MdN-Madrid

Women in Black of Madrid are very worried and disturbed by the current situation in Cataluña and in the rest of Spain.

We are also perplexed that all the other problems that plague our societies have disappeared from the media and the concerns of the governments as if they no longer existed.

Both governments say they speak in the name of the people when in reality they speak in the interests of their own party. And between the two of them, they have succeeded in causing us to consider ourselves enemies of one another.

Intimidation, fear and violence, the same tactics they use to confront the conflict through force, is pure militarization of conscience.

As Women in Black we do not want them to divide us, to separate us as if we were enemies, and to make use of force: Not in our name nor with our money!

As Women in Black we want:

♀ To resolve conflicts in another way: to listen to each other, taking care with the manner in which things are said and done, avoid adding more fuel to the fire.

♀ Extend bridges between people and communities, put oneself in the shoes of the other person, know their priorities and try to understand them, meet as women without borders.

♀ Work collaboratively to achieve social progress and progress for women.

♀ Ask the governments to really work for the people rather than divide us more than they have already done.

♀ We call out against the launch of exceptional measures and impositions by both of the parties, and appeal for dialog and democratic, participatory negotiation.

Women in Black, based on our feminist, anti-militarist and nonviolence platform, express our conviction that alternatives must be sought to learn how to preclude conflicts resulting in more violence, rather seeking greater equity and justice for the civil society.

It is not enough to be against violence and war. One must analyze the causes that produce wars in order to avoid them.

Translation: Trisha Novak, USA – Yolanda Rouiller, WiB Spain

Women in Black are very concerned to see how the war in Syria has become entrenched. Following the repression of the dictator Al Assad against the civil population, which rose up non-violently against the corruption of his government in the spring of 2011, there occurred an increase in violence, encouraged by the intervention of external actors who, instead of seeking a peaceful solution, provoked a civil war that included many participants and with international dimensions.

In previous communiqués, we have reported that the supposed guardians of democracy might arise as saviors of this country supporting the insurgents militarily, when in reality they only aspired to defend their interests in the area. We also denounced the macabre business of arms sales by various countries, Spain among them, with the approval of their respective governments, despite knowing that these weapons are used against the civil population.

With the pretext of the struggle against terrorism, the international community continues to permit the destruction of Syria and further entrenchment of the conflict. Recently, an additional country, Israel, joined in the destruction of Syria giving as their reason to attack the Hezbollah militia present on the border.

The European Union disregards those who oppose this war, the thousands of refugees, mostly defectors who leave with their families in order to save their lives and flee from the armed conflict. The supply of arms to the various warring actors continues but the quota for admission of refugees in the various countries is restricted. And they neither do anything to protect the civil population trapped between the military forces confronting one another.

The people suffer the consequences of a conflict that has little to do with them. On the contrary, the war serves the interests of the contending countries and the great world powers which care nothing about the destruction of a country as long as they obtain certain advantages derived from their presence in an area that is so strategic geopolitically.

Women in Black request:

♀ A negotiated solution in Syria now and one which will include all the civilian voices involved.

♀ That access to arms be denounced and impeded to adversaries.

♀ That the countries that permit the sale of arms, Spain included, be denounced.

♀ That the civil population be protected from military aggression, hunger, poverty and forced emigration, etc.

♀ That there be no impunity, rather that those responsible be held accountable in courts of justice for their crimes against the people.

♀ That the national heritage be protected and rebuilt.

♀ That the government of Spain fulfill its commitments to welcome Syrian refugees, a commitment with which it has systematically failed to comply.

Translation: Trisha Novak, USA – Yolanda Rouiller, WiB Spain

Women in Black join the campaign “Queremos Acoger Ya!” [We Want to Welcome Now]. World Refugee Day is commemorated on 20 June. June 15 is the day against the Centros de Internamiento de Extranjeros (CIEs) [Centers for Detention of Foreigners].

Sixty-five million people flee from their countries because of armed conflict, violence, persecution and violation of rights. No funds are set aside to help these people. We spend it to impede their entry, tightening laws of asylum, buying off third counties with illegal agreements to detain those who seek refuge, countries that are unsafe in terms of human rights. Last year spent 15.000 million Euros on border barriers.

In 2015 Europe reached an agreement to redistribute, within two years, 120,000 refugees from Italy, Greece, Turkey or Lebanon. The government of committed to take in 17,337 refugees. The period to comply with this obligations ends in September and as of now we have welcomed only some 1,300 persons.

In addition to this, 1,260,000 displaced persons, who were not fleeing only from wars, sought refuge in in 2016. Of these, 15,700 asked for protection in. In that year, almost 7,000 people died in the , many of whom were minors. Instead of offering them protection in our country, 25 persons are repatriated every day. Last year more than 10 million Euros were spent to maintain the CIEs despite their demonstrated inefficacy.

Women in Black against War join hundreds of organizations and collectives to demand that the government of welcome and provide protection to the refugees. If the government does not fulfill its commitments, the citizens have the moral obligation to act.

♀ We want a that receives refugees with full guarantees and respect for their dignity and for their human rights. We ask that their legal and welfare needs be covered.

♀ We want to see established legal and safe avenues, as well as opening of humanitarian corridors, to help refugees seek asylum before leaving their country of origin in the embassies and consulates of the country where they wish to go, through a humanitarian passport or resettlement and regrouping of families. We ask that people not be sent to countries that are unsafe and that agreements with these countries concerning border control and return be suspended.

♀ We ask for urgent measures to welcome people who are especially vulnerable such as children, adolescents, women and LGBT persons. We demand actions to impede dangerous crossings or routes on which women and young girls suffer assaults, violations, humiliation, kidnapping and prostitution.

♀ We want special protection for defenders of human rights, as well as for persons who reject the use of weapons, conscientious objectors and deserters.

♀ We want an end to the commerce in armaments, so that weapons do not turn up in countries experiencing armed conflict or those in which there is clear violation of the people’s human rights.

♀ We want the government of to comply with international law and acquired obligations.

Translation: Trisha Novak, USA – Yolanda Rouiller, WiB Spain

Pictures here