We, the undersigned organizations, view with grave concern the plan of the Council of the European Union to launch a Joint Police Operation called  Operation “Mos Maiorum” in the EU countries, from October 13-26, 2014.

We are concerned that in the guise of going after organized crime syndicates involved in the traffic of drugs and humans, the operation is used to indiscriminately round up irregular migrants who are merely doing socially necessary work that benefit the countries in Europe.   Their irregular status is not of their own fault but the result of erroneous policies stemming from xenophobia and narrow nationalism instigated by extreme right-wing and neo-fascist political parties.  Instead of deporting them and treating them as criminals, their irregular status should in fact be immediately rectified because it makes them vulnerable to abuse.

Since 9/11, a climate of fear and intolerance has been created oftentimes encouraged by governments to justify the enactment of draconian laws and measures and make them acceptable to their citizens.   The EU Return Directive is one such measure that rides on this climate of fear and intolerance, treats irregular migrants as criminals and leads to the setting up of fortress Europe.

This EU Return Directive has set a dangerous tone that has given rise to a myriad of stringent measures resorted to by EU states that run counter to the letter and spirit of universally recognized conventions on human rights and fundamental freedoms.

We, organizations of migrants and advocates for migrants rights, see a dangerous trend of the EU countries turning into police states brandishing absolute powers to search, question, secure personal details, arrest, detain and deport persons without due process.

There are enough effective means available to the states and their agencies to fight against criminal syndicates.  Governments must resort to those means that effectively zero in on the target and catches the real criminals.  They should not resort to shotgun methods that victimize innocent people.  The planned Joint Police Operation “Mos Maiorum” is one such shotgun method.

We remind governments to abide by the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, among others.

We call on all concerned citizens, individuals, organizations and institutions to join hands in opposing this measure and for calling for an immediate stop to this dangerous police action against migrants. We call on progressive politicians and political parties to throw their weight behind our call. We call on human rights groups, migrant advocates, anti-racist and anti-fascist organizations to oppose this Operation “Mos Maiorum” and defend the rights of migrants against oppressive laws and measures!

1 October 2014

Signatories:

(International)
*THE REVEREND CANON BARRY NAYLOR
Urban Canon and Parish Priest
Chaplain to Trinity Hospital
Chairperson, Global Council -International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP)
Honorary Chairperson of the Campaign for Human Rights in the Philippines – United Kingdom (CHRP-UK)

(Europewide)
*International Migrants Alliance-Europe Chapter
*MIGRANTE Europe

(Asia-Pacific)
*Asia-Pacific Mission for Migrants-Hong Kong

(The Netherlands)
*Filipino Refugees in the Netherlands
*Migrante-Netherlands (Amsterdam)
*Migrante-Netherlands (Den Haag)
*SAMAKA
*Pinay sa Holland
*Stichting LINANGAN (Cultural Network)
*Filipino Parish Netherlands

(United Kingdom)
*SHEILA TILAN
Chair,     Kanlungan Filipino Consortium-United Kingdom
*PHOEBE DIMACALI
Chair, Filipino Domestic Workers Association-United Kingdom

(Italy)
*LUZ MIRIAM JARAMILLO
Comitato Immigrati In Italia C.I.I.
Chair, International Migrants Alliance-Europe
Member, International Coordinating Body-IMA
*Umangat-Migrante Rome
*ICHRP-Rome
*Sri Lankan Front for Liberation
*Belarmino Saguing
*Makabayang Atas ng Supremo Andress Bonifacio (MASA) – Rome
*Dr. Carlos Tobar, PRESIDENTE ASO. MISIL
*Martin Carruba, Movimento Democratico per un Mondo Senza Confini

(Belgium)
*Ugnayan ng mga Pilipino sa Belgium

(Denmark)
*Migrante-Denmark
*Radio Pinoy 95.5 Fm./95.2 Hybrid Net,Copenhagen,Denmark

(Philippines)
*Migrante International
*MIGRANTE Party List-Philippines

(Austria)
MIGRANTE-Austria

(Greece)
*Greek Forum of Migrants