Final Declaration of the International Days of Rome (Italy) – 13th to 16th of November
The international days of meetings and actions organized in Rome from the 13th to the 16th of November by the International Coalition of Undocumented, Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers (CISPM) have seen the participation of representative from different collectives of France, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, Greece, Germany, Tunisia, Nederlands, Poland and Italy.
These days took place in a context in which Europe has chosen to deal with this economic and social crisis by accentuating austerity policies imposed by the European Central Bank and discriminatory measures and fear mongering politics of the European Union and its member countries towards Migrants, Refugees and Asylum-seekers (Dublin III, the different bilateral agreements and other anti-migrants measures).
We are among those who believe that these policies are not at all “solutions”, neither for the economy in crisis, nor in the daily life itself in all its complexity, even when everything is done to speed up privatization, liberalization markets, dissolution of the labor code, operation and relocation of workers, eradication of public service, and ultimately enriching the richest! From our side, we cannot accept that our situation of Migrants is exploited for electoral purposes, especially when our lives are spent in the calculation of loss and profits of a selfish world in organized bankruptcy.
We are convinced that the unique cure to point the political responsabilities of so many injustices and inequalities, is the unity among migrants, workers, precarious, undocumented migrants, refugees, students, unemployed, asylum seekers and each victim of the crisis… and because the war among poors or exploited only is useful to those who exploit, here in Europe or anywhere else.
It was time for us, during theses days, to take lucidly the measure of the situation; to politically think our struggle from the perspective of convergence and unity organised among migrants and natives from our real needs; to be part of the guidelines of the society that will be decided in the future and to be heard at all levels of authority and responsibility in the countries where we live and work.
The International Days of Rome were a crucial step in a collective realization, in a perspective of unity and struggles’ recomposition starting from the rights of all to work, to have an house, to move and settle freely independently of the work contract, etc…
On 14th of November – day of the national social strike – we walked together with workers, students, homelesses, precarious and unemployed in the streets of Rome. On the afternoon, a demonstration took place in front of the Italian Parliament and Government, actually presiding the European Union. This intense day of struggles finished with a meeting between a CISPM delegation and the President of the Italian Parliament, Ms. Laura Boldrini. During this meeting, the President declared to share the demands of our demonstration (no to Dublin III, right to work in Europe, etc…). She also take the commitment to organize a meeting with the President of the European Parliament, Mr Martin Schulz.
On the 15th of November, all day was dedicated to the workshops (reports will arrive soon). This workshops were focused on:
1. undeclared work and regularization (condition of migrants and refugees in the different member States);
2. freedom of movement and of settlement and victims of migration/complaints: Frontex, borders and complaints against violence (Lampedusa, the spanish Guardia Civil, etc…), the bilateral agreements and the role of embassies, the European Union as friend or foe?
3. Migrants and refugees reception systems: when reception becomes business and an obstacle for rights access.
On 16th of November, the plenary meeting took place exposing a synthesis of the different workshops. After interventions of the different representatives, the CISPM took the following decisions:
- Friday Mai 22, 2015 : day of international decentralized actions against repression policies and devices (as Frontex, Dublin regulation, bilateral agreements, embassies, etc…) and for the freedom of movement and of settlement and the right to work;
- The creation of a group of lawyers to accompany the parents and friends of the victims in their complaints at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) or other institutions;
- On February 6, 2015 in Berlin, Germany : Demonstration in the memory of the deaths in the Mediterranean see occurred the 6th of February 2014 (shot while they were swimming to reach the spanish cost);
- 7th and 8th of February 2015, Berlin, Germany : International meeting of the CISPM ;
- March 2015: participation to the Caravans of Undocumented reaching the World Social Forum in Tunis : Bamako to Tunis and Paris to Tunis.
The CISPM decides also to support:
- The international day of Migrants on 18th of December 2014;
- The World Refugee Day on June 20, 2015;
- The Watch the Med Alarmphone Campaign.
The CISPM thanks its Italian Members for the great job done in Rome. A special thank to the Unione Sindacale di Base (USB) for the political, financial and logistical support. Also a big thank to the comrades of Scup, Esc, Sans-papiers and Spartaco. For unity without borders!
For more information, participation or support : migrants.refugees.caravan@gmail.com
International Coalition of Undocumented, Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers (CISPM)
