Statement from the Frassanito network, a transnational network of migration activists, including No Borders London.

From Warsaw in Poland to Nouakchott in Mauritania
7th of October 06: Transnational Action day against migration-control

One year after the escalations in Ceuta and Melilla a broad network of migration related initiatives call for freedom of movement in a transnational day of action. In dozens of cities in Europe and also in Africa manifestations and demonstrations are in preparation for 7th of October.

To organize such a day of migration-related actions was decided on the European Social Forum in May 2006, when about 15.000 people from different social movements met in Athens.

Since last year the militarisation of EU-migration policy has got another instrument: Frontex! Thats the name of the new European Border Agency, which is located in Warsaw. Frontex organised already EU-wide charter deportations and coordinates an operation now at the coast of West Africa: to intensify controls by ships and airplanes to prevent more so called African boatpeople from reaching Europe.

At the moment (September 06) still without meeting any success: every day
new boats are landing at the Canary Islands, with more people than ever before, and some starting at about a 1200 km distance from Mauretania or even Senegal. During the last months hundreds of people drowned or died of hunger or of thirst when they risked this new route. And the same is still happening in the Sicilian Channel.

European governments put increasing pressure to African countries tobecome henchmen for their inhuman migration-policy. Beginning in July 06 a so-called "African European summit on migration and development" took place in Rabat, again mainly in order to push African governments to adopt more systems of migration-control: to implement more visa-restrictions, to establish detention-camps, to accept "repatriation"-programms. Mainly North and West African countries are targets of this externalisation-process at the moment, and they are supposed to block migrants on their way to Europe and help to deport them to the desert or subsaharan
countries.

The European governments are responsible for thousands of deaths of African people in the last years; it is a kind of war against migrants and refugees. The above mentioned Frontex-operation is another step in this war, aiming again on the destruction of the (new) flight-routes.

With this backdrop the following call for actions on 7th of October is an important step of common resistance against this inhuman policy. Eastern European activists will protest in front of the aforementioned Frontex-office in Warsaw, while in a press-conference in Nouakchott the illegalisation of migration will be strictly critisized.

From London to Athens, from Hamburg to Barcelona, simultanous demonstrations and actions are expected in dozens of cities all over Europe. And most important: not only in Mauretania, but also in Marocco,Tunesia and Benin activities have been announced as well.

As you can see in the long list of signatures many more organisations from
various African countries have signed the call. They as well as many initiatives in Europe support the 3rd Day of Action on the 7th of October,which will be directed against the denial of rights, against the criminalisation of migrants and against all immigration controls, articulating clear demands within the framework of freedom of movement and the right to stay:

- For Europe-wide unconditional legalisation and equal rights for all migrants
- For the closure of all detention centers in Europe and everywhere
- For an end to all deportations and the externalisation process
- For the uncoupling of the residence permit from the labour contract and against 'precarity'.

Up to now (20th of September 06) actions and demonstrations for 7th of October have been announced in:

- Austria, Vienna: Decentralised actions and collective demonstration against detention-camps

- Benin, Cotounou: Activities at 6th, 7th and 9th of October

- France: Paris

- Germany, Berlin: Manifestation and demonstration against a deportation-camp;
contact: konsumfuerfreiesfluten@yahoo.com and fluchtlingsbrandenburgini@yahoo.fr
More Information here

Hamburg: Nothern-germany-wide demonstration against externalisation. Info here and here.

Cologne: Demonstration for right to stay

Frankfurt: Concert for right to stay on 6th, Action at the entrance to the international bookfair against externalisation and for the right to stay at 7th.

Thuringia: Manifestation in front of the refugee-camp in Freienbessingen -
more informations:

Augsburg: Demonstration for the right to stay

Suedbaden/Freiburg: various actions in the city.

- Greece

- Italy: Local activities in several cities

- Morocco

- Mauritania, Nouakchott and Nouadhibou: Press-Conferences and day of action.

- Netherlands, Amsterdam: Action in the shopping centre of Zaandam (near Amsterdam) to inform and mobilize the public on the two newly build detention boats in
the Zaandam harbour.

- Poland, Warsaw: Demonstration with refugees from Chechnia and manifestation in
front of Frontex-office

- Spain: Actions or demonstrations in Madrid, Barcelona, Almería, Valencia, Málaga

- Tunisia

- United Kingdom: London (see previous post)