The World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) issued a statement yesterday marking World Refugee Day 2021.
The YCL is Britain’s affiliate to WFDY, one of over 180 progressive and anti-imperialist youth organisations from more than 100 countries that are members. WFDY organises campaigns as well as solidarity brigades in support of peace, self-determination for all people and social and economic progress.
“This year we face World Refugee Day with the shocking fact that the threshold of 80 million refugees and forced migrants (82.4 million) has been overcome in 2021.
70% are in countries that restrict their right to work, more than 7 million refugee children of school age are out of school, and 80% of displaced people are in areas affected by malnutrition and severe food insecurity.
Moreover, since the last World Refugee Day, there have been several tragedies that accentuate the plight of these people: the fire in the Moria camp, border tensions in several EU countries, etc.
Imperialism does not only provoke forced migrations, it also provokes, with repressive policies, the death and even the murder of thousands of people whose only “crime” was to seek better living conditions. An example of this is the European Union or the United States for its migration policy, highlighting the data of more than 1,700 people died on the Mediterranean in 2020 and 250 on the border with Mexico.
As we have repeatedly denounced, war, interventions and occupations and even climate change are generating an increase in migration and refugees all over the world. In other words, imperialism is responsible for the fact that millions of people have to flee in search of asylum.
In this context, fascists, the extreme right and fundamentalists promote xenophobia and racism, while the ruling class tries to take advantage of this situation to face the working class off against each other. We must underline that those who launch the most xenophobic policies and messages are responsible for the violence and aggression that cause thousands of people to seek refuge.
Let’s struggle against imperialism, which is the only way to achieve lasting peace and to ensure that no one has to leave their homes.”
Challenge News Desk
