AYS Daily Digest 19/08/2020 — Boy Drowns Trying to Reach the UK
Open Arms ship returns to Mediterranean // More illegal pushbacks in the Aegean // Mare Liberum ships detained by Germany // Situation in Bosnia close to boiling & More
FEATURE — Boy Drowns in the Channel While Trying to Reach the UK
The body of a 16-year-old Sudanese boy was found on the French coast on Wednesday. The boy had tried to cross the Channel on a small boat with one other travel companion, who was treated for injuries at a local hospital. They reportedly used shovels for oars to paddle their inflatable dinghy.
Our words cannot capture the tragedy of losing a young life in such a horrible way. His death, along with the injuries and deaths of countless others attempting to make the dangerous crossing, could easily have been avoided. UK asylum rules are structured so that people have to reach UK territory before they can request asylum, but there are no safe, legal routes to reach Britain. This lack of options weighs even heavier on children, who are often trying to reach relatives in the UK but have no path towards family reunification. In addition to shutting down family reunification, Britain has shirked its obligation to resettle unaccompanied children — it promised to take 3,000 minors, but so far it’s only accepted 200 (article is behind a paywall).
Not only did the UK government’s hostile immigration policy cause this child’s death, its officials are refusing to take responsibility. Priti Patel tweeted that “This horrendous incident serves as a brutal reminder of the abhorrent criminal gangs and people smugglers who exploit vulnerable people.” There is no evidence that traffickers were involved in the crossing, but plenty of evidence that her government’s policies are causing unnecessary deaths such as this one. The callousness is reflected in the media as well. A BBC presenter asked, on-air, if the boy’s death was not a matter of “personal responsibility.” No child deserves to die, no matter the decisions they make. If the question of responsibility is raised, perhaps Britain’s responsibility towards the colonies it decimated, like Sudan, should also be discussed. Unfortunately, this hostile attitude is reflected among some members of the British public. Comments on The Daily Mail’s site and Facebook page are full of vile glee at the thought of a child’s death.
At the end of the day, what matters here is that a child died. His death was entirely preventable, if he’d been given a safe route to a life in the UK and safety from violence in France. We cannot bring him back. We cannot erase the pain and trauma his family and his friends must be feeling. What we can do is work to help the other children stuck in Calais, some as young as 10, who just want a normal life.
LEBANON
People on the move are among the worst-hit in Lebanon following the explosion in Beirut. Many were already living below the poverty line, in precarious housing, and without health insurance, which makes it difficult to receive treatment for injuries received during the blast or find jobs in a devastated Beirut.
SEA
As governments continue to detain NGO ships, the Open Arms boat is resuming operations. Their services are much needed, but they cannot do this alone. Meanwhile, SOS Mediterranee is asking for signatures on a petition to free their ship, the Ocean Viking, from detention by Italian authorities.
Twenty-seven people are still stuck on the cargo ship Etienne, two weeks after they were rescued in Maltese SAR. It’s inhumane to leave people stuck at sea for so long! This has happened too many times this summer.
GREECE
Another illegal pushback occurred off the coast of Lesvos on Wednesday. AlarmPhone reported that 34 people were in distress north of the island of Lesvos, and the Greek Coast Guard was refusing to conduct a rescue. Later, Turkish authorities had to rescue the people from the inflatable life rafts they were put into. This brings the number of people subjected to illegal pushbacks since Sunday up to 159.
Even as evidence of illegal pushbacks piles in, Greek authorities continue to deny what is happening. The Hellenic Police underreported the number of people who landed on Lesvos in August, not counting people who were subjected to illegal pushbacks (they also misrepresented why the population of Moria has dropped). Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis even denied that pushbacks are happening during a CNN interview with Christiane Amanpour.
Even as harsh lockdowns continue on camps, with the goal of “stopping coronavirus spread,” the Greek government is making it clear that they do not care about keeping people in the camps safe. The General Secretary of the Ministry of Immigration stated that there is no need to test employees working in camps when they return from vacation. Evidence shows that returning from vacation is one of the most likely sources of coronavirus transmission.
While looking at the numbers of people in camps or pushed back, and policies of the Greek government, it can be easy to lose sight of the human cost of what is going on. This next section will try to summarize that.
Anwar Nillufary, a stateless person stuck in Greece, is on the 58th day of his hunger strike in protest of the years of uncertainty he has been subjected to by the asylum process. He has received no medical attention.
There are 4511 unaccompanied minors in Greece, most of them in unsatisfactory, unsafe living conditions.
Anna Pantelia, shared this gut-wrenching story about a young woman who died in a fire in Kara Tepe last December, leaving behind three children. “N” was a midwife fleeing the Taliban who wanted to continue her crucial work in Greece, but could not work due to the Greek government’s policies. She was young, resilient and did her best to stay positive. She had her whole life ahead of her and was robbed of her future, and her children were robbed of their mother, because of callous policies that house people in such unsafe conditions. Please read her story. Remember the people behind the headlines.
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA
Residents of Velika Kladusa gathered to protest and stop the free movement of people on the move. They intercepted several buses coming into Velika Kladusa to pull off people on the move, blocked roads, and one person even broke a window on a bus. Authorities only added fuel to the fire. The police showed up but did not actually stop the vigilante actions happening. Canton authorities reacted by banning the transport of people on the move on Wednesday morning.
