Version:
English
|
Français
|
Deutsch |
Nederlands
The
Quaker Council for European Affairs was established in 1979 to represent
Quaker concerns to the European institutions. The following Statement
is the result of a conference of its Associate Members held on 6/7
October 2000 in Leuven, Belgium.
The
Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) is deeply concerned about
the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers within Europe today.
This concern has its roots both in our testimony to peace and equality
and in our practical experience working with victims of persecution
and war. We recognise the creative contribution made by migrants
and refugees in our midst, and our need to listen more sensitively
to their voices.
Respect
for fundamental human rights and equality before the law are universal
imperatives. As Quakers we affirm that our concerns spring from
a moral conviction and a pattern of values based on the need to
respond to "that of God in every person". We are gravely
concerned to see intolerance (racial, ethnic, cultural) re-emerge
as a leading factor in the violation of basic rights in Europe.
The fears which impel refugees to leave their homes are mirrored
in the fears of those who feel threatened by the presence of strangers
in their midst. Such fears cannot be the basis for responsible public
policy. Individuals and families who struggle to escape from injustice
and conflict deserve our respect and understanding. This oppression,
even in subtle forms, diminishes oppressor and oppressed alike.
We
have met together at a time when the policies of immigration and
asylum are increasingly being determined at a European level. We
are all of one human race and responsible each for one another.
How we respond to the needs of the vulnerable among us is the litmus
test of our civilisation.
We
call on the European Union and on the national governments of the
member states and the applicant member states to:
- Encourage
appreciation of the contribution to society made by refugees and
asylum seekers
- Secure
the rights of third country nationals to participate in the cultural,
economic and political processes of those countries in which they
reside
-
Implement laws against racism and discrimination
- Strengthen
the 1951 Geneva Convention to include within its scope oppression
by non-state parties
- Immediately
end detention in prisons or closed reception centres of asylum
seekers when they have not been charged with a criminal offence
- Guarantee
freedom of movement without the need for travel permits for refugees
within the country in which their asylum application is being
processed
- Develop
comprehensive immigration policies based on criteria other than
those now applied to asylum applications.
That
which is morally wrong can never be politically right.
Oppression
in the extreme appears terrible: but oppression on more refined
appearances remains oppression; and where the smallest degree of
it is cherished it grows stronger and more extensive.
From
'A plea for the poor' John Woolman (Quaker) 1720-1772
Ideas
for Information, Reflection and Action by Individuals and Meetings
Return
to top of page |
