Madrid Protest: Stop the Italy-Libya Memorandum of Understanding

Note: The Madrid protest will take the form of a sit-in in front of the Italian Embassy (Calle de Lagasca, 98).

“Refugees in Libya started their protests over 300 days ago in October 2021 – still the conditions for refugees in Libya remain the same. They are exposed to structural violence, arbitrary detention in inhumane conditions, torture, enslavement and murder. People are still drowning in the Mediterranean daily or being pulled back by both the so-called Libyan coast guard (LYCG) and the newly established Stability Support Apparatus (SSA). The European Union (EU) is contributing to these atrocities daily by funding and training the so-called LYCG and supporting structures, which are holding the current system in place.

Still, the echo of the protest of Refugees in Libya is ignored in the European public discourse.
Since 2017, when the Italy-Libya Memorandum of Understanding was signed, enough evidence, reports, statements have revealed the strong links between the so-called LYCG, Libyan migration authorities (DCIM), militias and smugglers. Enough reports denounced the crimes committed against refugees and migrants in Libya. The United Nations (UN) and International Criminal Court (ICC) are even denouncing crimes against humanity committed in the detention centers, which are sustained by the Memorandum.

On November 2, 2022 the Italy-Libya Memorandum is to be renewed – it is the backdoor of the cooperation of the EU with the militia-led Libyan coast guard, the hellish detention system, and the silent tragedies of thousands of invisible deaths in the Sahara at the southern border.
❌ STOP Italy-Libya Memorandum!

In Solidarity with Refugees in Libya, we want to take to the streets all over Europe to stop this memorandum, on Saturday October 15, in front of the Italian embassies of our cities.

All actors involved in this Memorandum have to put an end to this criminal agreement:
– Italy has to cancel the renewal of the Memorandum.
– EU must stop financing activities in line with the Memorandum with hundreds of millions of Euros.
– Frontex, who’s cooperating with the so-called LYCG in line with the Memorandum, has to be abolished.
– United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and International Organisation for Migration (IOM) must immediately start fulfilling their duty to protect refugees in Libya and stop providing a front for
the EU and Italy to claim their actions are motivated by humanitarian aims.

By sustaining the Italy-Libya Memorandum, Italy, EU, the so-called LYCG, Frontex, UNHCR and IOM become accomplices of slavery, trafficking of human beings and crimes against humanity.
– Stop the Italy-Libya Memorandum!
– Stop pullback of refugees and migrants to Libya, stop cooperation with so-called LYCG!
– Free all refugees and migrants, close the detention centers!
– Evacuation to safe countries for all refugees and migrants in Libya!

JOIN OUR ACTIONS ON OCTOBER 15 IN FRONT OF ITALIAN EMBASSIES IN BERLIN, BRUSSELS, MADRID OR ORGANIZE ACTION IN YOUR CITY ✊”