Nineteen refugees were found dead without their clothes at the Turkish side of the Greek-Turkish border near Ipsala. The journey of refugees trying to escape war, hunger and death from their destroyed countries to the EU ended at the borders of fortress Europe.
Thousands of refugees are trapped in Turkey and Greece because of the Common Statement between EU-Turkey. This policy was strengthened after the defeat of the USA in Afghanistan, leading the Turkish government to build a new fence of 140 kilometers on the border with Iran and the Greek government to extend the fence at the Evros river and to enforce the presence of FRONTEX and the Greek Coast guard, adopting methods of mass pushbacks.
As antiracist movements on both sides of the Aegean sea, we are shocked by the deaths of refugees in sinking boats and the methods of violating the right of asylum seekers in an unprecedented scale after WW2, practically cancelling the Geneva Convention on both sides of the Aegean sea.
The last period we witnessed immense catastrophes from heavy snow, and fires during the summer due to climate change.
We are worried that our governments are engaged in a competition for the strategic control of the area, for gas research and extraction in the area that brings tensions of war and racism to the foreground.
The militarisation of border controls puts in danger the safety of refuges trying to escape death and seek a new life.
Refugees are not instruments of governments but victims of their competition. Vast amount of money and human resources are wasted on armaments, fences, concentration camps, mass pushbacks and the deadly persecution of refugees, transforming the Aegean sea into a wet cemetery of thousands, instead of developing prosperity and peace in the region.
We declare our common will to resist racism and on both sides of the Aegean sea, for the rights of refugees and migrants to put an end to the loss of lives, to open the border and transform the Aegean sea into a peace and safe passage for refugees seeking to arrive in Europe.
On 19 March we will join the international day against racism and fascism with movements all around Europe and the world.
From Greece:
ΚΕΕRFA-Movement United Against Racism and Fascist Threat
From Turkey:
Hepimiz Göçmeniz Irkçılığa Hayır platformu
We are all refugees, no to racism
Irkçılığa milliyetçiliğe hayır platformu
No to racism platform
Antikapitalistler platform
Anticapitalist platform
World Against Racism 