June 17, 2024 - With the upcoming Conference of Interior Ministers (IMK) in mind, Youth Without Borders, PRO ASYL, Brandenburg Refugee Council, the Federal Association for Unaccompanied Minor Refugees and terre des hommes Germany, along with other organizations, demand: Refugees need protection – not racist hate speech!
On June 20, World Refugee Day, the Conference of Interior Ministers (IMK) will meet in Potsdam to discuss, among other things, the topics of refugees and migration. The interior ministers of all German states will be making decisions here that will affect the lives and futures of the many refugee children and young people in Germany. However, the perspectives of those affected are being ignored. Their voices are also largely ignored in the public sphere. The alliance "Youth Without Borders" is therefore organizing protests together with allies surrounding the IMK. At a joint press conference today, the demands to be addressed to the interior ministers were formulated as a kickoff:
“It is irresponsible to deport people to countries where they cannot live safely or where they face persecution, torture, and even death sentences. We call on the interior ministers to immediately enact a moratorium on deportations of people from Iran and of Yazidi men, women, and children from Iraq. Solidarity with those demonstrating for freedom in Iran and with the survivors of the Yazidi genocide must have serious consequences,” says Tareq Alaows, refugee policy spokesperson for PRO ASYL.
“Many refugees have to pay high rents for small rooms in overcrowded shelters despite poor living conditions. For example, six square meters cost 400 euros per month. Furthermore, there is no separate living space in these shelters for people in need, the mentally ill, or those traumatized. The interior ministers must urgently improve the appalling conditions in refugee accommodations. Refugees have a right to housing, not a life in a camp!” emphasizes Mohamed Adam Abona Mohamed, spokesperson for Youth Without Borders.
“On the occasion of the Conference of Interior Ministers, we particularly criticize the introduction of the payment card. With extremely limited access to only 50 euros in cash, the payment card in Brandenburg represents a massive restriction on the independent lives of refugees. They flee to us in fear of war and persecution. To now harass them with payment cards is undignified and pure symbolic politics that plays into the hands of right-wing forces. We call for a united and solidarity-based stand against this form of racism and exclusion. Finally solve real social problems instead of blaming refugees!” demands Vincent da Silva of the Brandenburg Refugee Council.
“More than a third of all asylum seekers in Germany are children. Interior ministers therefore have a special responsibility to design their measures and proposals in such a way as to safeguard the protection and rights of these children. Nevertheless, in our projects we witness daily how the rights of young refugees are trampled upon: in mass accommodation in Germany, in camps in Greece, or at the border between Poland and Belarus. The currently discussed ideas for outsourcing asylum procedures are not only unrealistic and expensive, but simply illegal and inhumane. We call on the interior ministers to finally prioritize protection over deterrence and to ensure safe routes of escape,” says Annika Schlingheider, Refugee and Migration Officer at terre des hommes .
Further information about the protests surrounding the Conference of Interior Ministers, including all dates, the call to action, flyers, posters and much more, can be found at www.imk-protest.de