German MEP Carola Rackete, who became famous for a public spat over migration with Italy’s far-right chief Matteo Salvini, announced her resignation from the European Parliament on Wednesday.

“My candidacy and mandate have always aimed to contribute to the renewal of the German Left party — a process that is progressing successfully,” Rackete said in a statement.

Rackete, a German conservation ecologist, social and climate activist, was elected to the Parliament with The Left group in the 2024 European election.  

She shot to prominence in 2019 as captain of the rescue vessel Sea-Watch 3, when she defied Italy’s closed port policy by docking in Lampedusa with 53 saved migrants. Rackete was arrested shortly after the landing but later cleared by an Italian judge, who ruled she acted out of necessity and did not commit any criminal offense.

Following the Lampedusa incident, Salvini — who was serving as Italy’s interior minister at the time — publicly criticized Rackete, calling her a “German criminal,” a “rich and spoiled communist” and an “accomplice of human traffickers,” in a series of Facebook posts and public comments.

In 2019, Rackete sued Salvini for defamation. But a Milan court ruled in 2023 it could not proceed with the case against Salvini, reportedly for procedural reasons.

Rackete was named as one of the POLITICO 28 Class of 2020 “Dreamers,” highlighting her defiance of Italy’s anti-immigration policies.

During her year in Parliament, Rackete served on the committees for environment, monetary affairs, and agriculture, where she focused on climate justice and advocated for those most affected by inaction on global warming.

Her seat is expected to be filled by Martin Günther, a fellow candidate from The Left in Germany who ran unsuccessfully alongside Rackete in the 2024 election.

“I will continue Carola’s fight for climate justice using the resources of the mandate. As an economist, the economic aspects of this struggle are especially important to me. A more social and ecological EU will only be possible if we reclaim it from the super-rich and their lobbyists,” Günther said in a statement.