Stuttgart: The Stuttgart Peace Prize of the non-governmental organization AnStifter (The Instigators) is awarded in 2015 to Giuseppina Maria Nicolini. The mayoress of the Mediterranean islands Lampedusa and Linosa is honored for her merits to criticize clearly the European Union’s person-despising dealings with refugees at her external frontiers and to help the refugees as good as possible on their arrival. 458 Instigators have taken part in the vote about the price endowed with 5,000 Euros, which is lent meanwhile in the 13th year.
„This year’s peace prize is awarded to a woman who exerts herself for those which have escaped from the hell in Syria and Libya, but have been cruelly abandoned by the European Union“, explains Fritz Mielert, manager of the Instigators. „Just in these times when the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate – the European Union – recklessly accepts the death of thousands of refugees the choice of the Instigators is a clear sign for humanity. The suggestions of the EU committee, like the destruction of tractor’s boats and rescue operations just before the own coast, are cynical. Instead of more measures which aim at holding off refugees we urgently need a legal access to protection and asylum.“
Giuseppina Maria „Giusi“ Nicolini (* 5th March, 1961) is mayoress of Italian municipality Lampedusa and Linosa. Grown up on Lampedusa she exerted herself for the environment protection on the Mediterranean island and achieved that parts were expelled as a nature reserve. Since 2012 she commented repeatedly on the refugee’s policy of the European Union. On account of her engagement she was exposed to hostility and arson attacks. For many years she demands a joint European rescue operation. She commented on the recent refugee’s disaster: „If somebody must flee from a burning house, he simply flees. And in our case over the sea.“ She said that the real problem was the insecure situation in the migrant’s origin countries which release new refugee’s waves again and again. There had to be long-term solutions.
Giusi Nicolini achieved 28 percent of the second ballot to the Stuttgart peace prize. In second place came the Palestinian doctor Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish with eleven percent, on third place is the peace initiative „No weapons from Lake of Constance“. The peace prize of the civil project The Instigators is lent on the 6th December, 2015 from 5pm in the Theaterhaus Stuttgart.
Laureates of the past years were in 2014 whistle-blower Edward Snowden, in 2013 Enio Mancini and Enrico Pieri, two survivors of the NS massacre in the Italian Sant’Anna di Stazzema, and in 2012 the peace initiative to stop arms trade, „Aktion Aufschrei – Stoppt den Waffenhandel!“.
Further information on Stuttgart Peace Prize (in German):