English below
Tirsdag den 18. maj startede Den Syriske Forening i Danmark (SFD) en sit-in demonstration foran Christiansborg for at protestere mod regeringens brud på international lovgivning, når den nægter hundredvis af syriske flygtninge deres menneskeret til beskyttelse i Danmark. Hver dag fra morgen til aften sidder 50-100 syrere i den selvorganiserede protest for at råbe politikerne og befolkningen op. Mange er rejst fra den anden ende af landet i håb om at kunne ændre deres skæbne.
Af Den Syriske Forening i Danmark
I de seneste måneder har adskillige enkeltpersoner og familier fra Damaskus modtaget brev om at de mister deres opholdsstatus. Regeringen retfærdiggør sin beslutning ved at henvise til landerapporter, der er blevet stærkt kritiseret fra mange sider, og som strider mod UNHCR’s vurdering [1]. Krigen raser stadig i dele af Syrien, hvilket regeringen stiltiende har anerkendt, ved fortsat at give opholdstilladelse til alle syriske mænd i den værnepligtige alder. ”Assads regime er berygtet for krænkelser af menneskerettigheder, tortur og drab på modstandere af regimet – jeg har set med mine egne øjne, hvad de er villige til at gøre, og jeg kan ikke tro, at den danske regering ikke accepterer disse fakta”, siger Emad Alhalbi, talsmand for sit-in demonstrationen.
Danmark er det eneste land i EU, der hævder, at sikkerhedssituationen i Damaskus er sikker for syriske flygtninge at vende tilbage til. Truslen om udvisning til et land der stadig styres af en brutal diktator, sætter familier i fare for at blive adskilt, skaber nedbrydende uro hos mange børn og forårsager udbredt angst blandt en gruppe mennesker, der allerede har været igennem fordrivelse og tab. ”Jeg er dagligt i kontakt med så mange syriske familier, der simpelthen er ødelagte, stressede og ser deres børns liv i ruiner – de frygter for deres liv hvis de vender tilbage” siger syriske Assem Swaid, som er aktiv i kulturforeningen Finjan og som deltager i sit-in demonstrationen.
SFD’s sit-in demonstration vil fortsætte indtil den danske regering reagerer på demonstranternes krav. Disse krav er:
- Anérkend at Damaskus og Syrien ikke er sikkert!
- Rul ’Paradigmeskiftet’ tilbage, og før i stedet en asylpolitik, der beskytter flygtninge og ikke ødelægger deres liv.
- Sæt en stopper for usikkerheden af hensyn til vores liv og vores børns liv.
Udlændinge- og integrationsminister Mattias Tesfaye har tidligere udtalt, at tvangsudvisning til Syrien ikke er mulig, da regeringen ikke ønsker at samarbejde med Assad-regimet [2]. I stedet vil de syrere, hvis opholdstilladelser inddrages, og som ikke ønsker at forlade Danmark, tilbageholdes på ubestemt tid i danske deportationslejre, også kaldet “udrejsecentre”. De risikerer at blive tilbageholdt i Ellebæk Fængsel som af EU’s anti-torturkomité er blevet kaldt en uacceptabel, nedværdigende og undertrykkende institution. [3]
Alle flygtninge, der ender i en deportationslejr, skal pludselig forlade de liv, job og lokalsamfund, der er blevet deres nye hjem. Ved at påføre denne psykologiske tortur i form af yderligere fordrivelse har regeringen sandsynligvis til hensigt at presse folk til at forlade Danmark “frivilligt”. Psykologiske taktiker er af nuværende og tidligere regeringer blevet kaldt “motivationsfremmende foranstaltninger”. ”Vi ønsker at bidrage til det danske samfund, der åbnede sine døre, da vi flygtede fra en blodig borgerkrig, der stadig raser – der er absolut ingen mening i at lade os blive nedbrudt og rådne op i et udrejsecenter i årevis” siger Alaa Nweylati.
