In April of this year, the Permanent Peoples Tribunal (PPT) in Brussels identified as “crimes against humanity and system crimes” the systematic violations presented in evidence at the Hearings of its 45th Session – held in Barcelona, Palermo, Paris, London and Brussels during 2017-2019.

The PPT identified that the European Union has a grave responsibility in generating a situation throughout Europe that is a “hostile environment’ where systematic violations of the rights of migrants and refugees are taking place. The magnitude of what is undoubtedly a serious crisis of human values and political failure is reflected in the following figures: since 2014, approximately 35,597 migrants, women, men, elderly, and children, have drowned trying to cross the Mediterranean.

Serious violations of human rights documented in reports and testimonies continue to take place throughout the migratory route - from the country of origin, to the countries of destination and permanence: at the external, internal borders of Europe and in the territory of the member countries. These policies, illegal and illegitimate that are manifested especially in border areas, represent in the judgement of the PPT an unacceptable injustice, which results in crimes against humanity. The EU and the Member States have been held directly and indirectly responsible for these ‘system crimes’  - of torture, mistreatment, for not respecting the obligations to save lives at sea, the provisions of the Geneva Conventions and the principle of no refoulement.

In the face of the policy of governments that deny the rights of migrant and refugee peoples, in many countries, cities, towns, initiatives of support and solidarity are raised with those who have chosen to emigrate. The Permanent Peoples Tribunal 45th Session (Barcelona, Palermo, Paris, London, Brussels), the General States of Migration in France, citizen disobedience and solidarity initiatives in Spain, Greece, Italy and elsewhere in Europe as well the solidarity in United States, Bangladesh and Mexico are some examples that must be grown and reinforced.

There is no "crisis of migrants". It is a crisis of the capitalist system and state policies that distort a reality that is part of the history of humankind – the right to migrate!

We Co-Convenors and participants of the 45th Session of the Permanent People’s Tribunal (PPT) held in six Hearings –  in Barcelona, Palermo, Paris, London and Brussels – on the Violations with Impunity of the Human Rights of Migrant and Refugee Peoples make this call to Action to celebrate International Migrants Rights Day on December 18, 2019. We invite all to join in Celebrating this International Migrants Day and:

 1) SIGN-ON to the Manifesto which will be delivered to the newly appointed EC Commissioners (responsible for Migration and Asylum & Protection of European way of life); the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the UN Special Rapporteur for the Human Rights of Migrants; (to read the full of the Manifesto see https://ppt.transnationalmigrantplatform.net/campaign-migrant-rights-day/)
   
2) Hold a public Action – in the community, in the workplace, in the city or in front of the office of the EC, national or local government. If you will hold a public action and want to publish it on this web, please fill in the form(see link page on Campaign Migrants Day)