This very moment activists from Southern Sweden onboard on a train from Copenhagen’s airport Kastrup bound to Sweden, Malmö refuse to show ID cards during border checks initiated by Sweden in November 2015 to prevent refugees from reaching its territory. This is an action against Fortress Europe and in solidarity with thousands of detained and deported refugees in Europe and Turkey. What follows is the communiqué of their action.
WE WON’T SHOW ID CARDS!
On November 12, 2015, Sweden introduced border checks to prevent refugees from entering in its territory. This development led to the establishment of a reinforced and well-organized border-check apparatus, despite the fact that the Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfvén stated in September 2015 that “my Europe does not build walls”. Suddenly, Europe’s “most open and tolerant society” took the lead in a violent domino effect of closed borders across the European continent. Sweden was the first nation-state that turned its back to refugees and established Fortress Europe “2.0”. In times when anti-racism and solidarity are mostly needed, when residencies for asylum seekers are burned down and racialized individuals are attacked on the streets, the Swedish state decided to establish long-lasting and enhanced border checks. “We need breathing-space” (PM Stefan Löfvén, 2015/11/2).
After positive opinion surveys for border checks in the Swedish press and increasing percentages for fascist movements (such as the Swedish Democrats), the whole Swedish political system adopted a racist refugee policy. The Swedish parliamentarism closed borders, nazis established anti-immigrant street patrols and a crisis-rhetoric in mainstream media fueled an implicit as well as explicit racist propaganda about the “risks” with open borders. “Refugee flows responsible for spreading the multi-resistant bacteria MRSA” (Sydsvenskan, 2016/1/2).
Fascism on the rise is not solely a Swedish phenomenon. The whole of Europe suffers from similar tendencies that also materialize in e.g. EU’s migration and border policy. The creation of FRONTEX, the Dublin Regulation and the latest deal with Turkey reveals that Europe enables flow of goods and capital but leaves outside its walls humans in need. The deal with Turkey signifies an unambiguous capitalist business where both partners win. EU bribes Turkey with money, visa-free travel for Turkish citizens in Europe and a promise for a Turkish EU candidacy anew. As compensation, Turkey will make sure that a great deal of refugees will stay away from the EU. In other words, this means that the humanitarian refugee crisis becomes a money issue, namely, the EU sells its responsibility. But to prevent people to apply for asylum is against the western liberal international regulations (e.g. the Geneva Convention for refugees’ rights). Turkey is not a safe place for refugees to stay, that is, it is absolutely immoral of EU to deport refugees to a country in civil war.
Land borders define the state’s geographical authority and the imaginary demarcation of nations. Border checks in Hyllie, Malmö were introduced for one reason: to remind everyone that the European wall is not abstract – it materializes state power over people’s lives and bodies. Therefore, we refuse today to let national borders’ violence without resistance. Today, we fight back against state’s exercise of power. We refuse to show our ID cards. This is not just a symbolic action, but also a concrete effort to violate borders’ normalcy.
Open the borders between Sweden and Denmark NOW!
Free passage to refugees and immigrants
Solidarity with refugees and all who fight with them
No push-backs to Turkey! No deportations! No one is illegal!
SMASH FORTRESS EUROPE!
Malmö: Action against the Swedish border control and Fortress Europe