Speech at the Refugees Welcome M19-demonstration in Vienna In the past few weeks, the current tightening of asylum law in Austria has been strongly criticised. This critique, as important as it is, was often based on on moral indignation, and rarely focused on a fundamental critique of the nation state itself. A critique does not go far enough, if refugees are (even if unintended) put into a position of petitioners and if the European border regime itself is not fundamentally rejected. Because of this, we want to emphasize that the problem is not to be found in a rising number of deportations, but generally deportations. It is not enough to demand less deportations: The forced deportation of a human is torture and it won’t change anything for the better, if we demand such practices to happen less often or – declared so cynically – them to be more humane. The problem is not the rising number of refugees, but the racist-national structuring of society. Within this, refugees are too often portrayed as a danger. The problem is not just the Austrian border management: It is the nation state of Austria, racism and capitalism that reproduces itself over nation states.
The radical left finds itself more often in a reactive position: In view of a further tightening of asylum law as a part of racist mobilization, resistance against racist policies is more important than ever. By internationally exerting political pressure with regulations on a cap on how many asylum-seekers it will accept annually, Austria’s becoming a trailblazer for the European hollowing out of the right to asylum. As important as it is to criticize current trends, it is essential to remember that asylum law has been racist before, too. It is necessary to demand freedom of movement for everyone and not just asylum for some.
Because of this, it is essential to stand up against any distinction based on people’s reasons for fleeing and to recognize migrants as equals. Not as objects, but as self-determined human beings, who don’t need to be thankful for basic human rights. The residence of people must not be criminalised or delegitimised. If gratitude is expected from refugees, such processes are triggered. An autonomous positioning is made impossible and it is distinguished between those, whose birth right it is to be here, and those, whose residence is mercifully permitted.
Critique and actions against this current tightening of laws are necessary. But it is not just one amendment that is to be fought against, it is the deadly European border regime as a whole. It is not one Austrian law, but European migration policies that aim at sealing off the EU and accept deaths as a consequence. A fight against this must therefore be a fundamental critique of the nation state and its border agencies.
Since yesterday, we know about the deal with Turkey. Once more, the EU continues to cooperate with authoritarian and anti-democratic governments as a part of its inhumane migration management in order to keep people unlawfully away from its borders. This is nothing new: Years ago, the EU financed illegal detention camps in Libya, in which refugees were kept against their will. This deal is not only at the expenses of refugees, it is also funding the war against the Kurds. The European border regime is once again showing its deadly side and is in the process funding a war at its borders.
Therefore, the following demands persist: No Border, No Nation, Stop Deportation! Right of Residence and Freedom of Movement for Everyone! Against the capitalist exploitation of human life, against racism, nationalism and every form of patriotism!
