Today, Wednesday, December 18, 2024, is International Migrants Day. The United Nations General Assembly designated this date in 2000 due to the rising number of migrants and the often cruel and inhumane treatment they endure in host societies. However, this occasion is observed against the backdrop of constant reports about the sinking of boats carrying refugees attempting to reach the shores of Europe and Australia.
The leaders of Western capitalist countries hypocritically complain about the number of migrants coming to their nations while frequently passing anti-immigration laws. These very governments are responsible for instigating destructive wars and the refugee crises in the Middle East. They fuel arms races and, under these policies, sell billions of dollars’ worth of weapons to oppressive regimes in the region. In the United States, Donald Trump rose to power by promising to deport millions of migrants. Similarly, the European Union has adopted “solutions” to prevent the entry of refugees, each more inhumane than the last.
Over 90% of refugees come from war-torn regions in the Middle East and Africa. Many have already lost their homes and been displaced internally. Sending them back means returning them to death. Can advanced capitalist countries, particularly European governments, deny responsibility for the direct and proxy wars they have ignited in the Middle East and Africa, which caused this massive displacement?
European colonial powers looted Africa’s natural wealth and, upon leaving, left behind devastating social damages and ethnic, tribal, and religious conflicts. They amassed immense capital by exploiting cheap labor from Africa in Europe. Yet today, the governments inheriting the wealth of colonial empires refuse to acknowledge the misery they have imposed on these populations. Even now, Africa’s resources continue to flow toward Europe.
If one argues that African refugees are fleeing poverty and economic despair in search of better lives, it raises the question: who looted Africa, kept it impoverished, and left its people to suffer hunger and devastating diseases? Are these same powers not still exploiting and plundering the continent?
The repeated introduction of anti-asylum laws in Europe harms not only refugees but also the moral standing of these societies. Such policies create pathways for far-right parties to rise to power, threatening social, economic, and political achievements won through years of labor struggle.
This assault has already begun. If European governments succeed in implementing these policies, humanity will be sacrificed within their own countries. Ultimately, the majority of people, especially the working class in Europe, will become the next victims of these policies. The European Union has officially agreed to restrict rescue missions for refugees in the Mediterranean, arguing that such efforts encourage more migration. This decision is undeniably inhumane and criminal.
Europe’s advanced naval and aerial fleets, equipped with the most sophisticated technology, are capable of monitoring every inch of the Mediterranean. They can track refugee boats from their departure points and rescue them before they face danger. Yet this capability is intentionally withheld, and rescue operations are curtailed.
Even if one accepts the deeply flawed justification for limiting rescue operations to deter migration, the reality is that these policies have not reduced migration. Instead, they have dramatically increased the death toll of migrants and refugees. The injustice of these policies must be countered by relying on progressive, humanitarian public opinion and activist forces in advanced capitalist countries. Western governments must be forced to respect the rights of migrants and refugees.
Efforts should focus on promoting the universal recognition of every individual’s right to live wherever they choose and securing a dignified life for all as a fundamental human right. This includes acknowledging each person’s right to reside anywhere in the world as a global citizen.