The Board of transform! europe was informed about the tragic shipwreck off Pylos, Greece, which cost the lives of at least several hundred migrants and refugees. We express our devastation for the loss of so many lives and our solidarity to the rescued people. It is our minimum humanitarian duty.
However, this tragedy is not an accident, but the result of the European and national migration and asylum policies which become stricter in the course of time. We join our voices with all the people, organisations, movements, and parties who demand an immediate policy shift!
Deterrence policies, such as pushbacks, fences and other similar measures are not only ineffective, since it is proven that they won’t stop people from escaping war, civil conflicts, dictatorships, climate disasters or extreme poverty. Furthermore, these policies are also criminal and totally unacceptable, as they have a huge cost of human lives, forcing people to risk their lives in search of alternative but more dangerous routes.
The EU should promote peace, international solidarity, environmental sustainability, human development and social justice, not only inside its territory but also globally, in order to fight the phenomena which fuel migration. At the same time, since human mobility has never stopped and will never stop, we ask for safe passages and a full respect of the refugees’ and migrants’ rights under international law.
We want the Mediterranean to be a sea which bridges different countries, peoples and cultures, a sea of solidarity and common prosperity and not a massive underwater grave for thousands of migrants and refugees. The way European countries welcomed and supported refugees who fled Ukraine during the ongoing war should be an example on how to move forward.
We ask for this continuing crime to stop and we stand in solidarity with migrants and refugees!