We hope this year’s holiday frees you at least temporarily from the capitalist mode of production and enables you to escape at least partly the capitalist mode of consumption. Ho Ho Ho!
What present is better than supporting an initiative in solidarity with migrants and refugees? See below a list of 6 initiatives, which is by no means exhaustive.
We cordially thank our members, observers and friends for assisting transform! europe’s activities and wish you pleasant holidays and a prosperous New Year!
Wir bedanken uns herzlich bei unseren Mitgliedern und Freund_innen für die Unterstützung von transform! europe und wünschen allen schöne Feiertage und ein erfolgreiches Neues Jahr!
Nous remercions cordialement nos membres, observateurs et amis pour leur participation aux activités de transform! europe et vous souhaitons de bonnes vacances et une très bonne année.
Queremos dar las gracias a nuestros miembros, y miembros observadores, así como a todas nuestras amigas y amigos por el apoyo que nos han brindado a transform! ¡Y deseamos a todas unas Felices Fiestas y un Año Nuevo exitoso!
Ευχαριστούμε από καρδιάς τα μέλη μας, τους παρατηρητές και φίλους που παρακολουθούν τις δραστηριότητες του transform! europe και σας ευχόμαστε χαρούμενες διακοπές κι ευτυχισμένος ο Νέος Χρόνος!
Initiatives
1) Mediterranea Saving Humans
Many different people who no longer wanted to stay silent while others die in the sea, decided to take action and bought a ship. The Mediterranea is on a monitoring mission. They witness and denounce mistreatment, in compliance with international maritime laws, including those that impose the rescue of human life.
Mediterranea is a collaborative platform always open to all secular, religious, cultural and social voices and to all the contributions of those who want to support it and be part of it.
For further information, click here. See also the Youtube clip.
To donate, click here.
2) Watch the Med Alarmophone
Watch The Med is an online mapping platform to monitor the deaths and violations of migrants’ rights at the maritime borders of the EU. The WatchTheMed project was initiated as part of the 2012 Boats4People campaign in the Central Mediterranean. Today the project further involves a wide network of organisations, activists and researchers.
For further information, click here.
To donate, click here.
3) Mare Liberum
Mare Liberum will monitor human rights in the Aegean Sea from a ship. The aim is to observe, document and draw public attention to the situation at the European border between Turkey and Greece and to strengthen solidarity and human rights. Currently the operations on water are on winter-pause, but the group stays highly active also on land. Mare Liberum is creating a space for activists, volunteers, local actors, and international specialists to discuss their work, experiences and knowledge. Thereby they try to help answering questions concerning human rights and providing tools for action for monitoring rights of migrants and refugees at the European border.
For further information, click here.
To donate, click here.
4) Stansted 15
The ‘Stansted 15’ are a group of human rights defenders who surrounded a plane at Stansted Airport in March 2017 to stop what they believed was the unlawful deportation of 60 people on a charter flight to Ghana and Nigeria. At first, the Stansted 15 were charged with aggravated trespass, but four months later this was changed to ‘endangering safety at aerodromes’ – a serious terrorism-related charge! A court has found them guilty and they could potentially face lengthy prison sentences.
You can support them by helping them cover their trial costs here.
Amnesty International is supporting them not only by monitoring the trials but also buy collecting letters of support: For further information, click here.
5) Sea Watch
The “Sea-Watch” Project was originally an initiative of four families from Brandenburg, in Germany, and is now supported by around 150 active helpers. They started their missions 2014 and by now actively help in the coordination of all civilian rescue ships, while continuing their missions at sea.
In parallel they call for an international, institutionalized sea rescue with a clear mandate and, in the long term, above all legal and secure entry routes for those seeking protection in the sense of a #SafePassage.
For further information, click here.
To donate, click here.
6) Moonbird
The ‘Moonbird’ after which the airplane is named is a migratory bird which every year covers the distance from the Earth to the Moon across the sea, and crosses numerous borders while doing so. There has always been migration, and in the past this phenomenon has been dealt with in many different ways. Isolation has never worked properly, but that is the policy the EU has decided for, and it is apparently ready to disregard the most fundamental human rights to do this. It is completely unacceptable that thousands of people die annually at the ‘border of prosperity’ between Europe and Africa.
For further information, click here.
To donate, click here.