Dear friends and comrades,
With the planned asylum reform, the mask of the German government is falling off as its heartless character comes to surface once again. Employing the fascist narrative of protecting Germany’s population from the so-called ‘Others’, it is justifying and defending the harshest and most inhumane asylum reform in 30 years. The planned changes to the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) will eradicate fundamental human rights and do away with the necessary protection of refugees as agreed by the Geneva Refugee Convention.
The Asylum Compromise 2.0.
On June 8, 2023, the European Ministers of the Interior agreed to an unconscionable and scandalous tightening of asylum law: Already in so-called asylum centers, it will be checked whether people seeking protection are eligible for a regular asylum procedure. This examination will take place under conditions similar to almost detention. Most likely, no individual examination of the reasons for fleeing, for seeking asylum, can take place in these asylum centers, aka border prisons. This is a radical violation of the human right to asylum. Already the Asylum Compromise 1.0, which was enacted in 1993, was a clear manifestation of the racist border policy of Germany. Back then, the ruling parties CDU/CSU and the SPD attributed the racist violence and hate crimes of the “Baseballschlägerjahre” (1990s) not to a problem of racism and rising neo-nazi activities in Germany, but saw it as caused by the “high” number of asylum seekers. Thus, their reaction was to restrict the right to asylum and to adopt the third country regulation and the principle of “safe” countries of origin. The Asylum Compromise 2.0 escalates this right-wing border policy to a new level.
Why on the 13.12.2023?
The militarized policy of Fortress Europe has killed over 40,555 people since 1993. Drowned in the Mediterranean, shot at the borders, death by suicide in camps, tortured and killed after deportation – the EU has blood on its hands. (quote from Abolish Frontext)
Although Frontex, the militarized agency stationed at the EU’s external borders, is not a national police authority, it works closely with national police authorities and other security forces. This cooperation includes the exchange of information, the joint planning and implementation of operations, and support in the training of border guards. Even though Frontex reports directly to the European Commission and is therefore not managed by any specific national authority, it is clear that the national police and border protection authorities of the respective EU member states contribute massively to the functioning of Frontex. German police officers participating in Frontex operations may be officers of the federal police, state police or other specialized police units trained for border policing tasks. Illegal pushbacks and pullbacks as well as the prevention of civilian sea rescue are regular tasks of Frontex staff.
The demonstration is taking place on the 13.12. to draw attention to the fact that to abolish and overcome police power structures also means to abolish and overcome Frontex.
The concept of border(s)
National borders are not based on natural occurrences, but are a human construct created to mark territories of power. The borders we know today are mostly the result of colonial and imperial oppression and armed conflicts. Territorial claims and the associated territorial disputes are still causes for conflict today worldwide. Borders are a human construct that has never achieved anything good socially, but has always been a pretext for fascism and war by those in power and must therefore be abolished.
Join us on the streets, to loudly and clearly demonstrate that we will not tolerate this racist, brutal and inhumane border policy. It is symptomatic of the extreme normalization of rightwing policies in the EU. United against racism, nationalism, and fascism! Join us on 13.12.2023 at 6 p.m. at Potsdamer Platz! Let us be united in our rage! Let’s show the German government that we do not accept the Asylum Compromise 2.0. and their murderous asylum policies!
In solidarity, F_AJOC Berlin