Tragic death of migrants in the Aegean

12.9.2012

Question for written answer E-008059/2012
to the Commission
Rule 117
Charalampos Angourakis (GUE/NGL)

The nakedly imperialistic actions of the USA, NATO, EU, France and other countries are escalating, claiming victims among the Syrian people and triggering a massive wave of migration. This has recently resulted in the deaths of 28 children, three infants, 12 men and 18 women, who drowned 50 metres off the coast of Samos. The migrants, who were from Syria, Palestine and Iraq and had been travelling from Turkey hoping to reach the United Kingdom, were left in the sea to their fate without any immediate effort being made to rescue them.

This and many similar incidences reflect the inhuman face of the ‘migration policy’ being followed by the EU, NATO and Member State governments and further evidenced by the detention camps in Greece crammed with thousands of migrants, the recent increase in Greek police operations to 'round up' migrants and refugees and the failure of the police to prevent the growing number of murderous attacks by the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn Movement.

Does the Commission agree that the Dublin Treaty should be overturned and that it is urgently necessary to issue travel documents to migrants trapped in Greece so as to with enable them to travel to other EU Member States?

Does the Commission condemn the inaction of the rescue services and the brutal clampdown on migrants, which contributed to the tragedy off the coast of Samos?

Does the Commission condemn the persecution of migrants by the Greek authorities and the murderous racist attacks on them by the Golden Dawn Movement?

OJ C 308 E, 23/10/2013