Protestors outside Dungavel immigration prison in Scotland, as part of a day of action across and refugees the scapegoats for their own failure to provide jobs and decent public services.
The situation plays into the hands of far right forces. Britain for example has seen the growth of the British National Party, and of the UK Independence Party that forced the Tory Party into fourth place in the recent byelection held to select a new member of parliament for Hartlepool. This comes in a context where the main political parties are falling over each other to offer policies limiting immigration and
Tony Blair pledged last month to double the number of failed asylum seekers who are deported by the end of this year. The monthly number of removals will exceed the number of unfounded applications by the end of next year, he said.
Roughly 80 per cent (2,112) of those applying between April and June 2003 were refused permission to stay in Britain. In the same quarter 3,130 people were deported.
While New Labour have hinted that they are not happy with the constraints put on them by the UN convention on Tory leader Michael Howard has pledged to tear it up and to introduce an Australian-type points system setting a quota for the number of migrants allowed into Britain.
The Liberal Democrats have also pledged to implement quotas.
All across Europe, the mainstream political parties pander to racism and shore up Fortress Europe - and then complain when far right parties such reap the benefits.
We say:
Tear down Fortress Europe.
• Stand in solidarity with asylum seekers, refugees and migrants.
• End the war and poverty and environmental catastrophes that are endemic to capitalism and drive millions from their homes.
• Build the European Day of Action on March 25 2005. Melbourne made clear their feelings about Australia's detention policy for asylum seekers at a rally in the city in the run up to the coun try's October election.
Organiser Tim Petterson, from the Refugee Action Committee, said "There is a real sense of a hope in being able to change Australia's unjust refugee policies.
Demonstrators held banners that read "Tampa Lies Stole the Last Election" and "We want a Prime Minister who won't Tampa with the truth".
The rally was attended by a group of Aighan refugees who have just been released from detention on the Pacific island of Nauru.
Greens senator Bob Brown promised that his party would work to release interned refugees. The Greens also pledged to work to end the construction of the Christmas Island detention camp and "return humanity to Australia's policy"."
"No human beings escaping tyranny should be locked up in the desert behind barbed wire."
A spokeswoman for the Refugee Action Collective said: "We've seen the truth used once too often as a political football." 2001, the UK government