The threat was made during a live telephone interview on March 6, 2011, with the French television channel TF1. Gaddafi was warning European nations, particularly France (which was a leading force behind NATO intervention), about the consequences of his regime falling.
Gaddafi's warning was not just a simple threat but part of his political strategy. He framed himself as the only thing standing between Europe and a massive wave of undocumented migration from Africa. He argued that his government was a key partner for Italy and the EU in stopping migrants from sub-Saharan Africa from crossing the Mediterranean. His fall, he claimed, would remove that barrier.
Gaddafi's warning was not just a simple threat but part of his political strategy. He framed himself as the only thing standing between Europe and a massive wave of undocumented migration from Africa. He argued that his government was a key partner for Italy and the EU in stopping migrants from sub-Saharan Africa from crossing the Mediterranean. His fall, he claimed, would remove that barrier.