More pictures can be found on:
http://jesshurd.com/2015/05/19/no-borders-eurostar-body-bags/
https://drive.google.com/a/soas.ac.uk/folderview?id=0B10U8u75yK92fnNUTU9SY0JDek9UaXlBSkgyQzVFVmVwclhhZ0dfdHdzUlg2ektEZV9EMFU&usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/a/soas.ac.uk/folderview?id=0B10U8u75yK92fnNUTU9SY0JDek9UaXlBSkgyQzVFVmVwclhhZ0dfdHdzUlg2ektEZV9EMFU&usp=sharing
Statement on the action yesterday (also attached as PDF):
"On Tuesday 19th May, we staged a demonstrative action to protest FRONTEX and the
EU’s irresponsible ‘externalisation’ approach to border policy on FRONTEX’s 10th
anniversary.
EU’s irresponsible ‘externalisation’ approach to border policy on FRONTEX’s 10th
anniversary.
Unknown tens of thousands of deaths have been caused as a direct result of the agency’s
establishment. Delocalising border controls and outsourcing the management of migration
flows has created a situation where neither FRONTEX nor the participating state actors
are held accountable for migrants’ rights violations. Our action aims to highlight that
FRONTEX’s 10th birthday is no cause for celebration.
FRONTEX was created in 2005 by the EU national governments in order to prevent
access to its 42,000 km of coastline, 9,000 km of land borders and 300 international
airports. It now plays a key role in migration policy - reflected in the mammoth increases in
its budget (from €19 million in 2006 to €118 million in 2011), its allocated military
resources and its autonomy. This evolution has occurred in tandem with a rapid drop in
funding for search and rescue operations - a ‘let them drown’ policy endorsed by the UK’s
Home Office.
Organised by the “No Borders” campaign at SOAS, the flash mob consisted of 25 of the 35
involved occupying the space just outside of the Eurostar exit in body bags, serving as a
visual representation of the consequences of FRONTEX’s existence. Other participants
distributed informational fliers for passers-by. A list remembering the 20,000+ migrants
that perished up to 2012 was recited for the duration, while the pianist of the group played
a dark rendition of the ‘happy birthday’ song as a discomfiting reminder that every
successive year of the agency’s existence means more unnecessary deaths.
We chose the Eurostar area to draw attention to the imbalance of a situation in which
those privileged by a geographical accident of birth can safely cross the Channel without
seeing a single drop of water while at least 3,000 attempted migrants have drowned in the
Mediterranean in 2015 alone.
FRONTEX and every state complicit with the EU’s border policy stand in direct
contravention of Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), which
enshrines freedom of circulation and proclaims the right to “leave any country, including
one’s own, and to return to one’s own country”. Beyond even its inestimable bodycount,
the readmissions agreements FRONTEX signs with third countries allow those migrants
who survive to be returned to states with which they have no link at all beyond transiting
their territory before being intercepted in Europe. The agency considers that it is not its
responsibility to confirm that human rights are respected in a given country.
The oft-repeated explanation of “smugglers” as the main cause of death on the
Mediterranean is a smokescreen for hypocrisy - these smuggling networks are given life
by the same visa regime that prevents migrants from reaching Europe legally.
It is indispensable and urgent to raise awareness of the EU’s murderous border policy, and
to challenge our governments to answer for the blood on their hands."
establishment. Delocalising border controls and outsourcing the management of migration
flows has created a situation where neither FRONTEX nor the participating state actors
are held accountable for migrants’ rights violations. Our action aims to highlight that
FRONTEX’s 10th birthday is no cause for celebration.
FRONTEX was created in 2005 by the EU national governments in order to prevent
access to its 42,000 km of coastline, 9,000 km of land borders and 300 international
airports. It now plays a key role in migration policy - reflected in the mammoth increases in
its budget (from €19 million in 2006 to €118 million in 2011), its allocated military
resources and its autonomy. This evolution has occurred in tandem with a rapid drop in
funding for search and rescue operations - a ‘let them drown’ policy endorsed by the UK’s
Home Office.
Organised by the “No Borders” campaign at SOAS, the flash mob consisted of 25 of the 35
involved occupying the space just outside of the Eurostar exit in body bags, serving as a
visual representation of the consequences of FRONTEX’s existence. Other participants
distributed informational fliers for passers-by. A list remembering the 20,000+ migrants
that perished up to 2012 was recited for the duration, while the pianist of the group played
a dark rendition of the ‘happy birthday’ song as a discomfiting reminder that every
successive year of the agency’s existence means more unnecessary deaths.
We chose the Eurostar area to draw attention to the imbalance of a situation in which
those privileged by a geographical accident of birth can safely cross the Channel without
seeing a single drop of water while at least 3,000 attempted migrants have drowned in the
Mediterranean in 2015 alone.
FRONTEX and every state complicit with the EU’s border policy stand in direct
contravention of Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), which
enshrines freedom of circulation and proclaims the right to “leave any country, including
one’s own, and to return to one’s own country”. Beyond even its inestimable bodycount,
the readmissions agreements FRONTEX signs with third countries allow those migrants
who survive to be returned to states with which they have no link at all beyond transiting
their territory before being intercepted in Europe. The agency considers that it is not its
responsibility to confirm that human rights are respected in a given country.
