Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

I will use this opportunity to speak about the reality of the EU’s migration policy, which is not, unfortunately, in keeping with the image it would like to present to us: that of it being one concerned with humanitarianism and welcoming refugees fleeing war and persecution. Instead, it is a consistent record of racism, of Fortress Europe and of trying to keep people out. Often, these are people fleeing the consequences of policies adopted by countries in the West. I refer to trying to keep those people out at any cost, including massive humanitarian costs and great loss of life.

What happened at the Spanish enclave of Melilla, at the border with Morocco, a few weeks ago sums up the situation. Moroccan border guards, paid for by the EU as part of the policy of externalisation of EU borders, were managing a situation where 37 refugees died trying to flee from war and persecution. They died either by being crushed against the fences in some cases, or, in others, by being beaten to death by those border guards, who are funded to the tune of €100 million by the EU. This is the true face of the Union’s migration policy. We can see the same thing when we look at the EU’s deal with Libya or Turkey. Massive amounts have been given to fund border guards to externalise EU borders, resulting in horrendous treatment of those trying to flee war and persecution. Over the past five years, violations by the Libyan coast guard have been repeatedly filmed and recounted by victims and eyewitnesses, including shootings at heavily-laden inflatable boats, beatings of people during disembarkation, the throwing of petrol cans onto boats and those people then facing being detained in Libya’s brutal detention system.

Even within the borders of the EU, look at what is happening in Greece. I ask the Minister and the Government to commit to being in favour of an independent and transparent investigation into the clear breaches of EU law being undertaken by the Greek state. Let us look, for example, at the clear policy that exists of pushbacks. These are, as the Minister will be aware, where a coast guard or a border body of some sort push refugees back out into international waters after they have come into Greek or European territory to make them someone else’s problem. It is illegal, but it is a definite policy of the Greek Government. The UN’s special rapporteur on migrants stated that in Greece "pushbacks at land and sea borders have become de facto general policy".

In mid-March 2022, 30 Syrian asylum seekers, including two pregnant women and seven children, were confined on an islet in the River Evros for six days following an alleged pushback operation by the Greek authorities. Even if refugees manage to get into Greece, they are then taken into an EU-funded, so-called migration centre, worth €43 million, in Samos. This migration centre in reality is a detention centre for migrants. According to Oxfam, approximately one in five people have been inde facto detention for two months. Effectively, it is deliberately far away from towns and villages and completely isolated. There is excessive use of security, constant CCTV monitoring of all residents and an 8 p.m. curfew. It is horrendous treatment and it is EU funded.

Let us take the example of the way those who try to act in the interests of human rights and the rights of refugees are treated, including Seán Binder. There are many others, but we know of Mr. Binder because he is from Ireland. He is still facing trial. It has now been delayed and this is part of a tactic of intimidating people from engaging in helping migrants. For helping migrants, Mr. Binder is facing a prison sentence of up to 25 years if found guilty. This is the reality of what EU migration policy is. At the very least, I would like the Minister to consider or investigate the idea of supporting the Oxfam call. It has made a complaint to the European Commission concerning infringements of EU law by Greece. That complaint is detailed. It has a table and goes through all the breaches one by one. It is very long because all the breaches are long. I urge the Minister to commit to the Government supporting an independent investigation into these breaches.

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