FERRIES NOT FRONTEX
Manifestation against FRONTEX, Fortress Europe and Borders! FERRIES NOT FRONTEX – 23th February 5 pm in front of BCC Berlin
In 2015, more than 1.000.000 people actively fought against Fortress Europe by crossing the EU external borders. In reaction to that, the EU and its border agency Frontex increased their efforts to criminalize refugees and supporters and thus to impede the freedom of movement. The European Police Congress is one of the venues, where the upgrading of Fortress Europe will be discussed and developed. On February 23rd, Fabrice Leggeri, executive director of Frontex, is going to speak at this congress. We want to use his visit as an opportunity to protest against aggressive and inhumane policies, which the EU imposes on migrants at the external borders. Come to our manifestation and raise your voice against FRONTEX, Fortress Europe and borders!
The European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders was created in 2005. After the suspension of the physical Schengen borders, Frontex is now in charge of strengthening the surveillance and control of the EU external borders. The agency is operating as the headbody of the EU surveillance network EUROSUR, coordinating the surveillance systems of the member states. Satellites, drones and other military technologies are used to control the ‘pre-frontier area’. This ‘objective’ also requires enhanced cooperation with countries like Tunisia, Morocco, Turkey and even West African countries. To ‘prevent’ the departure of migrants, Frontex is currently operating in Mali and Niger to create ‘multi-purpose-centers’ against unwanted migration towards European borders.
All European measures of ‘border protection’ have the same intention: More deterrence, higher fences and greater control. Still, Frontex and the military operation EUNAVFOR MED against ‘smugglers’ near Libyan territorial waters, launched in June, were unable to prevent about 150.000 migrants from succeeding to arrive in Italy during 2015. Not only during the previous ‘summer of migration’, millions of refugees demonstrated that borders can’t stop people on the move, but the lack of legal access routes causes their journey to be dangerous and often fatal. More than 3700 men, women and children died in 2015 in the Mediterranean Sea; making it the deadliest border zone of the entire world. In the year 2016 the Mediterranean continues to be a fatal route to Europe: According to the UNHCR the number of people dead or missing already amounts to 403.
News of Berlin Refugee Movement – from inside 