For A European Residency Permit: International Solidarity Day In Ventimiglia

Progetto 20k invites all the realities, the associations, the indipendent unions, the groups and every single person that deals or has been dealing with themes regarding the policies of migrant flows, immigration policies or that believes in solidarity, to participate in the organization of the 14th of July mobilisation in Ventimiglia.

A mobilisation that will occur on one of the most lethal internal borders of Europe, to repeal the brutality of national and international governmental migrant policies, to lay claim to the need of a European resident permit and to the right of mobility. To rethink the actual system of immigration policies, to fight human trafficking, gender violence, and people exploitation, to defend people’s freedom and the right of self-determination.

As the Mediterranean is the mortal ditch of the fortress Europe, Ventimiglia is the symbol of the failure of a Europe with no internal borders: the border between Italy and France is a Schengen border, one of those borders that should not exist anymore and that instead are multiplying and militarizing, becoming new walls that let goods through but stop people with their wishes and life projects.

We think that the path towards the 14th of July represents a unique opportunity of sharing and cooperation among those that, although in different territories and coming from different backgrounds, still share the same horizons of meaning: the idea of a society without borders, without class, gender or national boundaries.

We take action together, facing the local policies, Italians and Europeans, that have daily repercussions on the fundamental rights and living conditions of migrant and non-migrant people. Ventimiglia was chosen as it symbolizes the consequences of the violent and failing migrant policies implemented by Italy and Europe, as the Minniti-Orlando ruling or the Dublin III agreement.

We believe that the new Italian government, populist and racist, will worsen even more this already critical situation for anybody who lays claim to rights and freedom of movement.
Ventimiglia is the symbol of failing migrant policies.

As in many other territories, many people travelling across Europe sleep in the streets or on the beach, where nothing is available and hygienic and sanitary conditions are precarious, as the available Italian Red Cross camp is 5km outside town for decorum reasons, constantly garrisoned by police and military forces.

As in many other cities, immigration policies are not about welcoming people but about dehumanizing them.

The big reception centres are too often places of segregation and dehumanization, places that push towards infantilazation of migrant people to whom human dignity and basic human rights are denied.

Despite the efforts of this violent system in controlling and confining bodies, it is not able to stop and neutralize the desire of freedom that characterize all migratory movements.

Across Europe multiple demonstrations, collective actions and resistance behaviours have risen one after the other to show that repression and violence will not win through fear.
Ventimiglia is the symbol of institutional violence that becomes daily practice.

Who attempts to cross the border daily, is risking every day to be caught in one of the many police controls which are based only on the color of the skin. The way border controls are applied towards certain categories openly violates international policies and treaties, as the continuous reiterated refuse of entrance applied to non accompanied minors from France to Italy. People that are turned down at the border, or are found without documents around town can be transferred collectively towards the Taranto or the Crotone detention centre.

These practices of sweep, identification and deportation, are sadly common to other territories as well, they happen almost daily aiming at “lightening” the border, an institutional practice which has turned out to be not only inhuman but also very expensive for the state beside being completely useless as these people are back in Ventimiglia just a few days after the forced transfer, trying once again to cross the border.
Ventimiglia is the symbol of violence against women and minors.

Women and minors often start their journey to escape from the patriarchal violence in their country of origin, but gender violence is a constant during their whole journey.

Transiting women have no access to the health system, to unwanted pregnancy and transferable diseases prevention or to pregnancy interruption; the conditions in which they are “welcomed” in Ventimiglia and elsewhere, are precarious and do not protect them from the risk of becoming “exchange goods” entering the trafficking network that feeds the prostitution market.

Gender violence are a daily threat and fact for all migrant women, while everyone is watching, the institutions and police forces included, that persist into applying repressive and controlling policies instead of protecting them.
The border is constant intimidation, repression e criminalization of all people.

Across all Europe attacks to every form of active solidarity towards migrants are continuous: from the NGOs ships treated as traffickers, to the arrests of who helps the migrants during their journey, to the continuous built of physical and institutional walls, until the thousands of oral notices, expulsion orders and charges of activists guilty of solidarity.

As an example, in Ventimiglia, to more than a year, a municipal decree forbid to bring food to the migrants that were living on the streets.

For three years there have been forced evacuations of the informal camp, the water fountains were turned off (despite being the only source of free drinkable water for most), “cleaning” of the riverside of the river Roya where many people were living waiting to cross the border, and the closure of protected spaces for women and children, as the Church of the Gianchette. All this represents an ensemble of “solutions” that, instead of finding a solution, make it even worse.

For all these reasons let’s build together a collective mobilisation, open and horizontal, a day of solidarity in the city of Ventimiglia: for freedom of movement, to get out of the media isolation and lay claim to dignity and people indipendence during their journey, to declare the humanity and the legitimacy of solidarity, to break, once for all, with Eurocentric, neo-colonialistic and populist visions.

We do not want a mobilisation “for” the migrant people, but a mobilisation with and of the migrant people.

We want and inclusive mobilasation, that can give life to new languages and projects that will be inclusive for everyone.

We turn to that part of the citizens of Ventimiglia that want to feel as an active subject on their territory.

We want a transversal mobilisation that, with the strength of its determination and participation, can give strength and visibility to the claims of migrant people and of the different solidarity initiatives that are developing across Europe (from Spain to Greece passing by Calais) against the violence of immigration policies and borders.

23rd of June at 11:00 AM organizing international assembly at LSOA Buridda Genova

14th of July at 2:00 PM international demonstration in Ventimiglia.

#europeanresidentpermit
#ventimigliacittàaperta
#rightswithoutborders
#freetogoandstay #14L