AYS Daily Digest 20.06.19: Abandoned at Sea on World Refugee Day
Resistance on World Refugee Day / Refugees abandoned by MRCC Rome/ Missing dinghies in Med. / New arrivals in Greece/ People smugglers who killed 71 sentenced to life in Hungary / Demonstrations in France / Report on criminalization of solidarity / and more
Jun 20
Feature: Resistance on World Refugee Day
Today is World Refugee Day, a day partly created by the UN in order to share the stories and stand with refugees and migrants across the world. Today, we are looking at a world that is becoming increasingly hostile and deadly for refugees. In America, harsh policies have led to the deaths of over 1,000people trying to pass through inhospitable land and desert to avoid border police. And in Europe, the funding of the violent Libyan Coast Guard — coupled with the prosecution of civilian rescue ships and the stranding of refugees at sea — has led to thousands of deaths in the Mediterranean. This year alone, 597 refugees and migrants have drowned in the Mediterranean, according to the IOM. Just yesterday, an estimated 22 people went missing in the Mediterranean and are feared drowned. Today, there are refugees stranded at sea aboard rescue ships, being denied a port of disembarkation, while others call for rescue to unresponsive ears. As of writing, there are at least 200 people in distress awaiting rescue in the Mediterranean while the Sea-Watch 3 is being forced to sit idly off the coast of Italy.
As nationalists across the world clamor for more border walls and incite fear and violence against people on the move, today’s World Refugee Day demands more than statements of solidarity or the sharing of stories. On this World Refugee Day, we must commit to another year of action and resistance against unjust policies and governments. In this spirit, rather than featuring one story for today’s digest, we are sharing statements from various groups featuring their calls to action and perspectives on this day.
In honor of World Refugee Day, the solidarity workers in No Name Kitchen shared the story of an Afghan man who is trying to pass through the militarized borders of Europe right now. His story is a reminder of the millions of others making these perilous journeys and of the need to disobey and resist our governments which make life so needlessly dangerous for refugees.
Right now, while you read this, tired feet advance in the Croatian mountains. They are the feet of an Afghan man. Two days ago he went into the forest from Velika Kladuša to try to reach Trieste, Italy. Surely he has walked 40 or 50 kilometers. The man walks at night and day. He hides behind the trees every time he hears that something is coming.
He has tried to reach Europe more than fifteen times since November last year. The last time the Croatian police found him half way. They took all his things. They burned them. They threw him to the ground. They hit him. They didn’t give him his right to ask for asylum and then deported him. But the Afghan man has not lost hope…
And while he advances others also do. 70 million people from all over the world have [been forced to move], says UNHCR’s latest annual study, published yesterday. 70 million children, girls, women and men have had to leave their homes to flee wars, violence and persecution… Refugees now depend on the civil disobedience of those who decide to get out of comfort to fight them and for them. That’s why today, on world refugee day, we make a call-or an invitation-to disobey injustice with us.
A number of sea rescue organizations shared their commitment to saving lives at sea despite attempts at criminalization for World Refugee Day.
In the Moulins, France, young refugees demonstrated at the office of city government to protest their poor treatment and lack of shelter.
Organizations across Greece described the atrocious conditions faced by refugees on many islands and in isolated country-side camps, and pledged to continue fighting for the rights of refugees in the country.
Today is World Refugee Day
Today we honour the resilience of the more than 70 million people displaced worldwide.
Today, we affirm and celebrate the humanity, diversity and strength of the people we work with and work for every day.
We choose to laugh, to dance and sing to the rhythms of cultures from all over the world.
We choose to highlight what unites us.And today we renew our commitment to stay on the island for however long we’re needed.
We renew our commitment to stand for humanity. We renew our commitment to stand with refugees. (Samos Volunteers)
Judith Sunderland, a director at Human Rights Watch, broke down the EU and Italy’s abysmal record on refugee rights in a short series of tweets, and proposed some concrete steps forward. You can see the full thread here.
Sea
120 People in Distress Abandoned by EU-Funded Libyan Coast Guard
Yesterday the Alarm Phone emergency rescue hotline relayed information about a boat carrying 120 people in distress to the Libyan Coast Guard (LCG). The LCG did not respond to the call for a number of hours and then relayed false information that the boat had been rescued. Alarm Phone was able to get back in touch with some people aboard the dinghy who stated that they were still at sea and that there was no sign of an approaching ship. As of writing, Alarm Phone has reported that they have tried to reach the LCG multiple times to no avail, and are still waiting for a response from MRCC Rome.
The Mission Life Line received a distress call from 80 people stranded on a dinghy in the Mediterranean. As of writing, they have not been rescued.
