Calais is a port city in France that sits as the major nexus of migrants attempting to leave the French (and thus European) mainland to reach the U.K. in seek of asylum. These migrants are fleeing the effects of imperialism (sometimes war, always capital) in their home countries. They hail from Pakistan, Egypt, Syria, Afghanistan, Chad, Nigeria, Sudan and many other places and seek peace and stability in the EU. The irony is that the EU, like the U.S., is a major exporter of the troubles the migrants seek to escape. In many ways, the "immigration crisis" in the U.S. mirrors the reality of the "immigration crisis" in the EU.
This week's episode of the Final Straw features a conversation with Greta, a No Border Activist living in the UK about struggles of immigrants in Calais, where over the last 2 months there have been raids that have netted hundreds of migrants seeking to leave the mainland and land in the UK with expectation of receiving a refugee status. Greta tells us about the immigration structure of the EU's Shengen Zone (of which the UK is not a part), about the recent raids and squat evictions in Calais, and the new squat "Impasse de Saline" outside of the city. She also touches on the plight of immigrants in the UK. http://calaismigrantsolidarity.wordpress.com/
The second half of the episode features a segment recorded by our audio-comrades at A-Radio Berlin, entitled "Europe and beyond: the resistance against mega-projects". From the A-Radio blog: "We preÂsent an inÂterÂview with BogÂdan, an acÂtivist from RuÂmaÂnia. The main topic is the reÂcent 4th Forum against unÂneÂcessaÂry imÂpoÂsed meÂga-âproÂjects, a netÂwork of major struggÂles against inÂfraÂstrucÂtuÂre, miÂning and fraÂcking proÂjects (in EuÂroÂpe an beyÂond). The last meeÂting took place in May in Rosia MonÂtÂaÂna, RuÂmaÂnia. The preÂpaÂraÂtiÂon, the subÂject of the inÂvolÂveÂment of poÂliÂtiÂcal parÂties in such moÂveÂments as well as the fuÂture perÂspecÂtive of this parÂtiÂcuÂlar coÂorÂdiÂnaÂtiÂon are at the heart of the inÂterÂview, but it also gives a quick overÂview of the deÂveÂlopÂment of the local struggÂle against the proÂpoÂsed bigÂgest open-âcast gold miÂning proÂject in EuÂroÂpe." More at http://aradio.blogsport.de/
For past shows dealing with anti-dev struggles like the ones mentioned above, see the following links: Hambach Forest Defense: Germany (http://thefinalstrawradio.noblogs.org/post/2014/04/07/hambach-forest-resists-rwes-lignite-carbon-mine/)
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