20 June: International Refugee Day

As the International Refugee Days approaches, many NGOs involved in migrants, refugees and asylum seekers’ issues are starting to organise activities Europe-wide to both raise public awareness and to lobby on a local and national level for the rights and the protection of refugees across the continent. Each NGO might have a different priority, according to their targets and their field of action, but it is of extreme importance that all actions gather together to form one strong European campaign. This is why, like every year, UNITED co-ordinates the International Refugee Campaign by making a on-line list of activities, by distributing free campaigning material (posters, stickers, postcards, info leaflets) and by functioning as a reference point.

The fatal realities of ’Foretress Europe’

Moreover, all year ’round, UNITED co-ordinates an on-going campaign called The Fatal realities of Fortress Europe, a campaign, which aims at raising awareness on the tragedy going on at Europe’s borders and inside detention and deportation camps all over the continent. By updating a list of already more than 8800 documented deaths of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants who lost their lives in the attempt of entering Europe or because of detention/deportation companies, UNITED has created a powerful lobby and awareness-raising tool that all organisations can use for campaigning.

UNITED for Intercultural Action protests against the building of a "Fortress Europe", which leads to the death of desperate people looking for safe refuge. You can join the protest!

GET ACTIVE!

 Send a letter of protest! Give your campaign a stronger meaning!

The ’Fatal Realities of Fortress Europe’ info leaflet gives you some information that you can use in writing your own letter of protest to the policy-makers of your choice (you can also use the example letter underneath). Include a copy of the poster in your protest. If you need more copies, let us know. There is strength in numbers, so send the protest letter to all your contacts in politics (please ask for the updated list of refugee deaths from the UNITED secretariat).

example letter (doc 48KB)

 Join the campaign!Please find below how your organisation can also be part of the campaign, join the movement and take advantage of the possibilities UNITED offers to whomever shows interest into the campaign.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR CAMPAIGNING IDEAS...

Please, inform us as soon as your organisation start planning an activity. Tell us via e-mail where and when the activity will take place, who will be involved and what is going to happen! We will include your activity into a comprehensive list of Europe-wide activities. Many people will have the chance to know about your activity!!!

DO YOU NEED MATERIAL?

United makes available free material for the refugee campaign, in particular, the poster about 8,800 documented deaths by European migration policies, with extensive information on the back. But also postcards, stickers...they are all for you to choose on our web site! You can order the material by filling the on-line order form

UNITED collects data on where, when and under which circumstances the refugees died. All the cases contained in the list are documented. The list does not pretend to have a strong scientific basis. Nevertheless, the list is extremely important for the purposes of the Campaign to raise awareness on this issue throughout Europe. Although the lack of a strong scientific basis prevents quantitative analysis to be based on the list, qualitative research is possible. It is essential to reach researchers, journalists, and artists who, by making a creative use of the list, contribute to the awareness-raising with their work and their projects. It is only by making the list as public as possible, that a concrete action against the cruel and inhuman consequences of Europe is exclusion policy is possible.

For more information, visit UNITED or contact info@unitedagainstracism.org