DWARS

Brussel, 04.01.2008

FYEG: “Binnen het Europa van vandaag de dag zouden de drie wijzen uit het oosten al zijn uitgeprocedeerd en zijn uitgezet voordat zij de kribbe hadden kunnen bereiken!”

Op Zondag 6 januari zal DWARS, samen met the Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG), EcoloJ (Wallonië) en Jonggroen! (Vlaanderen) protesteren tegen de inhumane behandeling van vluchtelingen en asielzoekers binnen de Europese Unie.
Tijdens de demonstratie in Brussel, zal er een processie plaatsvinden die zal worden geleid door drie wijzen uit het oosten.

Om half twaalf gaat de processie van start. De drie wijzen zullen dan de deelnemers via het centrum van Brussel leiden naar het centrale opvangcentrum voor asielzoekers in St. Pierre Woluwe aan de “Rue des Palmiers”. Daar zullen er cadeautjes worden uitgedeeld aan de kinderen die in het opvangcentrum wonen.

Rond twee uur zullen de drie wijzen uit het oosten een ludieke actie verrichten waarmee zij aandacht vragen voor de intolerante en harde aanpak van asielzoekers, vluchtelingen, uitgeprocedeerden en illegalen binnen de Europese Unie.
Afgevaardigden van Ecole (Wallonië), Groen!(Vlaanderen) en van CNSF-Belgique zullen hier samen met Bartek Lech van de FYEG, een toespraak houden.

DECLARATION:

We, the Young Greens in Europe, are deeply worried about the ever-tougher measures to keep Europe an unreachable island that is floating in isolation on the ocean of the world. Everyday, we are exposed to the cruel images of boat refugees dying. Everyday, we must face the horrible scenes of brutal human rights violations during expulsions at the airports. Everyday, we must hear the cries of the children of asylum-seekers being kept in detention or those of the sans-papiers hungering themselves to death to protest against their inhuman fate. And every time we are confronted with those terrible scenes that we can neither forget nor deny, we believe a little less in that immense undertaking that is the project of Europe. How can we expect to agree with European integration if that leads to the construction of an impenetrable bunker that goes over dead bodies in order to keep its concrete surface "clean"? How are we expected to feel "European" if that entails a misplaced sense of citizenship that excludes all those others living on EU soil and denigrates those living outside of it? We can not tolerate such a derailing of the European process, in which the bright yellow stars of the EU will become invisible behind the colour of rusting barbed wire.

We strongly reject the clause in the proposed Returns Directive to make 18 months of detention the norm for those whose sole "crime" it is to seek residence in the European Union. We therefore call upon Members of the European Parliament to amend this clause before voting on the Directive in January. Furthermore, we demand an immediate end to the abhorrent practice of the detention of asylum-seekers and refugees, especially under-aged ones and ask for immediate and large-scale measures to improve their living conditions. We also urge the European Union to put mechanisms into place to duly sanction those member states whose asylum procedures and practices present ongoing violations of the UN Refugee convention as well as other international human rights conventions. Finally, we call upon the governments of member states to end the uncertain and degrading situation in which many undocumented migrants live by granting legal status to everyone living in their country. In specifically, we would like to urge the new Belgian government to present a proposal for the regularisation of undocumented migrants, as some members of the government coalition have done promises in this respect before the elections, which they now miserably fail to live up to. We therefore declare our solidarity with the sans-papiers residing at Rue Royale 91 that are currently undertaking a hunger strike.

For us, Young Greens of Europe, the visit of the Magi symbolizes the gift of cultural diversity that those coming from afar are offering to us. The Magi were benign foreigners that were deeply respected for their wisdom and they and their precious gifts were gladly received. How sad to notice that due to the current climate of xenophobia, hospitality has given way to hostility towards the Foreigner. How sad to realize, that IN TODAY'S EUROPE, THE MAGI WOULD BE DETAINED AND EXPELLED BEFORE BEING ABLE TO HAND OUT THEIR GIFTS.

Let's protest in unity against the terrible regime of expulsion and detention that has to keep the walls of fortress Europe upright. LET"S TEAR DOWN THE WALLS IN OUR HEAD!!!!!!!!

Signed on 04.01.2008,

FYEG
EcoloJ
Jonggroen!
Dwars