Moderation:

• Ramona Lenz (medico international)
• Cornelia Füllkrug-Weitzel

Panellists (first session on statelessness):

• Christiana Bukalo (Statefree)
• Amal de Chickera (Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion)

Panellists (second session on the European border regime):

• Abdul Ghafoor (Afghanistan Migrants Advice and Support Organisation)
• Reshad Jalali (European Council on Refugees and Exiles)
• Doro Blancke (Refugee Rights Activist, currently in Lesvos, Greece)
• Katarzyna Czarnota (Grupa Granica, Helsinki Foundation Warsaw)

The webinar takes place in the framework of the Global Assembly and is sponsored by the Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung. It was prepared by Abdul Ghafoor, Amal de Chickera, Christiana Bukalo, Cornelia Füllkrug-Weitzel, Nathanael Räuschel, Ramona Lenz and Sidonia Blättler. The workshop deals with the exclusion from democratic participation and other rights deprivations, which stateless people as well as refugees and migrants experience in different ways.

Introduction:

Ramona Lenz introduces by stating that being stateless or a refugee challenges the traditional model of nation-states and citizenship. Grassroots movements in Europe have been opposing this model, protesting border violence as well as advocating for basic rights for all, regardless of their immigration status and without having them to fear deportation. The webinar aims to expose the implications of statelessness and refugee rights deprivations, which contradict the universality of human rights, emphasizing the need for new citizenship concepts based on diasporic experiences, especially as right-wing movements are reinforcing ideas of the purity of the nation are demanding the brutalization of borders. The first session focuses on how stateless people are excluded from democracy and basic rights while the second session pays special attention to the European border regime. To conclude, the panellists think about strategies to combat the deprivation of rights and define loose ends to be further discussed.

Statelessness and Democracy:

Christiana Bukalo begins by sharing her personal experience of being stateless, emphasizing the impact on identity, democratic participation, and societal perception. She introduces her organisation, Statefree, dedicated to community building, equal rights, and visibility for stateless individuals. The input covers the meaning of statelessness defined by the UN, the dependency on nation-states to grant you citizenship in order to claim rights, the global scope of the problem, the different reasons behind it, and the resulting limitations on basic human rights. Christiana highlights the need for increased awareness, public pressure, and the involvement of stateless individuals in advocating for change. She stresses the dual goals of achieving everyone’s right to nationality and still ensuring the basic rights of stateless individuals, suggesting that these objectives should complement each other. The presentation concludes with a focus on empowering stateless individuals as agents of change through community building, increasing visibility, and addressing deeper structures.

Democracy and Statelessness:

Amal de Chickera discusses the relationship between democracy and statelessness, highlighting how the existence of statelessness can be damaging to democracy as well as a good measure of its health. He emphasizes that statelessness often results from underlying discrimination and is weaponized by states to target certain groups. The denial of nationality is seen as a powerful tool in the hands of authoritarian states but also democratic ones, enabling exclusion and rights deprivations. Amal connects the issue of statelessness to the erosion of democracy globally, emphasizing the growing gap between the people and their representatives. He poses two key questions: how to maximize democratic participation of stateless people within existing structures and how to envision democracies in the long term to be more inclusive. Amal suggests a shift from a preoccupation with status to a focus on place in determining political participation, thereby making democracies more accountable to their original idea. The presentation concludes by arguing for strategies that empower stateless people as agents of change and advocate for a reconceptualization of democracy that minimizes the incentive for states to make people stateless.

Q&A:

Patricia from the European Network on Statelessness raises a question about how to convince states to make the “small switch” of allowing stateless people to participate in democracy, especially when intentional exclusion has been prevalent. Amal highlights the importance of granting voting and political participation rights to all individuals on a territory. Amal stresses the argument for the strengthening of democracy by recognizing statehood beyond nationality. He also points to municipalities, such as New York, issuing ID cards irrespective of citizenship, as examples of prioritizing place over status. While acknowledging the slow progress in convincing leaders, Amal underscores the significance of pushing for change to achieve more inclusive democracies. Christiana suggests that, in parallel with advocating for voting rights, efforts should be made to identify and create other channels for stateless people to engage with political processes.

