press-release: Europe-wide Day of Action

For the Freedom of Movement - against Global Migration Management

09.Oct.02 - Between the 11th and the 19th of October various actions will take place in different European cities. Different initiatives intend to protest a repressive migration- and asylum policy, meant to be alined throughout Europe.
The groups, all part of the noborder network, will demonstrate against detention camps and new restrictions along the border. Equally for the first time an international agency will be the target of the protest: the IOM (International Organisation for Migration), with its headquarter in Geneva, Switzerland and a widespread network of over 100 field offices all over the world.
"The IOM is responsible for many projects that aim to control, to criminalize and to "repatriate " illegalized refugees and migrants and that match the interests of European Governments," explains Rose Kemper of one noborder group. "Under the pretense to combat trafficking of human beings and in particular of women ", Kemper continues, "the IOM first of all aims to destroy the routes for people to flee, as well proven through the IOM projects in the Ukraine."
Moreover the IOM is accused to recruit cheap labor forces from Ecuador for the Spanish Government, the Roma National Congress accuses the IOM for the removal of the Roma people from Western Europe. And Amnesty International, as well as BBC journalists and the human rights organisation Refugee Collective Action critise the IOM over its role in Australia for a breach of the Geneva Convention because they erected and run the possibly most terrible refuge camp worldwide, that on the Pacific island of Nauru. The IOM represents all aspects of migration management: a brutal policy of exclusion, internment and "repatriation" of unwanted immigrants and a policy of recruitment and exploitation of "useful (temporary) workers".

Next week the IOM will be confronted with protests against their activities at least in Vienna, Helsinki, Kiew, Moscow, London and Berlin, partly with manifestations in front of their offices.
An action in Warsaw is meant to criticize new visa restrictions which Poland will implement in order to receive their membership in the European Union. In Dover and Sangatte, on the channel between England and France, demonstrations will take place against the inhuman situation in detention camps and the role of the iom in this.

contact: iom@noborder.org