Istanboel: solidariteitsdemonstratie met vluchtelingen, nu Turkije uit de Turkije-deal is gestapt

In Turkey, migrants are facing an ever-increasing wave of racism, violence and oppression. Turkey’s securitized migration policies, the state’s treatment of migrants as a bargaining chip for its political and geopolitical interests, and its violation of the international human rights agreements which it has signed, have rendered the already precarious lives of millions of migrants – who lack refugee status – even harder, and paved the way for further violations of human rights. The latest examples are the practices we have been witnessing in past week such as deportations, detentions and returning migrants to their city of registration. The Istanbul Governor’s Office under Ministry of Interior, has recently announced that Syrians registered in cities other than Istanbul must leave the city by August 20th. Since this agreement, news have been spreading increasingly on Syrian refugees who have been forced to sign a “voluntary repatriation” document and deported to regions where armed conflict is still ongoing such as Idlib. There are accounts on refugees’ hands were tied with plastic handcuffs and ill-treated along the way to deportation. The interior minister stated: “They have come here from Africa, and are now peddling watches for 10 liras, we won’t tolerate this”, showing that Syrians are not the only target of anti-immigration policies. Fuelled by the discourse of politicians and media outlets from across the political spectrum, xenophobia and hatred against migrants have led to violence and attacks that go so far as lynching. We know that migrants who have left their countries due to war, persecution, and poverty are not responsible for the current economic crisis, climate crisis and wars we are living in. We want to live together in solidarity with each other against these problems caused by capitalism and states. We demand an immediate end to all practices that restrict people’s freedom of movement, work and life, and imprison and discriminate against them. Against lethal border policies, we stand for unconditional freedom of movement for everyone. In the face of rampant racism, we defend living together. To this end, we will gather on Friday, August 2, at 7:30 p.m. in front of Siireyya Opera House in Kachkoy, Istanbul and say “Stop deportations, we want to live together!”

“We want to live together”-initiative in Call to press statement (Ffm-online.org)