Activists place life jacket on Christopher Columbus statue in Barcelona

Video. Activists place life jacket on Christopher Columbus statue in Barcelona

Activists in Barcelona have draped a life jacket on a statue of Christopher Columbus on July 4 to draw attention to migrants who have lost their lives while crossing the Mediterranean Sea, local reports said.

Activists in Barcelona have draped a life jacket on a statue of Christopher Columbus on July 4 to draw attention to migrants who have lost their lives while crossing the Mediterranean Sea, local reports said.

The words ‘Open Arms’ were written on the life jacket: a reference to the Proactiva Open Arms rescue boat that docked in Barcelona on the same day with 59 migrants on board.

The UN Migration Agency said on Tuesday that on the Mediterranean crossing alone, 1,405 migrants had lost their lives since the beginning of 2018.