Kerem from the Department of Communication of medico international, focusing on migration topics, brings up the situation of the Kurdish people and their statelessness in the Middle East. He highlights their attempt to develop a counter model to statelessness, questioning the nation-state concept and proposing a rethinking of democracy without national borders. Amal acknowledges the significance of peoples’ self-determination in addressing statelessness, pointing out that denial of the right to self-determination often leads to statelessness for certain groups. He emphasizes the need to question the nation-state system, acknowledging the complexity of such a transformation but urging for more radical thinking and some pragmatism at the same time. Christiana adds that there is a huge contradiction between universal rights on the one hand and the concept of a nation state on the other hand. Also, while questioning nation-states is important, it's also crucial to consider the immediate needs of stateless individuals, for example Kurdish individuals facing difficulties in Germany due to lack of documentation.

European Border Regime:

The second session of the webinar focuses on the very different but connected topic of refuge, migration, and the European border regime. Abdul Ghafoor shortly introduces the block, drawing from his experience working with refugees in Afghanistan and Germany and as a refugee himself. He mentions the appalling brutalization of European migration policies, noting the dangers faced by refugees on their way to Europe and the horrible mistreatment they encounter at its borders.

Rishad Jalali holds the first input on the Common European Asylum System (CEAS), its current reforms and the EU’s externalisation strategies. He discusses Europe's historical role in providing refuge but notes recent trends of increased border restrictions and externalization of migration to third countries. Regarding the reform of the CEAS, he highlights challenges in negotiations and shares his concerns about derogation of the right to asylum. Rishad criticizes the focus on further restrictions rather than proper implementation of existing rules. He directly criticizes the EU’s strategy of externalising responsibility to third countries, emphasizing lack of transparency, and negative effects on people seeking asylum.

Adding, Doro Blancke reports on the brutal pushback policy at European borders, stressing the ongoing breach of international law, traumatic experiences for refugees, and its impact on society's response to right-wing extremism. She describes the catastrophic conditions in the Lesbos camp, outlining challenges for refugees and humanitarian workers. Doro discusses the efforts of local organizations and international cooperations to combat pushbacks and other right deprivations, emphasizing collaboration among NGOs. Abdul and Doro further discuss the impact of pushbacks on Afghan refugees attempting to reach Greece from Turkey. The fear and trauma faced by refugees sent back to Turkey, including risks in their home country controlled by the Taliban, are highlighted. Also, Doro and Abdul address the harsh legal consequences faced by activists assisting refugees as well as refugees themselves, especially after false accusations of smuggling.

As the final part of the second session, Katarzyna Czarnota presents the situation at the Polish-Belarusian border, addressing the militarization of the border zone and emphasizing underlying systemic issues, including the normalization of state violence and the criminalization of humanitarian assistance. She mentions the implementation of a state of emergency, resulting in pushbacks, illegal expulsions, and other right deprivations. Katarzyna calls for a shift from a securitized to a more humanitarian approach, advocating for investigations and social pressure. Abdul asks about potential changes in Poland's migration approach after the last elections, and Katarzyna expresses skepticism, citing the continued securitized narrative and the need for a shift in awareness.

Conclusion & Discussion:

Cornelia initiates a summary of the webinar's discussions, focusing on the conceptual problem of democracies prioritizing legal status (nationality) over place (residency) as a prerequisite for participation. This leads to stateless individuals, refugees, and migrants being excluded from democratic processes, resulting in a deprivation of rights, and contributing to authoritarianism. The next topics to be covered include identifying the major implications and common root causes of statelessness and the deprivation of rights for refugees and migrants, discussing possible actions against it, and exploring practical ways to facilitate participation and bridge the gap between politicians and affected individuals.