Residents began protesting because they accused people on the move of violence and property destruction. They claimed residents are being harassed and that local warehouses and abandoned buildings where people are sleeping rough were set on fire. It’s true that there are many people living outside of formal structures in the canton, due to overcrowding. However, they have no other choice because there is no adequate support from local, national, or EU governments.
The situation in Velika Kladuša is close to boiling, as one of the long term local activists told AYS. “It is only a question of time when a physical confrontation between the locals and the people on the move will start.”
As the number of people on the move in the area of Velika Kladuša is getting higher, the camps remain closed for them as they are full and no solution is in sight for a transit camp or similar facility that could host those people in a decent manner while they are in town. For a longer period, the people have been forbidden to enter restaurants, many shops, cafes and other public spaces. Left unattended by the social and health services provided to those in the camps, supported only by the few groups, NGOs and locals, and recently abandoned by most, the people have been left on their own to take care of the basic things, so many are picking the fruits and vegetables from the local gardens and such. The local and cantonal policies are such that they seem to push for the issue to escalate, while the media are spreading rhetorics of fear and racist notion among the locals who are now confined in their towns and villages as their traveling has almost completely been restricted due to Covid19 measures. Unless a solution or help is provided urgently, an unpredictable escalation is imminent.
We will continue monitoring this situation and update as we learn more.
SLOVENIA
Infokolpa in Slovenia is collecting phones, chargers, and external batteries to donate to people on the move who’ve had their phones destroyed. Learn more, including how to donate, here!
ITALY
The outsourcing of Europe’s borders continues! Italy pledged €11 million in aid to Tunisia to enact stricter border control measures. The money will go towards a common information system, maintaining patrol boats, installing radar equipment and more. Di Maio also said the EU will create “a big plan for Tunisian youth,” but money for rebuilding the economy and providing aid is not as easily allocated as money for security systems.
About 8,000 people from Tunisia have arrived in Italy since the beginning of the year.
Firefighters and a local shepherd in Ventimiglia rescued four people trying to cross to France. France has suspended the Schengen area, leading people to take dangerous routes through the woods to cross the border. The group got trapped on a rocky ledge while trying to escape from the French gendarmes. In this case they were able to be rescued, but others may not be so lucky. What will happen once it gets cold and there are snow and ice in the mountains?
FRANCE
FAST, the First-Aid Support Team, is looking for volunteers as it starts working in Calais again! If you’re a healthcare professional, you can lend your skills where they’re urgently needed. Learn more and find out how to apply here.
A positive case of coronavirus has been reported in the Toulouse CRA. Testing is ongoing. The women’s sector was placed under quarantine and visits are suspended, but people are saying that conditions inside make it difficult to socially distance or protect themselves.
AUSTRIA
For an academic perspective on current issues, check out this article on social housing for people on the move in Vienna, currently available to read for free online.
GERMANY
The German Ministry of Transportation has officially detained Mare Liberum’s two ships, the Mare Liberum and the Sebastian K. They were detained under a new safety regulation that was changed specifically to target NGO ships.
The Mare Liberum has vowed to take legal action immediately. NGO ships perform vital functions in the Mediterranean, from monitoring for illegal pushbacks to conducting rescue missions. Without them, even more people will die.
UK
A vigilante attacked a young man who disembarked on a beach in Kent. Although the man was not badly hurt, he is probably traumatized by the awful “welcome” he’s received from the country he hoped would provide him with safety.
Politicians, including MP Natalie Elphicke who directly called for people to be “stopped and returned”, condemned the attack. However, their violent, dehumanizing rhetoric is responsible for emboldening racist acts like these.
Instead of providing people with safe routes to the UK or working to find safe accommodation for new arrivals, the Home Office is busy deporting vulnerable people. Using the Dublin Regulation as an excuse, the government yanked people out of their housing and informed them that they will be going to France, Germany or Spain on charter flights in the next few days. Many will face persecution, homelessness and poor living conditions in the countries they are sent to. People condemned these actions, especially in the middle of a pandemic and as cases across Europe are rising.
EU
This article by BC Donaldson breaks down the changes to EU asylum policy that Germany is proposing, and how they would hurt people on the move by depriving them of their rights. It is the first article in his newsletter, which you can subscribe to here (For more of his writing, read this analysis of Greece’s illegal pushbacks).
GENERAL/WORTH READING
This brief by European Insights analyzes the pathways towards immigration available to people on the move in the EU and their effectiveness (spoiler: they’re “under-used and not nearly sufficient.”)
Next Tuesday, Refugee Law Initiative is hosting a webinar about their MA in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies.
No Name Kitchen published the latest installment in their weekly series from volunteers reporting on their work at Europe’s borders.
Find daily updates and special reports on our Medium page.
If you wish to contribute, either by writing a report or a story, or by joining the info gathering team, please let us know.
We strive to echo correct news from the ground through collaboration and fairness. Every effort has been made to credit organisations and individuals with regard to the supply of information, video, and photo material (in cases where the source wanted to be accredited). Please notify us regarding corrections.
If there’s anything you want to share or comment, contact us through Facebook, Twitter or write to: areyousyrious@gmail.com
