Kompass-Newsletter No. 99 - 11/2021

 

Tripoli: self-organized permanent protest in front of UNHCR +++ Demonstrations in Poland against human rights violations and against torture at the Polish-Belarusian border +++ Munich: Protest camp in front of the Central Foreigner Office - No deportations to Sierra Leone+++ 18.11. in Greece: Trial against ECRI +++ 2.12.-5.12. in Stuttgart: JoG against IMK +++ From 3.12. in Wiesbaden: Relatives from Hanau in the investigation commission +++ 10./11.12. in Wiesbaden: Block AfD Bundesparteitag +++ Moving Cities: new transnational map on safe ports +++ "From Sea to Prison" - report on criminalization of boat drivers in Italy +++ El Hiblu 3: Freedom Commission launched +++ Migration Control: news on the EU Migration Pact +++ Transnational Social Strike: From Borders to Metropolis +++ Outlook: Transborder Summer Camp in July 2022

Dear friends,

About 3000 refugees and migrants have been organizing a permanent protest in Tripoli for several weeks. The background is the brutal raids and mass internment by the Libyan militia at the beginning of October. During an attempted breakout, six people were shot dead and many others seriously injured. Since then, people have been camping and demonstrating in front of the UNHCR building. By Libyan situation, it is the largest and longest self-organized protest to date, carried mainly by Sudanese and Eritrean refugees.

On October 28, the "Presidium" of the protest camp, with the support of Mediterranea and Amnesty in Italy, had invited to an online press conference, see https://mediterranearescue.org/en/news-en/refugees-in-libya-presse-conference-28-10-2021/. In an impressive way, live reports from on the ground were provided. Several speakers held European governments jointly responsible for the inhumane conditions in Libya and very clearly stated their central demand: Evacuation now! To a safe place! No (un)voluntary repatriations to the countries of origin or to other transit countries, as practiced and propagated by UNHCR and IOM.

https://moving-cities.eu is the title of a new website, on which - as of 31.10.21 - a total of 747 cities from all over Europe are gathered, which speak out for another migration policy. More than 30 mayors proclaimed the "international alliance of safe havens" in Palermo in June of this year. And all these municipalities could now also play an important role in exerting pressure at institutional levels for reception programs: not only by declaring that they welcome the protesters from Tripoli, but also by playing a concrete role in pressing the evacuation demand.

For many years, the central Mediterranean has been one of the deadliest refugee routes in the world and one of the most contested spaces at the EU's external borders. Frontex and the push-back collaboration with Libyan militias remain a media issue, while the civilian rescue ships and Alarm Phone provide continued critical publicity. On the occasion of the renewed escalation in Libya, even the Pope has taken a direct stand. For the coming weeks, there is both the urgency and the opportunity to work in a broad alliance - and from the Sea to the City! - to make the demands from Tripoli not only unmistakable but also enforceable.

In this spirit,

Solidarity greetings from the Kompass team