Skip to content or view mobile version

Home | Mobile | Editorial | Mission | Privacy | About | Contact | Help | Security | Support

A network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues.

EU Fortress Europe / No Borders No Nation / Dublin Mayday

No Borders | 30.03.2004 18:10 | May Day 2004 | Globalisation | Repression | Social Struggles | London

The consolidation of the EU's immigration policy has led in one direction: Fortress Europe.

This is the policy of a Europe that cares only about profit and economic expansion, at the detriment of human life. Ireland in recent months has shown itself no longer to be the island of "Céad Mile Fáilte", taking whatever steps neccessary, through the courts, to expel people who do not meet its stringent guidelines that define 'legality'. No human being is illegal!

The Fortress Europe policy manifests itself in the refusal to grant asylum to over 90% of the applicants. It means the arrest, harassment and deportation of men, women and children back to their country of origin - regardless of the circumstances. It means that people who travel here trying to built a better life are treated inhumanely. What have we become? For years Irish people were 'economic migrants', travelling across the world wherever work could be found. The Irish State cries foul when the US tightens its laws when it threatens Irish immigrants working without permits, but when it comes to allowing people to live and work here, we do not apply the same standards. Hypocrisy at the highest level - it would be hilarious if people were not suffering as a result.

The State's recent deportation of 64 Romanians and Moldovans, including 12 children, ranks as a low point in respect for human rights and dignity. These people were spied on and followed by the Immigration Bureau, rounded up in dawn raids reminiscent of a police state, and escorted on a plane by 35 Gardai. The flight alone is understood to have cost the State more than e120,000. Is this what the Gardai spend their time and resources on? Arresting ordinary working men and women, and shipping them en masse like cattle?

According to Pat Guerin of the Irish Refugee Council, "The term Fortress Europe has been for some years used by human rights groups and other critics to describe the gradual dismantling of the rights of asylum-seekers, the increasing hostility of EU states to persons seeking refuge, as reflected in the introduction of draconian asylum rules and regulations, and the ongoing attempt at closing Europe's borders to those who wish to apply for protection as refugees."

"The measures that combine to make Europe resemble a fortress include the effective militarisation of the EU's external frontiers, both on land and at sea; policies of destitution, detention and deportation; punitive sanctions for airlines, shipping companies and road hauliers who fail to police their passengers by applying rigid documentation standards that ignore the often desperate need of refugees for clandestine travel; and the setting of ever higher refugee recognition hurdles on an asylum track of shrinking legal protections. Such policies do not augur well for the development of a humane approach to people seeking refuge in what is fast becoming one of the largest social, economic and political blocs in the world."

We believe in No Borders and No Nations. Everyone should be free to travel, work, and live wherever they wish on this planet. Allowing people from different cultures to freely associate will lead to tolerance and understanding - and create a better world for all of us to live in. Borders are raised by those who control us, to create fear and suspicion between us. Nationalism is an ideology that fosters racism and hatred - we are all human beings, regardless of our religion, skin colour, ethnicity, place of origin. We are all different - and all equal.

------------------------------------------------

For a full listing of events and actions for the
Dublin EU Mayday No Borders Weekend see:
 http://geocities.com/eufortress

BORDER CONTROLS STREET THEATRE: Welcome to the official day of the new Fortress Europe. Warning: You may be subject to stops by one of the Dublin Grassroots Police Network who will be patrolling the city in the morning. Experience the full reality of Fortress Europe with ID & background checks, verbal harassment, intimidation, and possible imprisonment without trial if you do not measure up to the strict criteria.

NO BORDERS, NO NATIONS - NO BORDER CAMP: Join us as we set up a No Border camp on the 2nd day of the new Fortress Europe. We are not against the new ascension states citizens coming to Ireland - we think all refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants should be allowed to travel here, regardless of origin, ethnicity, or background. The No Border camp will be open to everyone. Activities will include workshops, discussions, teach-ins, planning for the future, as well as music and food.

NO BORDERS RECLAIM THE STREETS: The only party worth joining in town! Reclaim The Streets happens again on the May bank holiday to wind down the weekend. Unlike the State's street party, everyone from around the world is welcome to come to Dublin for this, not just those that satisfy the demands of Fortress Europe. Expect music and dancing, drinking and face painting, a day for all to come and enjoy a vision of the Europe that we really want.

--------------------------------------------

LINKS:

For excellant related research and analysis see:

Statewatch Observatory: EU asylum and immigration policy
 http://www.statewatch.org/asylum/obserasylum.htm

Also see:
S.O.S. Europe: Statewatch Observatory on Surveillance in Europe
 http://www.statewatch.org/soseurope.htm

No Border Network:
 http://www.noborder.org

No Borders

Upcoming Coverage
View and post events
Upcoming Events UK
24th October, London: 2015 London Anarchist Bookfair
2nd - 8th November: Wrexham, Wales, UK & Everywhere: Week of Action Against the North Wales Prison & the Prison Industrial Complex. Cymraeg: Wythnos o Weithredu yn Erbyn Carchar Gogledd Cymru

Ongoing UK
Every Tuesday 6pm-8pm, Yorkshire: Demo/vigil at NSA/NRO Menwith Hill US Spy Base More info: CAAB.

Every Tuesday, UK & worldwide: Counter Terror Tuesdays. Call the US Embassy nearest to you to protest Obama's Terror Tuesdays. More info here

Every day, London: Vigil for Julian Assange outside Ecuadorian Embassy

Parliament Sq Protest: see topic page
Ongoing Global
Rossport, Ireland: see topic page
Israel-Palestine: Israel Indymedia | Palestine Indymedia
Oaxaca: Chiapas Indymedia
Regions
All Regions
Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World
Other Local IMCs
Bristol/South West
Nottingham
Scotland
Social Media
You can follow @ukindymedia on indy.im and Twitter. We are working on a Twitter policy. We do not use Facebook, and advise you not to either.
Support Us
We need help paying the bills for hosting this site, please consider supporting us financially.
Other Media Projects
Schnews
Dissident Island Radio
Corporate Watch
Media Lens
VisionOnTV
Earth First! Action Update
Earth First! Action Reports
Topics
All Topics
Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista
Major Reports
NATO 2014
G8 2013
Workfare
2011 Census Resistance
Occupy Everywhere
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands
G20 London Summit
University Occupations for Gaza
Guantanamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
COP15 Climate Summit 2009
Carmel Agrexco
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Stop Sequani
Stop RWB
Climate Camp 2008
Oaxaca Uprising
Rossport Solidarity
Smash EDO
SOCPA
Past Major Reports
Encrypted Page
You are viewing this page using an encrypted connection. If you bookmark this page or send its address in an email you might want to use the un-encrypted address of this page.
If you recieved a warning about an untrusted root certificate please install the CAcert root certificate, for more information see the security page.

Global IMC Network


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech