December 18, 2011 - a Global Day of Action Against Racism and for the Rights of Refugees, Migrants and Displaced People

A Global Day of Action Against Racism and for the Rights of Refugees, Migrants and Displace People was proposed first a the World Social Forum on Migrations in Quito on october 2010. Then the ARCI Association presented a seminar called "Toward a world strike for the rights and dignity of migrant workers, and against racism and for justice".

Building on the experience of other transnational struggles such as May Day 2006 in the U.S. and March 1, 2010 in Italy and France, the objective of the seminar was to build an initiative so that the international anti-ractis and for immigrant rights could be better represented as a global movement givent the fact that our enemies and their policies are likewise transnational.

At the seminar participated different organizations which presented a motion supported by acclamation at the Assembly of Popular Movements of the Fourth Social Forum for Migrations ni Quito (Ecuador) on october 11, 2010 (text attached).

According to the text of the resolution approved in Quito, these organizations are committed to working so that the World Social Forum in Dakar also pass a resolution to support the world-wide struggle.

Last february 2011 there was in Dakar, among others, a convergence assembly where we reaffirmed the need to carry out events to demand the right to migrate and not to migrate, and to remain in one area and not be forcefully displaced. This will be an event that would allow us to be recognized as a global movement, giving visibility and strength at the international level for the demands and matters created by migration.

Based on the discussion that took place at the assembly, to the proposals establisdhed by the Charter for Migrant Rights (voted in Gore on February 6, 2011) and other proposals presented in the World Social Forum, we elaborated a motion proclaiming december 18, 2011 as a global day of action against racism, for the rights, equality and dignity of migrant workers, refugees and displaced people.

The text of the proposal is general enough to allow each country to structure the mobilization based on their own local demands. It was impossible to prepare a set of specific demands given the different situations that apply to each locality. Besides, every local initiative will decide in an autonomous way what character will the mobilization take (rally, cultural event, strike, caravan, etc). Given that december 18 this year is a sunday, in some countries this is not the best date to hold an event on that day, so the local events can take place on other days around the december 18 date.

A global day of action for the rights of migrants, refugees and displace people is possible: forward to december 18.

Edda Pando – eddamilagros@fastwebnet.it
Filippo Miraglia miraglia@arci.it
Arci Italy

For more info check the organizing web page: www.globalmigrantsaction.org