The oft-repeated explanation of “smugglers” as the main cause of death on the
Mediterranean is a smokescreen for hypocrisy - these smuggling networks are given life
by the same visa regime that prevents migrants from reaching Europe legally.
It is indispensable and urgent to raise awareness of the EU’s murderous border policy, and
to challenge our governments to answer for the blood on their hands."
ANTI-FRONTEX DAYS IN WARSAW
Announcement: May 21st, 2015 „Day without Papers”
Warsaw – Migrants, activists, supporters of the struggle against the EU border regime, call for Day without Papers to be held internationally on May 21st, as a part of the upcoming antifrontex days in Warsaw.
On May 21st, 2015 European officials will gather in Warsaw, Poland, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the creation of one of the most influential meta-organizations – Frontex. Its main task is to guard the welfare of Fortress Europe, resulting in deaths of thousands of migrants and making the Mediterranean Sea the deadliest border in the world.
At the very same time migrants, human rights activists and supporters from Africa, Asia and Europe will also come to Warsaw to protest EU border policy enforced by Frontex. The struggle for the most basic rights of migrants is gaining momentum in Europe, thousands of people support the demand for respecting the right of all persons, regardless of their citizenship and ethnicity to life in security and dignity.
Warsaw anti-frontex days are the occasion to raise awareness about the migrants struggle, especially in Poland, especially in the context of the antimigrants protests planned by the nationalist movement. For that reason, in a symbolic gesture of solidarity with people who made it to Europe, but still did not get a chance of life in security and dignity, stuck without a opportunity to regularize their legal status, we call for each to leave their documents at home on Thursday, May 21st and join the demonstration against deadly Frontex policies.
To learn more about upcoming events and the call for international day without papers, come to the press conference.
Press Conference Anti-frontex days, Day without papers
Tuesday, May 19th, 1 pm
EMMA HOSTEL, Wilcza Str. 25/4, Warsaw 00-544, Poland
For more info please visit migracja.noblogs.org
Video: http://www.theguardian.com/global/video/2015/may/19/no-borders-protesters-perform-die-in-at-london-st-pancras-video?CMP=share_btn_fb
More pictures can be found on:
http://jesshurd.com/2015/05/19/no-borders-eurostar-body-bags/
https://drive.google.com/a/soas.ac.uk/folderview?id=0B10U8u75yK92fnNUTU9SY0JDek9UaXlBSkgyQzVFVmVwclhhZ0dfdHdzUlg2ektEZV9EMFU&usp=sharing
Statement on the action yesterday (also attached as PDF):
"On Tuesday 19th May, we staged a demonstrative action to protest FRONTEX and the
EU’s irresponsible ‘externalisation’ approach to border policy on FRONTEX’s 10th
anniversary.
Unknown tens of thousands of deaths have been caused as a direct result of the agency’s
establishment. Delocalising border controls and outsourcing the management of migration
flows has created a situation where neither FRONTEX nor the participating state actors
are held accountable for migrants’ rights violations. Our action aims to highlight that
FRONTEX’s 10th birthday is no cause for celebration.
FRONTEX was created in 2005 by the EU national governments in order to prevent
access to its 42,000 km of coastline, 9,000 km of land borders and 300 international
airports. It now plays a key role in migration policy - reflected in the mammoth increases in
its budget (from €19 million in 2006 to €118 million in 2011), its allocated military
resources and its autonomy. This evolution has occurred in tandem with a rapid drop in
funding for search and rescue operations - a ‘let them drown’ policy endorsed by the UK’s
Home Office.
Organised by the “No Borders” campaign at SOAS, the flash mob consisted of 25 of the 35
involved occupying the space just outside of the Eurostar exit in body bags, serving as a
visual representation of the consequences of FRONTEX’s existence. Other participants
distributed informational fliers for passers-by. A list remembering the 20,000+ migrants
that perished up to 2012 was recited for the duration, while the pianist of the group played
a dark rendition of the ‘happy birthday’ song as a discomfiting reminder that every
successive year of the agency’s existence means more unnecessary deaths.
We chose the Eurostar area to draw attention to the imbalance of a situation in which
those privileged by a geographical accident of birth can safely cross the Channel without
seeing a single drop of water while at least 3,000 attempted migrants have drowned in the
Mediterranean in 2015 alone.
FRONTEX and every state complicit with the EU’s border policy stand in direct
contravention of Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), which
enshrines freedom of circulation and proclaims the right to “leave any country, including
one’s own, and to return to one’s own country”. Beyond even its inestimable bodycount,
the readmissions agreements FRONTEX signs with third countries allow those migrants
who survive to be returned to states with which they have no link at all beyond transiting
their territory before being intercepted in Europe. The agency considers that it is not its
responsibility to confirm that human rights are respected in a given country.
The oft-repeated explanation of “smugglers” as the main cause of death on the
Mediterranean is a smokescreen for hypocrisy - these smuggling networks are given life
by the same visa regime that prevents migrants from reaching Europe legally.
It is indispensable and urgent to raise awareness of the EU’s murderous border policy, and
to challenge our governments to answer for the blood on their hands."