Refugee Crisis: Open Borders, Support Humanity Statement by the International Department of Republican Sinn Féin

Following the march of thousands of refugees through Central Europe, the International PRO of Republican Sinn Féin called for unfettered support of all refugees trying to enter the fortress Europe. Consequently, Republican Sinn Féin demands open borders for all refugees. While previous months saw thousands of drowned bodies washed up at the beaches of the fortress Europe in the Mediterranean Sea, the refugee crisis reached a new low in early September with tens of thousands of refugees marching through Hungary desperate to reach the Austrian border. In a statement, the International PRO of Republican Sinn Féin criticised the conservative Hungarian government for the treatment of the refugees in recent weeks and reiterated the Irish Republican position for a lasting peace in the Middle East according to the decisions of the 2014 Ard-Fheis. The Republican position is: First consequent opposition to any imperialist interference in the conflict and second the military and political victory of Iran and its allies in the region. The statement read: “Those people coming through the Balkan route into Europe are fleeing torture, repression, war, genocide, starvation, and famine in their regions. These are families, some of them walked bare-footed for days and weeks to reach the save haven Europe. No human deserves to be treated the way these people were treated by the Hungarian authorities in recent days. “Contrary, Irish Republicans demand a humane solution for this crisis since all people deserve a life in peace and dignity. Consequently we call for the opening of all borders within Europe. The hospitality shown by the people of Austria and Germany is heartening. We urge all European governments, in particular the 26 Counties administration in Dublin, to follow this hospitality shown by the people of Europe and increase the numbers of refugees allowed to enter legally their countries. Furthermore, we urge all governments to support these refugees with houses, food, as well as financially and provide them with all the necessary support, such as jobs, accommodation, language courses, and education, to enable them to start a new life in peace and dignity within our society. “The history of Europe and in particular the history of Ireland is a history of migration. Throughout the centuries, Irish children, women, and men were forced to leave the island as a consequence of famine, war, occupation, political, religious, and cultural oppression, as well as social deprivation. The Irish always found their place within many nations of the world. Even in the previous decade, hundreds of thousands of our youth left Ireland as a consequence of the economic crisis. “Today, it is our duty to return the support the Irish received over centuries and help the most vulnerable on this planet and provide those fleeing ISIS tyranny and the war-torn Middle East a place in our society. “However, let’s not be fooled by the European governments. While Merkel and some other European governments play the humanitarian card in previous days, let’s not forget that those who are ultimately responsible for the refugee crisis are the Western governments. The refugee crisis is indeed a crisis of humanity. Those who caused this crisis are those Western governments who supported and still support the reactionary forces that appeared in the aftermaths of the end of Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, the fall of the Baath-Party in Iraq in 2003 and the so-called Arabic Spring since 2010. “Ultimately, the only solution to the refugee crisis is lasting peace and prosperity in North Africa and the Middle East. Let’s not be fooled by Western media and the imperialist rulers in Washington, London, Berlin, Paris, and Brussels! A Western intervention under the imperial mantle of the UN will only deepen the hostilities in the region. If it comes to a military intervention of the US and England, as recently discussed by Cameron, those who will once again suffer most under this intervention will be the children, women, the elderly, ethnic minorities, and the most vulnerable in the region. “Make no mistake about that, the sole guarantee for lasting peace and prosperity in the Middle East is a military victory of the Kurdish forces, accompanied by a military and political victory of Iran and its allies in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain, Yemen, and neighbouring countries,” the statement by the International PRO of Republican Sinn Féin concluded. Críoch/Ends. for confirmation: International PRO Republican Sinn Féin, Anti Makapaltis/Fritz Langsdorf Cumann, international@rsf.ie