Let’s stop the massacre: national rally on the refugee crisis (Rome, June 20th)

On June 20th, the national rally called “Let’s stop the massacre now!” will take place in Rome. The demonstration has been created by dozens of organisations, including the Italian Coalition for Civil Rights and Freedoms (CILD).

The road that culminates with this gathering started on the world activism day on April 21st, following the deaths of a staggering 800 migrant people in the Mediterranean.

The rally will start at 3pm at the Coliseum.

FERMIAMO LA STRAGE – LET’S STOP THE MASSACRE NOW! 

Europe’s birth or death is in the Mediterranean.

Peace, security, social and economic welfare can only be achieved if universal rights for every woman and every man are observed and respected.

The Mediterranean region is now a powder keg and the Mediterranean sea is an open-air cemetery. Since early 2015, the Mediterranean has claimed the life of more than 1700 people. Historically, culturally, geographically and commerce-wise, Europe is an essential part of this region, but it seems to have lost the its memory.

The tragedy of refugees and migrants, their abandon in the hands of criminal organization, the debate on how, where and who to hit to stop the flow of men and women seeking refuge or a decent life in Europe: all of this is nothing more than the final act of a total lack of political vision from the governments in the EU.

The responsibility of this tragic situation is clear: the choices in politics and the laws by the European governments that don’t allow any room for a safe and legal access to the EU territory are in fact the roadblocks that kill thousands in the Mediterranean, in the Sahara, in the transit countries, in the cul-de-sac that is in Libya. These are conscious and deliberate choices that constitute a crime against humanity.

The answers by the EU, confirmed in the European Agenda on immigration, have proven to be short-sighted and to produce the opposite effects of what they declare to aim at achieving.

Increasing the resources and means for a more intense patrolling of the frontiers, instead of focusing on saving lives, is wrong and will not stop people who want to reach Europe.

So far, open and unsolved conflicts and wars have created over 4 million Palestinian refugees, around 200.000 Sahrawis encamped in the Algerian desert, 9 million Syrians that are either displaced or refugees, 2 million displaced Iraqis. For years there has been a continuous wave of men and women coming from Afghanistan and the hellish situation in Libya, people fleeing Somalia, Eritrea, Sudan and other African countries.

Behind every person and each of their stories of poverty, disease, dictatorships and war, there are international interest of a political and economic nature.

War, poverty, the plundering of natural resources, economic and commercial exploitation and dictatorships are the causes of modern migration.  Being free to move and migrate must be an achievement for humanity, not an obligation.

Europe must offer an answer based on peace, coexistence, democracy, social and economic welfare, getting inspired by the principle of solidarity and abandoning policies of entrenchment, austerity, neoliberalistic trade agreements and privatisation of public goods. Europe must invest in dignifying work, social justice, democracy and sovereignty for the people.

We are Europe. And we need to build solidarity in the social texture of Europe.

Here are our ten priorities to put a stop to this emergency and build the Europe of the future:

1. The EU must immediately put into action a program of search and rescue throughout the entire area of the Mediterranean

2. An immediate withdrawal of every idea of military action against migrants’ boats. This kind of action is not only illegitimate, as stated by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, but it also creates the risk of more deaths and further conflict. This instrument, part of a wider strategy of border externalisation, needs to be put aside for good.

3. A rapid creation of humanitarian corridors and legal access to the European territory. This is the only realistically practical way to stop the so called “death boats” and the action of traffickers. Directive 55/2001 needs to be contextually activated, hence granting the use of a European instrument of protection to the extraordinary flux of migrants and refugees in the EU.

4. A suspension of the Dublin Regulation, paired with giving the possibility to refugees to choose the country they want to reach and economically sustaining, with a specially created fund, appropriate reception measures in those countries on the basis of the presence of refugees. This measures preludes the hope of having a future with a unified European asylum concession system shared by all member States.

5. In preparation for a unified European system, a permanent, unified and enlarged system of reception for small groups needs to be put in place in every member State. We need to put an end to this state of permanent emergency and to the big reception centres that have produced so much corruption and wrongdoing. It needs to be a public system that puts as its compass the dignity of people, the involvement of local communities and municipalities, the presence of competent local realities, transparent procedures and independent controls.

6. A swift intervention in crisis areas to find solutions of peace, without causing further conflict or backing dictators both old and new. An extensive promotion of conflict resolution processes and democratic transitions, non-armed and civic defence, nonviolent action, civil peace corps, and dialogue among the various communities.

7. An immediate suspension of bilateral agreements, such as like the Rabat Process and Khartoum Process, with governments that do not respect human rights and freedoms. The weapons trade towards these countries must also be immediately blocked.

8. A vision-driven program of cooperative intervention for the local sustainable development of the poorest areas, where depopulation and migration are endemic, aimed at stopping multinational corporation from using European development fostering programs for private interests.

9. The creation of an extensive plan of public funding for an economy of peace, for dignifying work and ecologic reconversion.

10. The renegotiation of public debt, the forfeiting of public debt that is either non-collectible or produced by corruption or clientelistic agreements.

Let’s protect and save human lives, not borders!

The organisations that signed this appeal are inviting you to join them at the world activist mobilisation day in Rome on June 20th 2015.

Adhering organisations until May 20th 2015

ACLI, ACT – Agire, Costruire, Trasformare, ACTION, AMM – Archivio delle Memorie Migranti, ANPI, ANSI, Antigone, ARCI, ASGI, Associazione culturale Gianfrancesco Serio, Associazione Di Vivi, Associazione per i Diritti Umani, Associazione nazionale Per la Pace, Associazione per la Pace nel Centopievese, Associazione Sant’Angelo Solidale Onlus, ATTAC Italia, Auser, Casa dei Diritti Sociali, Centro Astalli, CGIL, CIAC, CILD, CIPSI, CIR, Cittadinanzattiva, Comitato no-tem, Coordinamento Nord Sud del Mondo, CNCA, Coop Soc Progetto Con-Tatto, Coordinamento Universitario, COSPE, Costruire, CRIC, Dieci e Venticinque, Dimensioni Diverse, European Alternatives, FIOM-CGIL, FOCSIV, Fondazione Serughetti Centro Studi La Porta, Fratelli dell’Uomo, Gas del Parco di Milano, Gruppo Abele, Council Group of the Milan municipality Sinistra per Pisapia, GUS, La Rete scuole senza permesso di Milano, LasciateCIEntrare, LEGAMBIENTE, LIBERA, LUNARIA, NAGA, NIGRIZIA, Noi siamo Chiesa, Per me Modena (Council Group of the Modena municipality, PRIME Italia, Progetto Diritti, Progetto Diritti di Roma, Rete della Conoscenza, Rete della Pace, Rete degli Studenti Medi, Rete Primo Marzo, Rete Progetto Diritti Milano, Rete Scuole Senza Permesso di Milano, Sbilanciamoci, SEI-UGL, SOS Razzismo, Senza Confine, Trasformare, Unione degli Studenti, UDU-Unione degli Universitari, UIL, ULAIA ArteSud, USI, Verità e Giustizia per i nuovi Desaparecidos,.

Also joining:

Alex Zanotelli, Savino Pezzotta, Assunta Signorelli, Carla Ermoli, Enrico Peyretti, Francesco Mortelli, Leo Piacentini, Luigi Ciotti, Maso Notarianni, Renata Moretti, Sergio Maestroni (mayor of Pregnana Milanese),

To join, write to: stopmassacres2015@gmail.com