MINELRES: UNITED: International Refugee Day - 20 June 2007

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Original sender: UNITED <donotreply@unitedagainstracism.org>


INTERNATIONAL REFUGEE DAY - 20 JUNE 2007
CAMPAIGNING in SUPPORT of REFUGEES!
PROTESTING against the FATAL REALITIES of FORTRESS EUROPE!

What you will find in this e-mail:
- International Refugee Day campaigning info
- Background information on "The fatal realities of Fortress Europe" -
refugee deaths at European borders
- Campaigning and lobbying tips, ideas...
- link to ORDER FORM to order FREE campaigning material (posters,
stickers, leaflets, postcards...) - form 
also below
http://www.unitedagainstracism.org/docs/orderform_ref07.rtf
- link to the updated version of the list of deaths
http://www.unitedagainstracism.org/pdfs/poster_deathlist05.pdf


UNITED invites you to join the campaign on 20 June!

Many NGOs involved in migrants, refugees and asylum seekers' issues will
organise activities Europe-wide to both raise public awareness and to
lobby on a local and national level for the rights and the protection of
refugees across the continent. Each NGO might have a different priority,
according to their targets and their field of action, but it is of
extreme importance that all actions gather together to form one strong
European campaign on one specific day: 20 June.

Also this year UNITED co-ordinates the International Refugee Campaign at
the European level, by keeping a on-line list of activities, by
distributing free campaigning material (posters, stickers, postcards,
info leaflets) and by functioning as a reference point.

Moreover, all year round, UNITED co-ordinates an on-going campaign
called "The Fatal realities of Fortress Europe", a campaign, which aims
at raising awareness on the tragedy going on at Europe's borders and
inside detention and  deportation camps all over the continent.  By
updating a list of already 8.800 documented deaths of refugees, asylum
seekers and migrants who lost their lives in the attempt of entering
Europe or because of detention/deportation companies, UNITED has created
a powerful lobby and awareness-raising tool that all organisations can
use for campaigning.

If your organisation is also hosting, organising or supporting an
activity related to the International Refugee Day, please check the link
to the order form and return it to us as soon as possible, filled with
info on your activity and with the amount of material you will need.

GET ACTIVE!

Please find below how your organisation can also be part of the
campaign, join the movement and take advantage of the possibilities
UNITED offers to whomever shows interest into the campaign.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR CAMPAIGNING IDEAS...

Please, inform us as soon as your organisation start planning an
activity. Tell us via e-mail where and when the activity will take
place, who will be involved and what is going to happen! We will include
your activity into a comprehensive list of Europe-wide activities. Many
people will have the chance to know about your activity!!!

DO YOU NEED MATERIAL?

United makes available free material for the refugee campaign, in
particular, the poster about 8,800 documented deaths by European
migration policies, with extensive information on the back. But also
postcards, stickers...they are all for you to choose on our web site!

You can order the material by filling the on-line order form 
http://www.unitedagainstracism.org/docs/orderform_ref07.rtf


FORTRESS EUROPE - NO MORE DEATHS !!: CAMPAIGNING AGAINST THE FATAL
REALITIES OF FORTRESS EUROPE...

UNITED for Intercultural Action protests against the building of a
"Fortress Europe", which leads to the death of desperate people looking
for safe refuge.

UNITED collects data on where, when and under which circumstances the
refugees died. All the cases contained in the list are documented. The
list does not pretend to have a strong scientific basis. Nevertheless,
the list is extremely important for the purposes of the Campaign to
raise awareness on this issue throughout Europe. Although the lack of a
strong scientific basis prevents quantitative analysis to be based on
the list, qualitative research is possible. It is essential to reach
researchers, journalists, and artists who, by making a creative use of
the list, contribute to the awareness-raising with their work and their
projects. It is only by making the list as public as possible, that a
concrete action against the cruel and inhuman consequences of Europe is
exclusion policy is possible.

ADOPT A CASE! GIVE THE CAMPAIGN A HUMAN FACE...

The impact of the list of deaths is caused by the sheer numbers. Behind
them, though, there are human beings. In order to make our point and
spread the message of the campaign across Europe, it is necessary to
give the list a human dimension. As a matter of fact, the list is a
powerful tool for campaigning both as a whole, and also as a series of
single cases.

Here are some cases, but you can ask us for more!!!

Greece: traffickers toss group into the sea
A 15-year-old girl drowned and two others were reported missing
yesterday after human traffickers threw a group of illegal immigrants
into the sea close to the southern Aegean island of Leros, authorities
said.
The dead girl was among a group of Kurdish migrants found in waters off
the island of Farmakonisi, located near Leros and a short distance from
Turkey.
Two others, a one-year-old infant and a man, were said to be missing.
(Kathimerini, 28 April 2007)

Italy: CPT, Italian Guantanamo
Mohamed Aloui, a 33 years old man from Tunisia, was found dead on the
6th of August 2006, in his cell in a CPT in Bologna. Heroin was found
next to his body but autopsy revealed that he did not use it.
He was in overdose of anti epileptic medicines, albeit he did not suffer
epilepsy.
But he was classified as "dangerous" inside the Center of Temporary Stay
and he was given anti epileptic medicine as a downer, just to keep him
steady.
(Meltingpot, 13 August 2006)

