London: Campaigners hold prayer vigil at Foreign Office over deaths of refugees in Mediterranean

More than 40 international religious peace activists highlighted the deaths of migrants and refugees in the Mediterranean and the culpability of the UK government on Friday. The gathering consisted of a silent procession to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, a public prayer vigil, and a symbolic representation of the deaths at the Home Office.

Since January 1, 2015 over 65,000 refugees and migrants have crossed the Mediterranean into Europe. So far this year at least 1,800 men, women and children have drowned in their bid to reach Europe; a direct result of the indefensible decision to disband Mare Nostrum, the search and rescue operation. These include refugees fleeing oppression, poverty and war, forced to submit to acts of desperation and the risks of human trafficking in their search for a better life.

In the face of this crisis, European governments, including the UK, have reduced search and rescue operations leading to the death toll increasing ten times that of the same period in 2014 (according to the International Organisation for Migration).

Last month, under humanitarian pressure, EU leaders proposed a 10-point solution to the migration crisis. However, this does not include an adequate search and rescue mandate extending to the Libyan coast. Transformation of search and rescue operations into border control is accompanied by the myth of the "pull factor". This argument ignores the real reasons for refugees to cross the Mediterranean Sea. These include the destabilization of nations in Africa and Middle East caused by Western military intervention, the supply of arms to oppressive regimes and economic exploitation of developing nations.

The European community is involved in creating the crisis it is now refusing to address. The vigil commenced at 11.45am with a silent march at St Martin in the Fields to the Foreign and Commonwealth office where there were prayers, stories and naming of the dead. The assembly tried to deliver a letter of protest to Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond. Those assembled then processed to the permanent peace picket at Parliament Square standing in solidarity.

They then moved on to the Home Office to deliver a letter to Home secretary, Theresa May and memorialise the recent deaths. The participants acted out the part of drowned migrants to remind the government of their recent failures to rescue vulnerable human beings.

Participants include local and international Catholic Workers and Christian Peacemaker Teams members and supporters.

Links:

Christian Peacemaker teams www.cpt.org