Amal reflects on the significant role of borders in shaping the experiences of stateless individuals, migrants, and refugees, although in different ways. He raises the question of how borders shape our experience of democracy and how democracies violently utilise borders in order to exclude people from accessing that democracy. Abdul Ghafoor follows up, highlighting the interconnected nature of statelessness and migration. He notes instances where individuals recognized as refugees may declare themselves stateless due to the challenges in their home countries. He also addresses the impact of right-wing politics on migration policies, contributing to stricter rules and faster deportations. Katarzyna underscores the role of neoliberalism and capitalism, linking forced migration to exploitation. She stressed that these problems are consequences of capitalism in crisis as well as geopolitical divisions. Christiana agrees with the points raised by Katarzyna and adds that the structural power imbalance between the state and individuals contributes to discrimination and lack of protection. Amal discusses discrimination as a root cause, pointing to racism and patriarchy as societal issues contributing to statelessness and forced migration. Furthermore, the democratic deficit in itself is a root cause, states Amal. He emphasizes the need to connect the issue of statelessness, refuge and migration to broader topics discussed in the Global Assembly, such as rule of law, democracy, basic inequalities and discrimination. Abdul contributes by discussing the case of Afghanistan, where, in contrast to violence as the general main reason, nowadays mostly discrimination based on gender or against minority groups contribute to forced migration. Following that, the panellists touch upon various problems, including the normalisation of border violence and border-related deaths as well as the huge contradiction between the idea of human rights for all and the reality of excluding stateless people and migrants from this “universal” idea. The conversation highlights the need for a holistic understanding of the root causes to address the challenges faced by stateless and migrant populations effectively.

In the subsequent discussion, the conversation revolves around advocacy efforts and political changes needed at the EU, German, and global levels. Katarzyna emphasizes the importance of bridging the gap between policymakers and the realities faced by stateless and migrant populations. She suggests defining and highlighting the negative consequences of current policies, especially focusing on the negative impact of militarization and other practices at the European border. Katarzyna also stresses the need to frame the issue as a systemic crisis of the EU, making it relevant to every citizen, not just those who live close to the border. Christiana stresses the importance of direct interaction between affected individuals and politicians to foster understanding, but in a way that avoids tokenization. She emphasizes the role of public pressure, awareness, and inclusive advocacy that recognizes the intersectionality of issues faced by migrants, refugees, and stateless individuals. Amal provides an example from the UK regarding its multi-citizenship law, emphasizing the effectiveness of mainstreaming the issue and connecting it to a broader population by showing how certain policies, namely the danger of having their citizenships taken away, could affect a significant number of citizens.

In the following segment, the discussion focuses on the importance of centring stateless people, refugees, and migrants in political advocacy. The question arises about the possibility of solidarity networks and cooperation between movements. First, Christiana points out the limited (financial) capacities of civil society organisations in this field. She emphasizes the need to start with a low barrier, analyse existing intersections, and take small steps in collaboration. In addition, civil society actors should always scrutinise the assumptions on which their work is based. Amal reflects on the dire historical treatment of stateless people and the need for a mindset shift in how organisations collaborate and complement each other, emphasizing their accountability to affected communities, not just donors. He states that organisations often tend to put their own institutional agendas first but that doesn't work. In contrast, intersectional solidarity is crucial.

The discussion then transitions to exploring alternative models of participation. Christiana shares examples of internal education and dialogue, emphasizing the importance of building knowledge among affected communities as well as creating spaces for direct interaction with decision-makers. Katarzyna highlights the need for tools created by legal and investigation teams that can be used by affected individuals as proof and advocacy tools, especially if there are language barriers, power imbalances or different class situations involved. Amal talks about municipalities providing documentation to residents regardless of legal status, granting access to services and local elections. He further emphasizes the need to find a way to both target specific issues while avoiding marginalization of specific issues as a niche problem, and also build a broader advocacy message which is in solidarity with all excluded groups. These issues must be framed as central and as real problems for democracy.