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Date of Award
Spring 2020
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Historical & Political Studies; College of Arts & Sciences
First Advisor
Hilary Parsons Dick
Abstract
“If solidarity is a crime, I wish to be prosecuted for this crime.” These final words conclude the Manifeste des délinquants de la solidarité or Solidarity Offenders Manifesto, signed by over 350 French migrant aid organizations to protest the harassment towards their aid workers by authorities. In recent years, an increasing number of aid workers have reported harassment from police including being arrested without a warrant, being unlawfully videotaped, and they are often subject to random searches of their homes. Many humanitarian organizations refer to this treatment as the délit de solidarité or crime of solidarity where aid workers and individuals are punished for providing migrants food, clothing, shelter, and hygiene items. Countless stories of aid worker marginalization stem from the French city of Calais, a migration hub home to many migrant-aiding NGOs.
I argue that this treatment is due in part to the draconian migration policies that have been passed by right-wing leaders that serve to punish those who help migrants. Article 21 of the Revised Ordonnance of 1945 is one key policy that punishes the smuggling of migrants, but its vague wording is used to legitimize the harsh treatment of aid workers that we observe today. By referencing narratives from individuals and NGOs in Calais as well as Article 21, I analyze how pressures from far-right political parties and the policies they encourage have lead to the marginalization of aid workers.
Recommended Citation
Kubicz, Raquel, "Offenders of Solidarity: Far-Right Politics, French Migration Policy, and the Criminalization of NGOs" (2020). Capstone Showcase. 5.
https://scholarworks.arcadia.edu/showcase/2020/is/5
Offenders of Solidarity: Far-Right Politics, French Migration Policy, and the Criminalization of NGOs
“If solidarity is a crime, I wish to be prosecuted for this crime.” These final words conclude the Manifeste des délinquants de la solidarité or Solidarity Offenders Manifesto, signed by over 350 French migrant aid organizations to protest the harassment towards their aid workers by authorities. In recent years, an increasing number of aid workers have reported harassment from police including being arrested without a warrant, being unlawfully videotaped, and they are often subject to random searches of their homes. Many humanitarian organizations refer to this treatment as the délit de solidarité or crime of solidarity where aid workers and individuals are punished for providing migrants food, clothing, shelter, and hygiene items. Countless stories of aid worker marginalization stem from the French city of Calais, a migration hub home to many migrant-aiding NGOs.
I argue that this treatment is due in part to the draconian migration policies that have been passed by right-wing leaders that serve to punish those who help migrants. Article 21 of the Revised Ordonnance of 1945 is one key policy that punishes the smuggling of migrants, but its vague wording is used to legitimize the harsh treatment of aid workers that we observe today. By referencing narratives from individuals and NGOs in Calais as well as Article 21, I analyze how pressures from far-right political parties and the policies they encourage have lead to the marginalization of aid workers.
Comments
International Studies