Thread by @MagicMagid

1/ I recently visited the French city of Menton, where systematic violations of the human rights of refugees & migrants take place every day since 2015

Together with @Refugee_RE & many other committed organisations, I discovered a reality which shames France & Europe as a whole.

2/ Despite escaping Libya, where horrific accounts of abuse and slavery are reported, and having made the treacherous journey across the Mediterranean, refugees at the French-Italian border are being met with violent pushbacks and inhumane conditions
refugee-rights.eu/wp-content/upl…

3/ Every evening, dozens of people are detained overnights inside containers at the police station in Menton. They sleep on the floor and are not provided enough food, water, or even medical care. While the French police refuse NGO’s access to provide vital assistance.

4/ When I asked if I could see the conditions of the containers, the police refused and said the containers are a “place of safety”.

I then asked Adel, one of the migrants who spent the night there. He was not of the same opinion. “I wouldn't leave a dog in there”, he said.

5/ Children are also sadly victims of push-backs. There are many testimonies of unaccompanied minors who has been arbitrarily considered as adults or whose have had their documents altered to change their date of birth and push them back to Italy.

6/ It is unacceptable to leave vulnerable children with no choice but to attempt the dangerous border crossing. It is even more inhumane to push them back illegally rather than providing them with the care they need.

This goes against both French and European law.

8/ Together with @Refugee_RE, I call the French authorities to end these inhumane practices, to provide all the necessary assistance to all the refugees and migrants in border areas and to facilitate instead of hindering the work of NGOs & volunteers.

⤵️

euobserver.com/opinion/146588

9/ European leaders must continue to work on wider reforms of the #DublinRegulation to relieve the pressure on countries of first entry, include permanent responsibility sharing and making family reunion accessible.

Final call for a more humane Europe?