.