SOCEPP (12 January 2018) – Israel has announced that it plans to deport some 30,000 African refugees back to their countries or to Rwanda and Uganda.  Uganda has denied that it has any agreement to this effect with Israel while refugees sent to Rwanda in the past have met with a dire situation and trafficking to Uganda.

SOCEPP calls upon Israel to abandon this measure and to grant asylum to the African refugees, most from the Sudan and Eritrea. Hundreds of refugees have perished in Sinai trying to make their way to Israel, victims of traffickers and organ harvesters. In the past, the treatment of refugees by asylum seekers by Israel has been condemned many times and for good reason. A racist stance in words and action, calling the refugees cancer, infiltrators and imprisoning them in inhumane conditions or forcing them to leave to other places has earned Israel deserved condemnation. Such epithets and actions were not to be expected considering the fact that Jews themselves had been subjected to such slurs and repression by the Nazis.

Paying Rwanda for accepting refugees is no solution either. Giving each refugee US$ 3,500 and dumping them in places that are not their choice or ready to receive them is deplorable. SOCEPP fully understands the prevailing negative climate against African asylum seekers and migrants be it in Israel or the world at large. The shameful racist statement of the American president is but a recent example the low level of intolerance and crude racism that prevails. Victims of intolerance and racism should not turn into intolerance bigots and racists and we refer to Israelis and to Trump.

End the injustice and stop the Israeli plan to deport African refugees. It is no fault of theirs that they are not born white, blond and with blue eyes.