German captain in a migrant rescue standoff will run for the European Parliament

BERLIN (AP) — The captain of a humanitarian rescue ship who was arrested in 2019 for docking in an Italian port without authorization has been presented as one of a struggling German left-wing party’s top candidates for next year’s European Parliament election. The Left party on Monday unveiled Carola Rackete as one of its two lead candidates in the election expected in the spring of 2024. The party has been struggling for years and only just mustered enough support to stay represented in the German parliament in the last national election in 2021. Rackete wrote on Twitter that she “didn’t take the decision lightly” and says she views her candidacy as an opportunity for a “new partnership” between social movements and the Left party.