A list of more than 34,000 refugee deaths compiled and updated every year by UNITED for Intercultural Action and disseminated by the artist Banu Cennetoğlu as part of Liverpool Biennial 2018 in Great George Street, has been repeatedly violated.
A further act of desecration took place on 7 September
How could these cowardly acts of vandalism have happened in Liverpool?
We should never forget that Liverpool, a European Capital of Culture, was a transit city for the UK’s own sea-based migration and the departure point for 9 million people between 1830 and 1930.
Each time a life is lost in the Mediterranean sea, a part of Europe dies too.
Pope Francis told the European Parliament in 2014:
“We cannot allow the Mediterranean to become a vast graveyard”.
Yet that is exactly what the Mediterranean has become.
Meanwhile, several European governments would return migrants and refugees to countries where they might be exposed to abuse and ill-treatment instead of taking responsibility to ensure their protection.
It is the refusal of aid which constitutes a breach of international law. We cannot tolerate a situation where those who provide aid are labelled as criminals.
That is why hundreds of civil society organisations and ordinary citizens, have come together to support the European Citizens’ Initiative Campaign “We Are a Welcoming Europe”
The ECI seeks to empower a #WelcomingEurope and prevent member states from criminalising and intimidating volunteers and NGOs who provide humanitarian help and solidarity to migrants.
If 1 million signatures are obtained across Europe, the European Commission will be obliged to act and respond to the European Citizens’ Iniative’s proposals.
We call on people in Liverpool and across Europe to sign the petition.
It is time to say to migrants and refugees and those who protect them: “You will never walk alone”.
To sign the letter, please email:
bureau@neweuropeans.net
Signatories
Joe Anderson, Mayor of Liverpool
Julie Ward MEP
Hala Alwan, #WeAreAWelcomingEurope
Roger Casale, New Europeans
Regina Catrambone, Migrant Offshore Aid Station
Mark Jackaman, Amnesty International, Liverpool Group
Dominique Guibert, Association for the Defence of Human Rights in Europe
Gracie Bradley, Liberty
Dr Ruvi Ziegler, Associate Professor of International Refugee Law, University of Reading
Dimitrios Giannoulopoulos, Professor in Law, Goldsmiths, University of London
Benjamin Abtan, European Grassroots Antiracist Movement
Rosie Millard OBE, Hull City of Culture 2017
Wajid Khan MEP
Theresa Griffin MEP
Cllr Laura Robertson-Collins, Liverpool City Council
Cllr Richard Kemp, Liverpool City Council
Cllr Hetty Wood, Liverpool City Council
Cllr James Roberts, Liverpool City Council
Cllr Nick Small, Liverpool City Council
Cllr Patrick Hurley, Liverpool City Council
Cllr Adam Sykes, Liverpool City Council
Cllr Kris Brown, Liverpool City Council
Cllr Ann O’Byrne, Liverpool City Council
Dr Andrew Atter, New Europeans, NW
Jennie Geddes, Family Refugee Support Network, Liverpool
Steve Gavin, Liverpool for Europe
Prof. Helen Stalford, Children’s Rights Unit, University of Liverpool
Michael Collins, Right to Remain
Mike Stubbs, FACT Liverpool
Elisabeth Schmidt-Hieber, Platform for International Co-operation on Undocumented Migrants
Michael Privot, European Network Against Racism
Salome Mbugua, European Network of Migrant Women
Gail Rego, Missing Children
Anne Stoltenberg, Migrant Voice
Bronwen Griffiths, Syria Solidarity Campaign
Bill Harpe, The Black-E, Liverpool
Robina Quereshi, Positive Action
Ajay Chhabra, Nutkhut
Lauren Cape-Davenhill, NW Organiser, These Walls Must Fall campaign
Deborah Aydon, Everyman and Playhouse Theatres, Liverpool
Gemma Bodinetz, Everyman and Playhouse Theatres
Cath Larkins, Centre for Children and Young People's Participation, University of Central Lancashire
Uma Ramanathan, Brouhaha
Jenny Porter, Metal, Liverpool
Kath Grant, Refugee and Asylum Seeker Participatory Action Research