Citizens gather in front of EU Berlaymont building to denounce the deaths of migrants

Since Monday August 12th, citizens have been gathering in front of the Berlaymont building to call out the names of the migrants who die while trying to reach Europe.

The organizer, Christelle Delbrouck, wrote on the Facebook Page:

“In order not to forget the immeasurable losses caused by this Europe of Hatred, we will regularly read, in the public space, the list of these victims (published by United for Intercultural Action). We will start Monday, August 12, 2019 in front of the Berlaymont. And we will start the next Monday, again and again. Because these Humans do not displease their executioners, have existed. And that these deaths are part of history. And when it comes to accountability, they will be part of it.”

The post states: “For many years, Europe has hardened its laws towards the poorest. Today, we want to draw attention to the catastrophic situation imposed on Exiles by our deadly and criminal European policies. Every day, because of this Fortress Europe, men, women and children die on the roads of exile. And our leaders, as the only answer to these horrors perpetrated, “sell” human beings to confirmed dictatorships to guarantee the impermeability of borders. These Exile.e.s are at the mercy of traffickers, slavers or extreme police. They suffer rape, torture, slavery, prostitution, without any reaction from our responsible Europe. Worse, when some people manage to escape their detention, by flight or after giving in to the blackmail of their executioners, they clash with a Mediterranean that has become a cemetery by blocking rescue boats and criminalizing NGOs.”

“And if they manage to land, they are abused, criminalized, parceled, forgotten, insulted by our national governments who reject them, creating a breeding ground for the rise of extremes. Since 1993, more than 40,000 people have died as a result of Fortress Europe’s criminal policy. The figures are probably even more important since the count of these disappeared is only via the NGO United for Intercultural Action. Our countries do not deign to make an official census of their own crimes, as if these people did not exist, had never existed and deserved no respect. Not to mention that many people have disappeared without there being any trace of their passage on earth.”

Their demands are:

• Legal and safe migration routes.
• The unconditional respect of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for ALL human beings.
• The recovery of rescues at sea.
• Stopping spending on buffer states that have proved unworthy to deal with the migratory cause (Libya, Turkey, etc).
• Effective and humane reception facilities for the Exiles to provide them with the security, housing, food, education and legal advice they may need to rebuild, settle and become human again.
• Decriminalization of the solidarity of citizens, associations and NGOs towards the most vulnerable people.