The inter-governmental Global Forum for Immigration and Development (GFMD) will take place in Athens from Wednesday 4 to Thursday 5 of November at Megaro Mousikis (next to the American embassy). Two days before this, the so-called “civil society meeting” organized and funded by the Onasis’ Foundation will be held in the luxurious “Astir” hotel in Vouliagmeni.
GFMD: What it is?
GFMD annual meetings are a United Nations (UN) initiative (September 2006). They bring together governmental representatives of countries that both send and receive immigrants and refugees. Their stated goal is the “sound management of immigration”. But in reality, immigrants’ and refugees’ needs and rights are not on their agenda! Business as usual, that‘s their agenda!
Ban Ki Moon and more than 150 governmental representatives of all UN member-states will be present at the Forum (for more information http://www.gfmdathens2009.org).
No to GFMD
We immigrants and refugees and the GFMD guests do not come from the same world.
They will spend millions of euros on their fiesta, when many of us are homeless, jobless and live in absolute poverty.
They will speak with sympathy about 3rd World countries’ problems, while supporting undemocratic regimes and turning a blind eye to the wars and the environmental disasters that forced us to become immigrants and refugees.
They will talk about “readmission agreements”, “remittances” and numbers, but not about our lives.
As for their hosts, the Greek authorities will not be challenged about the murders at the borders, about the shameful concentration camps, about the police harassment, about not granting asylum, or about not recognizing the rights of our children who were born and raised here.
Not in our name
We don’t expect GFMD to speak for us. We must speak for ourselves. We must rely on our own strength, united with native workers, youth, trade unionists and antiracists, for our rights to be respected.
No matter what our hardship, we have to stand for
* Papers for every immigrant. We demand a new legalization process. Asylum for all refugees. Housing and food for those in need. Special care for children, women, the elderly and sick.
* Withdrawal of concentration camps. Stop deportations.
* Withdrawal of Dublin Agreement. For the right of every immigrant and refugee to choose freely where to live.
* Equal rights with natives.
* Citizenship for all children born and raised here.
* Withdrawal of all imperialist troops and a stop to exploitation by multinationals in 3rd world countries. Cancellation of 3rd world debt.
Plan of action
1-2-3 November: International Forum of the Antiracist Movement. Place: Economics University (ASOEE, Patision str.).
Wednesday 4 November: Demonstration against the GFMD. Place: Syntagma sq. Time: 18.00 pm.
Organizer of the demonstration is the campaign “0% Racism – 100% Solidarity”, formed by immigrants’ communities and antiracist organizations. YRE-CWI has played a decisive role in this formation.
Τετάρτη 7 Οκτωβρίου 2009
NO TO G.F.M.D.! DEMONSTRATION 4 NOVEMBER, SINTAGMA sq., 6.00 pm
The inter-governmental Global Forum for Immigration and Development (GFMD) will take place in Athens from Wednesday 4 to Thursday 5 of November at Megaro Mousikis (next to the American embassy). Two days before this, the so-called “civil society meeting” organized and funded by the Onasis’ Foundation will be held in the luxurious “Astir” hotel in Vouliagmeni.
GFMD: What it is?
GFMD annual meetings are a United Nations (UN) initiative (September 2006). They bring together governmental representatives of countries that both send and receive immigrants and refugees. Their stated goal is the “sound management of immigration”. But in reality, immigrants’ and refugees’ needs and rights are not on their agenda! Business as usual, that‘s their agenda!
Ban Ki Moon and more than 150 governmental representatives of all UN member-states will be present at the Forum (for more information http://www.gfmdathens2009.org).
No to GFMD
We immigrants and refugees and the GFMD guests do not come from the same world.
They will spend millions of euros on their fiesta, when many of us are homeless, jobless and live in absolute poverty.
They will speak with sympathy about 3rd World countries’ problems, while supporting undemocratic regimes and turning a blind eye to the wars and the environmental disasters that forced us to become immigrants and refugees.
They will talk about “readmission agreements”, “remittances” and numbers, but not about our lives.
As for their hosts, the Greek authorities will not be challenged about the murders at the borders, about the shameful concentration camps, about the police harassment, about not granting asylum, or about not recognizing the rights of our children who were born and raised here.
Not in our name
We don’t expect GFMD to speak for us. We must speak for ourselves. We must rely on our own strength, united with native workers, youth, trade unionists and antiracists, for our rights to be respected.
No matter what our hardship, we have to stand for
* Papers for every immigrant. We demand a new legalization process. Asylum for all refugees. Housing and food for those in need. Special care for children, women, the elderly and sick.
* Withdrawal of concentration camps. Stop deportations.
* Withdrawal of Dublin Agreement. For the right of every immigrant and refugee to choose freely where to live.
* Equal rights with natives.
* Citizenship for all children born and raised here.
* Withdrawal of all imperialist troops and a stop to exploitation by multinationals in 3rd world countries. Cancellation of 3rd world debt.
Plan of action
1-2-3 November: International Forum of the Antiracist Movement. Place: Economics University (ASOEE, Patision str.).
Wednesday 4 November: Demonstration against the GFMD. Place: Syntagma sq. Time: 18.00 pm.
Organizer of the demonstration is the campaign “0% Racism – 100% Solidarity”, formed by immigrants’ communities and antiracist organizations. YRE-CWI has played a decisive role in this formation.
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