Migrant Solidarity Blockade of the Hungarian Embassy Tues 14

Victoria Bus Station, Tuesday 14th, 1pm

https://www.facebook.com/events/391242437739484/

The Hungarian government recently announced the construction of a 175 km, 3m high wall along its southern border with Serbia, in order to prevent people coming from Greece. At the fences of the Eastern European borders and the Spanish enclaves, in the Mediterranean sea, and in Calais, migrants die crossing borders and heavily policed bottlenecks – this will be no different. Walls will never be an answer to such a natural historical phenomenon – people leaving their homes in search of a better life. But the cost of such exclusionary policies, in lives or euros, cannot compete with the racist fervour that creates and sustains them.

Fortress Europe is no longer a metaphor.

As we watch the gradual partitioning of the continent, the bickering of European leaders who know they’ve got it wrong, their solutions become more laughable, more brutal: the military destruction of so-called smugglers‘ vessels. Greece was offered amputation or slow starvation, while in Hungary fascists push for securitisation and militarism. But we see other easier solutions – build homes for people whatever their status, heal them whatever their income. Migzol, the Migrant Solidarity Group of Hungary, has called a demonstration for this Tuesday 14th, and for international solidarity actions. Though we defeated the criminalisation of homelessness in Hackney, it was passed into law in Hungary two years ago – with limited domestic political wiggle room, international pressure through solidarity action is all the more important. Then we acted in solidarity with The City is For All, in Budapest, and now they’ve asked us again to support their struggle.

Through countless evictions we have learned the importance of strong walls and good barricades. Now it’s our turn to go on the offensive. They want walls, so we’ll give them walls. Join us at Victoria bus station to go to blockade the Hungarian Embassy. 1Pm, Tuesday 14th. This action has been called by Digs Hackney Renters along with other groups in the European Coalition for the Right to Housing and the City, in solidarity with the Hungarian members. Please add other signatories to the action on the facebook page.

The callout from Hungary is below.

The Hungarian government has a talent for building walls, it’s raising newer and newer walls between layers of society, fighting and blindly firing away from its trench. It is burning the bridges between society and politics, education and progression. After the countless symbolic walls, now, at the peak of its cynicism (or at least we hope that it is the peak), the government is building a real wall. Viktor Orbán and his whole brigade, paid and voluntary advisors – we won’t let them commit such a disgrace, not with this country! We’ve had enough walls, let’s build schools and hospitals, homes for Hungarians and migrants alike!

Asylum seekers aren’t angels or devils. They’re people. As people they have the right (beyond the legal understanding) to be treated as people, the right to an honest procedure as it’s revealed whether their refugee status has been authorized or not. This possibility has to be given to everyone! Will border guards decide who will be allowed in to request refugee status based on people’s faces? Refugee status and aid towards integration has to be granted to those whose countries of origin are in danger. These people can’t be turned away regardless of circumstances, not just here in Hungary, in Europe as well.

The construction of the wall in the planning phase costs as much as the Hungarian state’s 11 year refugee budget based on the current numbers. But why speak about numbers; the idea is simply evil and absurd. That’s why Migzol, the Migrant Solidarity Group of Hungary, has decided to protest again. Several NGOs working with refugee and social issues have joined our initiative. We will demand that the decision regarding the wall be retracted, and that Serbia not be pronounced a safe third country. At the same time, we want to express our solidarity with the migrants and with the rural civil groups/institutions offering assistance and bearing the brunt of the work. For this very reason we’ll be collecting donations during the demonstration, or rather, who can help and how, be it as volunteer or as a supporter.

Join us and let’s show them, this is not us!

Partner organizations: 

• 42 Közössége Association
• Amnesty International Hungary
• Artemisszió Foundation
• Cordelia Foundation for the Rehabilitation of Torture Victims Eleven Emlékmű
• European Network Against Racism
• HCLU
• Human Platform
• Hungarian Helsinki Committee
• Jövőkerék Foundation
• Közmunkás Mozgalom
• Krétakör Foundation
• Menedék Association
• Szubjektív Values Foundation
• The City Is For All

Supporting organizations:

• Budapest Pride
• Hátter Society
• Magyar LMBT Szövetség
• Szivárvány Misszió Foundation

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Demonstration against the wall on the Serbian-Hungarian border

Join the NO BORDERS block at the demonstration!

Victor Orban’s administration annouced to build a four meter high wall along its 175 km long border with Serbia, supposedly to close off the border in the futile and cruel fight against “illegal” migration. Besides, they want to declare Serbia to be a “safe third country”, making it easier to deport back migrants that arrived that way.

On the 14th of July 2015 – starting at 18.30h in Nyugati square in Budapest – a protest is organised against the wall and against declaring Serbia as a “safe third country”. It looks like it will be a big protest: a lot of people are very angry and fed up with the increasingly repressive treatment migrants receive in Europe and with Orban’s fascist policies.

We are calling on all no borders activists; all people who believe borders are inherently injust tools for capital to control labour; everyone who believes no human being is illegal, and that all have the right to freedom of movement and settlement; everyone who opposes the securitisation of borders and illegalisation of migrants, to JOIN US at the demonstration, and to form a no borders block, which unites in its rejection not only of the concrete wall in Hungary, but in the rejection of all barriers to freedom of movement and calls for opening all borders.

In Budapest, we will be opposing the construction of the wall, hightened border controls and deportations back to Serbia. The wall, were it to be constructed, would not “protect” anyone – indeed, it would put at greater risk precisely the group of people that it would attempt to exclude from entering the Hungarian territory. Walls, fences, and all other types and border controls can never stop people’s movement. People are resourceful and, especially when fleeing war, persecution, extreme poverty, and neoliberal forms of exploitation, always find a way to move and travel. Building walls, however, makes the journey much more dangerous, costly and possibly deadly.

While the wall is in direct opposition with the ideas, enshrined in the UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, which seeks to protect those fleeing persecution in their own country, we oppose the wall, as it is the extreme embodiment of the principles of the restrictive EU migration policies. While valid travel documents are required to enter “legally” into the EU, and these documents are virtually impossible to obtain for most of the people born in Africa, Asia, people have no choice but to travel “illegally”. The European migration policy thus creates illegality, but then also builds walls and erects border in order to supposedly “fight illegal migration” – the very illegality of which it has produced through its legislation and policy. We are opposing this wall because we believe border controls are injust, freedom of movement and settlement is everybody’s right and no human being should ever be declared “illegal”.

No human being is illegal! Freedom of movement for all! Documents for all, or all without documents! Solidarity with migrants everywhere!

In solidarity,

No Border Serbia collective