From Monica Burns, Freedom United

The last three weeks have been a testimony to human solidarity. As images of crumbling cities and videos of fleeing families flooded our screens, the European Union moved swiftly to welcome Ukrainian refugees.  

“Everyone who has to flee Putin’s bombs will be welcomed with open arms,” proclaimed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Members States unanimously agreed to take in Ukrainian refugees for up to three years without them having to apply for asylum.[1] 

Share this campaign and tell your networks that while the E.U. opens its arms to some refugees, it funds and supports a system in Libya which enslaves others.

This outpouring of support for people in danger is heartening – it’s hard proof that where there is political will, there is a way – a way for Europe to be a safe haven for people fleeing conflict, abuse and persecution.  

But there is another truth that sours this otherwise encouraging response: the E.U. only “opens its arms” to some.  

For people fleeing violence and instability in Sudan, Chad, Eritrea, and other African countries, the response is starkly different. Instead of enabling them to travel safely across Europe and granting them the right to live and work, the E.U. has created what has come to be known as a “shadow immigration system” in Libya.  

Trapped in Libyan detention centers, thousands are facing forced labor, abuse and egregious human rights violations, often amounting to modern slavery.[2] 

In 2021, over 32,000 people were intercepted in the Mediterranean, many fleeing from unspeakable horrors in Libyan detention centers.[3] But the Libyan Coast Guard, equipped and trained by the E.U., returned them to the system which exploits them for financial gain. 

This week, as the world marks the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the racist double standards that characterize the E.U.’s migration policy are more visible than ever.   

But we’re awake and we’re watching. If we all speak out now, at this politically pertinent moment in the history of European asylum policy, we can show the E.U. that we won’t tolerate this racial discrimination.  

Mobilize your friends and family by forwarding this email or sharing the campaign.