Violence, misery and death have become everyday life at Europe’s external borders. People on the run are disenfranchised, beaten and deported. As the European border and coast guard, Frontex is partly responsible. In the run-up to the vote on the planned expansion of the agency’s support, various groups in Lucerne are denouncing the European policy of sealing people off – with a border fence in Lucerne.
In Frontex’s area of operation, the EU’s external borders, the consequences of isolation are becoming apparent. People drown, freeze to death or succumb to injuries and diseases. They are blocked, experience violence and are denied basic rights.
Research confirms what refugees have been saying for years: Frontex is complicit in human rights abuses and illegal pushbacks. Recordings show that Frontex is present when national coast guards destroy the engines of boats and leave refugees behind in the sea. Frontex also systematically cooperates with the so-called Libyan coast guard, which intercepts boats en masse and forcibly returns them to Libya.
“The current situation shows what is possible: open borders, great solidarity. This possibility of escape must not only be guaranteed today and at this border, but must also be possible tomorrow and everywhere. It needs freedom of movement for all.” NoFrontex Group Lucerne
