On Instagram, British artist Banksy announced that he had used profits from his art sales to finance the M.V. Louise Michel, a high-speed lifeboat that guards the Mediterranean.
The Louise Michel is a former French Navy boat that was obtained by Banksy and did some work on it to perform search and rescue. It is 30 meters (98 ft) in length and able to go over 28 knots, she is captained by Pia Klemp and crewed by a team of rescue workers drawn from across Europe. In a note to Pia last September, Banksy wrote:
“Hello Pia, I’ve read about your story in the papers. You sound like a badass. I am an artist from the UK and I’ve made some work about the migrant crisis, obviously I can’t keep the money. Could you use it to buy a new boat or something? Please let me know. Well done. Banksy.”
The ship is named after French feminist anarchist, Louise Michel. And in 2020, more than 500 refugees and migrants are known to have died in the Mediterranean sea, and the actual number is expected to be considerably way higher. More than 19,500 migrants have endured the Mediterranean crossing along the central maritime course this year and they got to Italy or Malta.
To receive the newest updates from the lifeboat, you can go on twitter @MVLouiseMichel. You can also check out the website for more details on the cause and how you can help fund the rescue of these poor souls.
