Migrants, borders and the criminalisation of solidarity in the EU

Europe’s response in 2015 to the arrival of the largest forced displacement of peoples since the second world war, was not to attend to their needs but to securitise its borders and use laws aimed at people traffickers and smugglers, against those giving aid to the destitute new arrivals. This article focuses on a discussion at the launch of Humanitarianism: the unacceptable face of solidarity, between the Institute of Race Relations, NGOs, solidarity campaigns, academics and students concerned about the EU’s attitude and policies to search and rescue in the Mediterranean Sea, the harassment and criminalising of those trying to give support to refugees and the ways to organise to preserve humanitarian principles in Europe. Discussion covers the secret deals being made by the EU with countries around the Mediterranean, in Libya and in central Africa to act as gatekeepers to prevent migration to Europe, the difficulty of challenging the Facilitation Directive which allows humanitarians to be prosecuted as people smugglers, within a European Parliament which has increasing numbers of members from the extreme Right, and the importance of independent research to counter the myths and misinformation from the EU and member states on migration and asylum.