Great Britain: the man who set himself on fire to stay in this country
Uddhav Bhandari had made his choice: his fate would not be decided in
the calm, quiet arena of a British courtroom.
As he waited for his last-gasp asylum hearing, Mr Bhandari's thoughts
turned to his homeland, Nepal, a place he was utterly terrified of being
sent back to. Mr Bhandari, 40, doused himself with petrol from a
container he had smuggled into the fourth floor of the Eagle Building on
Glasgow's Bothwell Street, home to the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal,
and set himself on fire.
Shocked staff attempted to put out the flames that were engulfing Mr
Bhandari's body by using their own clothes.
"It's just so shocking and sad that someone can be so desperate. People
wonder how he was able to smuggle petrol into the court but the real
question is what is it about the system that makes people commit such
desperate acts."
This latest and most horrific act by a failed asylum seeker highlights
the human cost of the system's bureaucratic delays, complicated
form-filling and legal hurdles.
(The Scotsman, 17 March 2007)

Turkey: Seven illegal immigrants freeze to death
Turkish security forces on Tuesday found the bodies of seven illegal
immigrants who froze to death in the east of the country after sneaking
across the border from Iran, the Anatolia news agency reported.
The bodies of the seven men were discovered in a mountainous area in Van
province, on the border with Iran, during a security sweep targeting
people smugglers, the agency said.
The nationalities of the victims were not immediately known.
Turkey is on a major human-smuggling route from Asia to Europe and
illegal immigrants are detained on an almost daily basis.
(Turkish Daily News, 28 March 2007)

SEND A LETTER OF PROTEST! GIVE YOUR CAMPAIGN A STRONGER MEANING!

You can write a letter of protest to the policy-makers of your choice,
you can also use the example letter below. There is strength in numbers,
so send the protest letter to all your contacts in politics
(please, download the recent list of deaths at European borders at
http://www.unitedagainstracism.org/pdfs/actual_listofdeath.pdf )

You can address your mail to:

The European Parliament
Committee on Human Rights and/or
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs
rue Wiertz
B-1047 Brussels, Belgium

or directly to any member of the European Parliament, at the same
address

Council of the European Union,
General Secretariat / Justice and Home Affairs
rue de la Loi 175
B-1048 Brussels, Belgium

or

Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population
Parliamentary Assembly
Council of Europe
Avenue de l'Europe
F-67075 Strasbourg Cedex

Or to National Parliaments

Please find out the addresses of your national Parliament and the
appropriate Members and Commissions from the public relations desk, or
check your library.

EXAMPLE LETTER

To the responsible political body in the matter of immigration and
asylum

Attn Mr X / Ms X

Date

Dear Sir, Madam,

Re: Death of more than 8800 refugees at the borders of "Fortress Europe"

We would like to share with you the horror we felt at the news of over
8800
deaths of refugees.

Since 1993 UNITED for Intercultural Action, the European network against
racism has monitored the deadly results of the policies building a
"Fortress
Europe". These deaths can be put down to border militarisations, asylum
laws, detention policies, deportations and carrier sanctions. They are
not
singular incidents, but symptoms of policies that no longer see the
humanity
of those fleeing their homeland.

We protest, together with UNITED with its more than 560 supporting
organisations, against these policies.

Borders cannot be shut to those seeking refuge. We have to see people as
individuals, as possible victims of global conflicts. If we do not take
care
that the global political and socio-economic situation gets better, we
cannot realistically expect people to stay in situations that we
ourselves
would find unbearable.

We expect from you that you will do your utmost to make sure that
policies
change and more tragic deaths are prevented.

Yours sincerely,

xxx
President


Enclosed: Publication with the list of documented refugee deaths

MAKE YOUR CAMPAIGN MORE VISIBLE! DISTRIBUTE THE POSTER AS MUCH AS
POSSIBLE!

Take several copies of this poster to all the meetings, conferences and
seminars that are focusing on migration issues. Try to stress the
importance of its contents as well as the brutality of its figures
(please ask for the updated list of refugee deaths from the UNITED's
office).

It is important to bear in mind that all these deaths were due to
policies that criminalise a basic human right: the right of choosing
freely a place to live.

When possible and appropriate translate the contents of this publication
into your language. If you do so, please send a copy to UNITED. In case
you need a picture of this poster just contact us and we will provide
it.

-- 
***********************************************************
We depend on YOUR help in 2007!

UNITED is not rich and has no stable income!
Though far most of the work at the UNITED secretariat is done voluntary
- still money is needed to keep the network functioning in 2007 and to
secure the cooperation and information flow throughout Europe.

Your donation is most welcome:
- in cash to UNITED Postbus 413 NL-1000 AK Amsterdam
- by bank (preferable) to:
UNITED, Postbus 413 NL-1000 AK Amsterdam
Account: IBAN NL77PSTB0002343715, BIC: PSTB NL2A - Bank: Postbank,
Postbus 1800, NL-1000 BV Amsterdam
(From NL: postbank 2343715)
***********************************************************

UNITED is the pan-European network against nationalism, racism, fascism
and in support of migrants and refugees, supported by over 560
organisations in 46 European countries.
How to join the network: see http://www.unitedagainstracism.org 'joining
the network'

UNITED E-NEWS is an irregular email service to over 8500 organisations
and contact persons active in the working  fields: anti-racism, refugee
support, anti-fascism, against antisemitism, migration, minority issues,
intercultural youth work, against nationalism etc.

Regular postal mailings, containing publications such as Addressbook
Against Racism, Calendar of Internationalism, Campaign reports, Posters
etc. are sent to over 2400 European organisations.  If you also would
like to receive this mailing: see http://www.unitedagainstracism.org
'joining the network'
----

UNITED for Intercultural Action
European network against nationalism, racism, fascism and in support of
migrants and refugees
Postbus 413   -  NL 1000 AK Amsterdam - phone +31-20-6834778  -  fax
+31-20-6834582 - info@unitedagainstracism.org  - 
http://www.unitedagainstracism.org


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