Arvanitis Sea Rescue is not a crime 11 9 2019

"Δεν είναι Έγκλημα να Σώζεις Ζωές"

Το πρόβλημα δεν είναι η προσφυγιά και η μετανάστευση, αλλά o πόλεμος και ιμπεριαλισμός.

GUE/NGL event: “Saving lives is not a crime”
Testimonies from SAR NGOs
SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance – GUE/NGL MEP Kostas Arvanitis’ (Chair) opening remarks.
I'd like to welcome you to this GUE/NGL event. We will be discussing this crucial issue, the issue of saving lives. As my comrades have already, correctly and emphatically said (and this goes to show that GUE/NGL has an informed opinion on the matter and how to best deal with it) Mme von der Leyen, only a short time ago, while campaigning for the post of president of the European Committee, was vocally supporting about the militarization of Europe. She would have us further align ourselves with NATO and militarize the EU.
Yesterday, Ursula von der Leyen put forth the issue of protecting an “European way of life”. What does that even mean? From whom does it need protection? Who threatens this “European way of life”? We immediately issued a statement on the matter.
If I understand this correctly, the right and the far-right, which is the dominant political power in the EU and in my country as well, claim that this is a way to create new jobs. Well, on this occasion, at least on job was created, the post of the Greek Commissioner, Mr Margaritis Schinas. It’s especially sad for me, for us, that a fellow Greek has accepted this position, this charge to protect what they are calling the European way of life.
I would like to present you with our view of the issue. We believe there is something specific that causes the migrant and refugee flows, and that is war. It is imperialism and war. Many, among the European Parliament’s political groups, see only half the issue. They ignore the whole picture. They insist that the problem is migrants and refugees, and not the actual causes of all this human pain and abandonment.
Of course, this not your primary concern here. However, as a political group, we at GUE/NGL would like to take this chance to share our thoughts on the matter with you and proceed together from here, in solidarity and support, wherever and however we can.