The beginning of October marks exactly ten years since 368 refugees drowned off the Italian island of Lampedusa.
This terrible disaster was followed just a week later by another disaster when a boat carrying several hundred people fleeing the war in Syria capsized in the Mediterranean Sea, drowning nearly 300 refugees.
“Never again”, EU leaders said after these disasters, only to build new deadly refugee walls, reduce rescue efforts and criminalise support and assistance to refugees.
30,000 have died
Since 2014, nearly 30,000 people have died trying to reach Europe, most of whom (over 26,000) have drowned in the Mediterranean, which has become the sea of death. Ans The so-called Central Mediterranean route remains the world’s most dangerous escape route.
But it is the only route left after others have been closed by EU governments’ increasingly brutal refugee policies.
The year 2023 is set to be one of the deadliest. So far this year, the Mediterranean has become a grave for more than 2 000 refugees, more than in each of the previous four years.
As new refugee walls have been built, more and more refugees have been forced to try to reach Europe by sea from Tunisia to Lampedusa, which has not received any additional resources to accommodate the thousands of refugees that have arrived.
Record number refugees
Only with the help of volunteers can refugees who reach have arrived on the island be fed and sheltered. In 2015 and 2016, around 8 percent of refugees arrived in Lampedusa — today around 70 per cent.
A record 108 million people are currently displaced worldwide, with only a fraction of them trying to reach an EU country — and even fewer receiving protection and asylum within EU borders.
This is the truth behind the alleged “refugee invasion” of Lampedusa and Italy. The Italian right-wing government’s inhumane refugee policy is also the EU’s. “During their visit to the Italian island of Lampedusa, von der Leyen (European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen) and Meloni (Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, of the far-right Italian Brothers) seemed to agree on refugee policy,” German broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported on Monday.
The only thing von der Leyen said she objected to was the Italian proposal to stop refugees at sea using naval gunboats.
Deal with Tunisia
In July, Tunisia became another country to receive EU funding to prevent refugees from crossing the Mediterranean. This is despite the fact that the Tunisian police, military and national guard, including the coast guard, have committed serious abuses against black African migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. “Tunisia is neither a safe place for those intercepted or rescued at sea, nor a ‘safe third country’ to which asylum seekers can be sent” (Human Rights Watch, 19 July).
The EU’s refugee policy imposes a death sentence on thousands forced to leave their homes due to war, climate-related disasters, poverty and oppression.
Instead of safe escape routes, the walls of Fortress Europe are being moved further and further away from Europe, and NGOs’ rescue efforts at sea are being discouraged and criminalised.
— Reinstate the right to asylum — permanent residence permits and the right to family reunification.
— Empty the camps. Refugees should be guaranteed accommodation and protection against infection and the right to travel to another EU country to seek asylum and protection.
— Stop deportations to war and oppression. Tear down Fortress Europe’s deadly walls and fences.
— Secure routes to Europe for refugees. Tear up the EU’s return agreements and cooperation with, for example, Libya’s militias and Erdoğan’s regime. Stop the militarisation of refugee policy and the criminalisation of support and rescue operations.
— Mass campaigns against racism and scapegoating ofrefugees.
— Joint struggle for jobs, welfare and housing for all — let big business, banks and the rich pay.
— Global struggle against imperialist plunder — for a socialist world in peace and freedom.
