/Please spread widely:/
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*
*Manifestation against FRONTEX, Fortress Europe and Borders! FERRIES NOT
FRONTEX 23th February 5 pm in front of BCC Berlin*
In 2015, more than 1.000.000 people actively fought against Fortress
Europe by crossing the EU external borders. In reaction to that, the EU
and its border agency Frontex increased their efforts to criminalize
refugees and supporters and thus to impede the freedom of movement. *The
European Police Congress is one of the venues, where the upgrading of
Fortress Europe will be discussed and developed. On February 23^rd ,
Fabrice Leggeri, executive director of Frontex, is going to speak at
this congress*. We want to use his visit as an opportunity to protest
against aggressive and inhumane policies, which the EU imposes on
migrants at the external borders. Come to our manifestation and raise
your voice against FRONTEX, Fortress Europe and borders!
The European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the
External Borders was created in 2005. After the suspension of the
physical Schengen borders, Frontex is now in charge of strengthening the
surveillance and control of the EU external borders. The agency is
operating as the headbody of the EU surveillance network EUROSUR,
coordinating the surveillance systems of the member states. Satellites,
drones and other military technologies are used to control the
pre-frontier area. This objective also requires enhanced cooperation
with countries like Tunisia, Morocco, Turkey and even West African
countries. To prevent the departure of migrants, Frontex is currently
operating in Mali and Niger to create multi-purpose-centers against
unwanted migration towards European borders.
All European measures of border protection have the same intention:
More deterrence, higher fences and greater control. Still, Frontex and
the military operation EUNAVFOR MED against smugglers near Libyan
territorial waters, launched in June, were unable to prevent about
150.000 migrants from succeeding to arrive in Italy during 2015. Not
only during the previous 'summer of migration', millions of refugees
demonstrated that borders can't stop people on the move, but the lack of
legal access routes causes their journey to be dangerous and often
fatal. More than 3700 men, women and children died in 2015 in the
Mediterranean Sea; making it the deadliest border zone of the entire
world. In the year 2016 the Mediterranean continues to be a fatal route
to Europe: According to the UNHCR the number of people dead or missing
already amounts to 403.
In Europe, many harsh plans seeking to gain back control and to close
the borders are currently being discussed. There is for instance the
idea to establish a direct ferry-line for deportations from the Greek
islands back to Turkey. The EU and Frontex implemented the so-called
hotspot approach to establish closed camps at the EU- borders in Italy
and Greece, where Frontex helps to swiftly identify, register and
fingerprint incoming migrants. A lot of investment is made in the
strengthening of so-called screening-procedures with Frontex personnel
conducting interviews in the so-called hotspots on Greek islands. The
aim is to select and reject all those who are considered not being
entitled to protection. Those who are filtered out will face even
harsher detention measures according to the Dublin regulation.
In January 2016 we have witnessed the first consequences of these
attempts to regain control: Civil society actors who are engaged in the
rescue of refugees in distress are criminalized and raided. In
mid-January, the Greek police on Lesvos arrested teammembers of
Proem-Aid and Team Humanity, Spanish and Danish NGOs whose
representatives did the incredible job of saving lives at risk at sea.
They are accused of the alleged offence of trafficking people.
In December 2015, the European Commission presented its proposal for a
new European Border and Coast Guard Agency (EBCG) that would replace and
succeed Frontex, having a stronger role and mandate. The support and
participation of national authorities in border management through
Frontex operations are then mandatory. In early February, the EU and
NATO agreed on sending warships against smugglers into the Aegean Sea.
The mission is meant to deport rescued migrants directly to Turkey.
Europe's response to the failure of its border regime and to the
thousands of deaths in the Mediterranean Sea, are increasingly inhumane
measures of border protection. The massive dying at the EU-borders
might become history if there were legal ways for migrants to enter
Europe. It is a merely political decision to entitle all humans to
access commercial ferries and to suspend the cruel EU-visa regime. The
killing of refugees at European sea borders can be seen as one of the
biggest crimes against humanity. We demand Ferries not Frontex!
#epk16
#FerriesNotFrontex
#FightFortressEurope
#FreedomOfMovement
#OpenEUBorders
/Watch the Med Alarm Phone Berlin /
Please read our newspaper on Ferries for all
here:
http://alarmphone.org/en/2016/02/12/newspaper-ferries-for-all/?post_type_release_type=post
http://alarmphone.org
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