Uanset om regeringen agter at handle på disse trusler eller tilbageholde mennesker på ubestemt tid i udrejsecentre, er denne politik over for syrere i Danmark blot det seneste eksempel fra en regering, der konsekvent har bevist sin tilsidesættelse af menneskerettighederne for asylansøgere og flygtninge. I de senere år har “paradigmeskiftet” flyttet fokus væk fra mål om integration og varig beskyttelse henimod fokus på midlertidighed og udvisninger [4]. Den udlændingepolitik der føres betyder, at mennesker med flygtningestatus i Danmark er fanget i en permanent tilstand af frygt og usikkerhed. Det er afgørende, at vi ikke lader Regeringens fortsatte udhuling af menneskerettighederne bide sig fast.
Du kan finde Facebook-eventet for sit-in protesten her.
Syrian refugee sit-in protest begins in Copenhagen
By The Syrian Association in Denmark
At 4pm on Tuesday 18th May, more than 50 members of the Syrian Association in Denmark (SFD) began a sit-in protest in front of the Parliament in Copenhagen against the fact that the Danish government is currently denying hundreds of Syrians refugees their right to protection, in violation of international law.
In recent months, numerous individuals and families from Damascus have received letters revoking their residency status. The Danish government is justifying its decision by citing a country report that has been extensively criticized, and which goes against the assessment of the UNHCR [1]. The war is still raging in parts of Syria, which the government has tacitly recognized by continuing to grant residency to all Syrian men of conscription age. “Assad’s regime is know for notorious violations of human rights, torture and killings of dissidents – I have seen what they are willing to do with my own eyes and I can’t believe that the Danish government does not accept these facts”, says Emad Alhalbi, spokesperson for the sit-in demonstration.
Denmark is the only country in the EU to claim that the security situation in Damascus is safe for Syrian refugees to return to. The threat of deportation to a country still ruled by a brutal dictator is putting families at risk of separation, disrupting the lives of many children, and causing widespread anguish amongst a population that has already been through significant displacement and loss. “I am in daily contact with so many Syrian families that are just devastated, stressed and see the lives of their kids in ruin – they fear for their lives if they return” says Assem Swaid, a Syrian from the cultural association Finjan, who also joins the sit-in.
SFD’s sit-in protest will continue for as long as it takes until the Danish government responds to the protester’s demands. These demands are:
- Recognize that Damascus and Syria are not safe!
- Roll back the ‘Paradigm Shift’ and instead embrace an asylum policy that protects refugees, not ruins our lives.
- Put an end to uncertainty, for the sake of our lives and our children’s lives.
Mattias Tesfaye, the Danish Minister for Immigration and Integration, has previously stated that forced deportations to Syria are not possible, as the government does not wish to cooperate with the Assad regime [2]. Instead, those whose permits are revoked, and who do not wish to leave Denmark, will be detained indefinitely in a deportation center. There is a risk that they will be held at the Ellebæk detention center, which has been called an unacceptable, degrading and oppressive institution by Europe’s Anti-Torture Committee [3]. The conditions in the other deportation centers have also been widely criticized.
All refugees who end up in deportation centers have to suddenly leave the lives, jobs, and communities that have become their new homes. By inflicting this psychological torture of additional displacement, the government likely intends to pressure people into leaving Denmark “voluntarily”. “We want to add value to the Danish society that opened its doors when we fled a bloody civil war that is still raging – there is absolutely no point in letting us rot and degrade in a deportation center for years on end” says Alaa Nweylati, another participant of the sit-in.
Regardless of whether the government intends to act on its threats or detain people indefinitely in centers, this behavior towards Syrians in Denmark is the latest move of a government that has consistently proven its disregard for the human rights of asylum seekers and refugees. In recent years, the ‘Paradigm Shift’ has entirely shifted the focus away from the goals of integration and durable protection towards temporariness and deportations [4]. These policies mean that people with refugee status in Denmark are trapped in a permanent state of fear and uncertainty. It is vital that we do not allow this increasing deviation from the protection of rights to become entrenched.
Find the Facebook event for the sit-in protest here.
