Torres Fires Back at Abascal, Saying Open Arms Is a Rescue Ship

“If you rescued your parents or children, would you also want to sink it?”

The Minister of Territorial Policy, Ángel Víctor Torres, replied on Friday to a message from Vox leader Santiago Abascal, who called for the “sinking” of the humanitarian vessel Open Arms. Torres reminded that the NGO is a humanitarian organization that rescues people at sea.

“If you rescued, @Santi_ABASCAL, your parents, brothers, sisters, children, friends… would you also want to sink it? Surely not,” Torres wrote on the social‑media platform X.

The minister’s response came after Abascal posted that the ship should be “confiscated and sunk”, describing it as a “slave ship” and saying it should serve as a warning to the “multimillionaires and politicians who promote the invasion of Europe.” He later added:

“Yes, it must be sunk. And you don’t dare ask Spaniards because the vast majority think the same.”

Abascal’s remarks coincided with the signing of a cooperation agreement between the Government of the Canary Islands and Open Arms. The pact allows the NGO to operate in the archipelago’s waters for at least two months, aiming to raise visibility and awareness of the Atlantic migration route.