1 research outputs found
Pro-asylum Advocacy in the EU: Challenging the State of Exception
Introduction. This chapter explores examples of how pro-asylum advocates
challenge the harsh measures used to punish
those who try to enter or reside in the EU illegally,
taking examples from The Netherlands and the UK.
We explore organized resistance to the â3-Dsâ, which
are so typical of EU-wide migration policies: destitution,
detention and deportation. Together these are
the backbone of policies of deterrence. Sections 2 and
3 explore how âglobal apartheidâ and the âstate of exceptionâ
within the EU connect. Giorgio Agamben
(2005) first theorized the âstate of exceptionâ and
Kohler, âglobal apartheidâ (1978). The state of exception
is the regional context for pro-asylum advocacy
work, and global apartheid is the global context
within which the EU-wide state of exception can be
understood (Webber 2000; Migreurop 2009). In section
4, the âshared injustice framesâ, or common
worldviews, of pro-asylum advocacy networks in the
EU, are briefly explored.
Section 5 presents examples of pro-asylum advocacy
work from the UK and the Netherlands. These
examples draw on our own background experience
and research. We explore how two pro-asylum advocacy
organizations, one a loose network, the other a
small NGO, have tried to organize to protect those
seeking sanctuary against the 3-Ds. The right not to
be deliberately made homeless, not to be imprisoned
at will, and not to be forcibly expelled to dangerous
countries, are thus the main focus of these organizations,
and of section 5. In section 6, we briefly explore
some positive recent developments, such as the âsanctuary
campaignâ in the UK, but also how resistance to
deterrence policies has had to go âundergroundâ in
the face of criminalization in both the EU and elsewhere,
such as Canada (Fekete 2009; Nyers 2003)