Stranded Aboard the Sea-Watch
42refugees are still stranded on the sea rescue ship the Sea-Watch 3 right outside of the port of Lampedusa. They have been there since June 14th. The captain of the ship, Carola, released a video from the ship pleading with Italian authorities to allow the people on board to disembark. Ten people have been allowed to leave so far for medical reasons, but according to the captain, the long time at sea is causing sickness and dehydration for those that remain. “We really need to disembark these people to a place of safety as soon as possible!”
Meanwhile, ten volunteers from the rescue ship Iuventa are still under criminal investigation by authorities in Lampedusa, and the ship is impounded, unable to save lives.
22 Feared Dead in Western Mediterranean
Yesterday, 27 people were rescued from a boat that allegedly left carrying 49. As of today, 22 people are still believed missing off this boat. There is no information in mainstream media sources or by rescue organizations yet on the details of this incident, and whether the ship sank or had an accident. However, the Nador section of the Moroccan Human Rights Association stated that the boat did sink, but that no local hospitals have received the bodies.
Greece
New Arrivals (from Aegean Boat Report)
So far this morning, three boats have arrived on the Greek Aegean Islands, 117 people.
First boat landed in Skala Mistegnon, Lesvos north east 03.50.
50 people
No breakdown available.Second boat was picked up outside Skala Mistegnon, Lesvos north east by HCG 04.40.
41 people
No breakdown available.Third boat landed on Farmakonisi 06.00, transported to Leros.
26 people
No breakdown available.
Watch the Med/Alarm Phone released their bi-weekly report of distress calls and rescues in the Aegean sea. Over the past two weeks, they recorded seven distress calls, four of which resulted in rescues by the Greek Coast Guard, and three resulting forced returns to Turkey by the Turkish Coast Guard. You can see their report in full here.
Hungary
Four People Smugglers Sentenced to Life in Prison Over 2015 Death of 71 People
In August of 2015, Austrian authorities found an abandoned truck carrying the bodies of 71 refugees and migrants. They had suffocated in the overcrowded truck while being transported through the country. Today a Hungarian court sentenced three Bulgarians and an Afghan, who was identified as the “ringleader,” to life in prison.
Germany
Call for Volunteers — Tent Collection
On Sunday afternoon the 18th of August volunteers will be collecting tents in Mätteli after a festival. Email notentwaste@gmail.com to get involved.
France
Forced Evictions in Calais
Today a joint report was released by Help Refugees, L’Auberge des Migrants, Human Rights Observers and Refugee Info Bus focused on forced evictions of refugees in Calais and Grande-Synthe. According to their findings, at least 803 people were forcibly displaced by French police in these areas between 1 August 2018 and 1 June 2019. Their report found that these often violent evictions only worsened the situation for refugees living in the area and rarely resulted in any long-term housing solutions. According to the summary of their report:
These evictions take place on a daily basis in Calais, in which displaced people are forced out of their living sites, subjected to police violence and, if they’re not present, the destruction of their belongings. They affect all displaced people in Calais, including unaccompanied children as young as 10 years old. The relentless and repetitive nature of the evictions appear to deliberately exhaust the communities.
Forced evictions only serve to add to the accumulated trauma of refugees and migrants, creating further hostility rather than offer a dignified solution… This report proves the current policy focused on preventing any ‘fixation points’ of migrant communities to be a failure. Indeed, despite 803 evictions between August 2018 and June 2019, there are still over 1,000 displaced people present in the area, of which 255 are unaccompanied minors and 277 are people in family units.
Hundreds of police officers conducting degrading, inhumane, expensive and wholly ineffective actions is not a solution to the migrant crisis at our border.
You can download the report in full [French and English] here.
There will be a demonstration in Rennes this Saturday, the 22nd, led by undocumented people against the inhumane conditions in the French reception centers. Click here for more details.
First Aid Support Team — FAST is urgently looking for medics in Calais and Dunkirk. Are you a nurse, doctor, paramedic or first aider with a lot of experience? Please apply!
Check out the website for more info.
General
The UNHCR released their monthly report on arrivals to Europe. They found that in May, 6,300 refugees and migrants arrived in Europe. You can find the report in full here.
Report on the Criminalization of Solidarity
A report focused on the increasing criminalization of solidarity work between Western citizens and refugees authored by the Italian NGO Melting Pot Europa found that in 2018, 104 people were prosecuted for helping migrants and refugees. According to the same report, at least 158 people have been investigated or prosecuted for aiding refugees between 2015 and 2019. Greece, Italy, and France were the top countries where these prosecutions occurred. You can see the full report [in Italian] here.
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