SOLIDARITY RALLY : WINTER IS COMING. REFUGEES: WE HAVEN’T FORGOTTEN!
#OpenBorders | #RefugeesWelcome
SATURDAY 21 NOVEMBER | 13:00 | THE SPIRE, O’CONNELL STREET
ALL WELCOME! BRING FLAGS, BANNERS AND PLACARDS
“The challenge for the EU is to slow down the flow of migration and bring Europe’s external border under control. We must also make it clear that people who arrive at our borders who are not looking for international protection have no right to enter the EU” – European Commission president Jean Claude Juncker, October 2015
FOR REFUGEES THE REALITY HAS NOT CHANGED!
We still say #RefugeesWelcome
The ordinary people of Europe have sent food, medicine, clothing and solidarity to refugees. Thousands have organised rallies of support. People offered their homes
But as the crisis grew, so did the “FORTRESS EUROPE” response of the EU leaders. First they stopped the rescue missions at the end of 2014 and thousands of refugees – including many children – died… Then, they blamed the traffickers. The people don’t have any other means of seeking refuge. It is desperation that drives them towards the traffickers, not choice.
The EU leaders cried for a few minutes for Alan, the 3 year old Syrian-Kurdish boy. But their tears dried out quickly and their hearts turned to stone for many other children who died since.
Finally, the EU governments pretended to do something. They came up with a quota system that will resettle 120,000 refugees in 2015/16. It is a ‘lottery’ system for a small minority of people. Meanwhile various EU countries kept bombing, selling arms, supporting oppressive regimes, fuelling conflicts.
European states are closing their internal borders and creating make-shift refugee camps with refugees stuck out in the cold.
What does the EU plan next?
There are only 700,000 refugees in the EU, economically the richest place on earth with a massive population of 600+ million people. Compare this to 6 million refugees in just 3 countries Turkey -Jordan – Lebanon, with a total population of 90 million between them. These countries are not as wealthy as the EU states. The EU has signed agreements to send the refugees back. It is now planning to ‘outsource’ the refugee crisis to other countries.
WINTER IS COMING: WE HAVEN’T FORGOTTEN THE REFUGEES
In this wealthy continent of Europe, it is shameful that ordinary people are made to suffer from austerity and cuts. In Ireland, it is shameful that people are homeless and many families are living in fear of losing their homes. It is shameful that 10 members of the Traveller community died and so many are living in terrible conditions. All of this is the responsibility of our leaders – the same leaders who are creating horrific conditions for refugees. There are enough resources, enough land, and enough to house our people here and the refugees.
Winter is coming. So are the refugees. They have no choice, they were forced to flee. But we in Europe do have a choice – more dead refugees, more suffering children or humanitarian policies to give the refugees safety and care.
United Against Racism
