_ Aidan Salter _ortress Europe sym bolizes the exclusio of non-citizens both in side and outside the European Union (EU), from its prosperity.
The Single European Act (SEA) opens internal borders to the free movement of its nationals, allowing them to live work and obtain welfare in the country of their choice.
Simultaneously it aims to reduce entry into the EU from outside and to deny the right of free movement and settlement to non-citizens resident within.
The SEA harmonizes the immigration policies of individual states, so that the most restrictive policies become the norm throughout.
'Black list'
Fortress Europe is deeply racist. There is a literal 'black list' of 127 countries whose nationals will require visas to enter the EU. The populations of these coun tries are predominantly black.
In contrast, the three commonwealth countries exempted from the list are 'white'. The aim is primarily to exclude people from the Third World. Black residents in the EU are the prin ciple victims of internal border controls aimed at non-citizens. Fortress Europe policies also target people fleeing war and poverty resulting from the economic disinte gration and rise of nationalism in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. As those interiewed in this issue of Liberation! can testify, Bosnian refugees have already fallen foul of the legislation. No legal migration Today there is virtually no legal immigration into Europe for the purpose of employment. The largest categories of people entering Europe from the number Third World are asylum seekers and unauthorized migrant workers (who number about four million).
Many are refugees, refused asylum, who have gone 'underground' to avoid deportation. Others come from poverty stricken countri s where employment is icarce and welfare non exist ent. Their families and national economies de pend on their earnings.
As illegal immigrants they have no welfare or employ ment rights laying them open to super-exploitation by their employers. Most work for poverty wages in sweatshop conditions. If they protest they may be reported to the state and deported.
'Flood'?
Governments claim Europe is being 'flooded' by bogus 'economic refu gees'. This is false.
The main burden of supporting refugees falls on poor countries. In 1989 So malia had four times and Pakistan 20 times as many refugees as Britain. Only 700,000 of the world's 14 million recognised refugees live in Europe.
Since the mid '80s the rights of asylum seekers have been systematically eroded.
Individual EU states have imposed visa requirements on refugee producing coun tries, in tandem with 'carrier liability' laws which fine airlines for carrying passen gers without the required travel documents. The definition of refugee used ('those with a well-founded fear of persecution) excludes those fleeing foreign aggression and occupation.
Asylum seekers face de- moved the obligation on EU tention, welfare discrimina countries to consider applition, measures to hasten cations of those previously their departure and even refused asylum by another criminalization. EU country.
Britian's 1993 Asylum Act At the EU Edinburgh sumintroduced finger printing mit in December 1992 the for asylum seekers, abol- Ad-Hoc Group on Immigra ished their right to public tion proposed that 'people housing and introduced a fearing civil rights violations fast-track appeal process. should seek protection from their own authorities Schengen Act or in the first safe country.
But the most draconian The group declared 'the in measures against asylum ternational movement of seekers are being imple refugees is seldom necesmented at EU level. sary for protective purThe Schengen Act re- poses'.
Tear them down!
Anti-racist campaigners must fight to tear down the walls of Fortress Europe.
We must demand that all people have a right to enjoy asylum and to work in the EU. We must campaign for unauthorized migrants and all black people in Europe to be granted citizenship rights.
Above all we must fight to end the world capitalist economic system which creates mass overty, war and mass migration.