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Saturday, 19 March, 13.00
Vienna, Karlsplatz
Event on Facebook

Tens of thousands are going to take to the streets to say “Refugees Welcome” throughout Europe on 19 March 2016. We invite all solidary and anti-racist initiatives and private individuals to protest against Fortress Europe together with refugees. We welcome all refugees, whether they have been forced to flee from war, political persecution, destroyed economies or other reasons. Let us show that an overwhelming majority stands for humanity and tolerance instead of racist scapegoating.

We stand for peace policy. We stand for increasing the budget for humanitarian aid instead of misery and ‘benchmarks’ for refugees. We stand for an alliance of all disadvantaged groups instead of playing groups of people off against each other. There is enough for all of us. The wealth is just wrongly distributed. Poverty is not destiny but the consequence of failed policies.

Solidary volunteers helping at train stations, refugee camps and at the borders, civil society initiatives and refugees themselves forced the government to open the borders in 2015. 70,000 people took to the streets for a humane asylum policy and more than 150,000 visited the concert ‘Voices for Refugees’ on 3 October 2015. Contrary to the solidarity of the population the government is tightening asylum laws, building fences in Austria and around Europe and criminalises helpfulness. We cannot allow the government to succeed with its inhuman policies.

• No wall around Europe: Open the borders, stop the deaths in the Mediterranean, no fences and no ‘hot spots’. Better and more on-site support support for people living in refugee camps and near the borders to war regions
• ’Welcome Culture’ and solidarity instead of ‘maximum limits’: Right to stay, humane treatment and quality standards, quick opening of the labour market and no cuts to the guaranteed minimum income
• Asylum is a human right: Against the abolishing of the right to family reunion (‘temporary asylum’), against the artificial division of people who are forced to flee because of war and other reasons (poverty etc.)
• Escape aid isn’t a crime: Abolish §114 (‘people smuggling’) and §120 (illegal entry and residence) of the Austrian Aliens Police Act (FPG)
• Resignation of the federal Minister of Interior, who blocks every good solution