The decadent bourgeoisie looks for scapegoats
The late 20th century economic crises and the resurgence of mass unemployment in the imperialist centres have substantially reinforced the conspiracist, nationalist and racist tendencies that designate, in one way or another, the foreigner as a scapegoat, as the culprit of the worsening of the situation: “Chinese virus”, “cosmopolitan finance”, “Europe”, “migrants”, “Muslims” …- The bourgeoisie’s “democratic” parties (RP in the US, CP in UK, CDU-CSU in Germany, LR in France, PiS in Poland, FIDESZ-MPP in Hungary, PP in Spain, ÖVP in Austria…) became even more nationalist and reactionary;
- Some xenophobic bourgeois parties (Vox in Spain, Liga in Italy, RN in France, Reform UK – former UKIP – in UK, FPÖ in Austria, PVV in Netherlands, AfD in Germany, NVA in Belgium…) emerged in their right.
- Fascist groups attack again the migrants, the minorities, and the workers’ organizations in the US and in Europe.
Most of the people that are displaced by the environmental disaster, by the drought, by the war, by the famine, by the persecution, by the destitution go in other regions within their State or in a neighbouring State, which itself under-developed. For instance, most of the Burma’s Rohingya refugees fled to Bangladesh, most of the RD Congo’s displaced persons stayed within the country, most Syria’s Arab and Kurdish refugees are in Syria or went to Jordan, Lebanon or Turkey, most of the Colombia or Venezuela’s migrants end up in Latin America, many Ethiopia’s nationals currently come to Eritrea or to Sudan.
A minority number try their luck in attempting to reach the imperialist centres, sometimes for joining family members. Every month, refugees that are victims of wars caused or maintained by the big powers or by their allies, and workers who are impoverished by the destruction of their traditional means of subsistence and by the plunder of the natural resources caused by the world capitalism, die in the desert in the South of the US, in the forest in Central Europe, in the Caribbean Sea, in the Channel, off the Canary Islands, and mainly in the Mediterranean Sea…
The European Union and Great-Britain trample on democratic principles
Capital circulates freely. Big capitalists of any nationality who travel in a yacht or in a private jet are welcomed everywhere with open arms.On the other hand, most States, even those that proclaim democracy, restrict movements of foreigners when they are poor. They throw them in detention centres while they committed no offence. They put up barbed wire and walls. Other States use migrants as a pressure medium to lift sanctions (Belarus), to control a territory (Morocco) or to obtain money (Turkey). To the multiple national armies, polices and customs, the European Union added in 2004 a force especially designed to repel migrants, Frontex. Preparing to take the presidency of the EU, Macron calls for restricting the Schengen Space and to reinforce Frontex so “that Europe knows how to protect its borders” in order to better forbid its access to migrants. Nowadays, the United Kingdom and France, which dispute fishing zones, let die human beings who want to cross the Channel. Macron sends the police to destroy migrant camps, while Johnson introduces the Nationality and Borders Bill (December13), which is even more restrictive.
On November24, migrants used their telephones to call for help while their inflatable dinghy was sinking … In a video made public on November 29, one of the two survivors, Mohammed Shekha Ahmad, originating from Iraqi Kurdistan, explains: “We called the French police, we sent our localisation. They told us: you are in in British waters, call the British. We called the British, they told us to call the French” (Independent, November 29; Le Monde, December10). In vain, 27 people died.
The French government of Macron-Castex accuses then smugglers, while the government of Johnson reproaches the French State for not preventing departures from the French coast. In fact, “migration policies” and the tightening of State controls are what creates the job of smuggler and makes the crossing of borders ever riskier.
Whether one is born here or elsewhere, only one working class!
Facing a growing State repression that does not prevent migrations but divides and weakens the working class in each country, the responsibility of parties of workers’ origin and of labour unions is to struggle for the unity of the proletariat, citizens or foreigners, with or without papers, whatever the beliefs.- Residence permits for all refugees, foreign workers and students residing for the long term in a country!
- Same rights for all workers residing in a country!
- Immediate closing of all detention centres for foreigners!
- Freedom for refugees, for workers, for students to move about and settle where they wish!