European imperialism and its governments respond to the crisis with repression. They apply anti-human measures to build “Europe Fortress”. It is necessary to defend immigrants and propose alternative strategies.
By Rubén Tzanoff
Migratory crisis
In three days, 10,000 people arrived on the Island of Lampedusa, departing from Tunisia. So far this year, more than 127,000 migrants have arrived on the Italian island, almost double the number of those who arrived last year in the same period, mostly from North Africa.
They do not go for a stroll
These are not tourists vacationing around the world, but desperate people fleeing from the lack of freedom and extreme poverty in their countries, both sponsored by the same imperialism that does not want to receive them. Migrants are forced to seek a better future for themselves and/or their children by seeking asylum. The EU denies that there is a permanent migration crisis, but acts on it with increasingly anti-human measures.
Meloni on the dark side
In the face of the humanitarian drama being expressed in Italy, the government of Georgia Meloni is demanding that the implementation of the agreement reached in July between Brussels and the authoritarian Tunisian President Kais Saied, consisting in the sending of funds in exchange for curbing immigration, be accelerated. The agreement with Tunisia was so scandalous that some diplomats expressed discomfort at its signing. The truth is that this is not a new modality, as it has already been applied with Turkey, Morocco and they intend to do the same with Egypt. The Italian right-winger also demanded a “naval blockade” with the intervention of European missions and her words were heard.
With the support of the EU
The President of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, traveled to Lampedusa with a 10-point package to show “that they would not leave Italy alone” at the mercy of “human traffickers”. Among them: the acceleration in the delivery of funds, equipment and training of Tunisian coastguards, in the identification and repatriation of migrants and the destruction of barges. And she clarified, “I support the possibility of exploring the options of expanding European naval missions in the Mediterranean or working on new missions.”
Behind the make-up Meloni and Von der Leyen’s boats are not to facilitate the rescue of people sailing in precarious small boats, nor to prevent them from losing their lives in shipwrecks. They are to dissuade them from going to Europe. When it comes to defending capitalism and building “Fortress Europe”, their make-up is diluted and, with a straight face, the true anti-human face of European imperialism appears.
For a united continental movement
There is a large number of organizations and independent personalities who are outraged by what is happening and are repulsed by the right-wing hate speech. There are also countless solidarity activities, but they are uncoordinated. The International Socialist League (ISL) is available to promote a continental campaign denouncing the ongoing humanitarian drama, the use of border gendarmes and right-wing attacks. In short, a campaign that transforms the African and European demands into a single cry for the free movement of people and for the rights of the immigrant.
The solution is socialist
In the face of the destiny of barbarism the capitalist and imperialist system is leading us to, it is necessary to organize and fight independently for a world without borders, without exploitation or oppression, where social and human rights are respected; in other words, for a world with a socialist system.