March in support of refugees started on the Trg žrtava fašizma with a minute of silence for all victims of Paris attacks, and the participants have put flowers in front of the French embassy in Zagreb.

On Saturday, they marched on the streets of Zagreb to remind Europe and its leaders on the fundamental EU values that they officially signed and which they are – in the shadow of fences and wires – easily rejecting. The current humanitarian crisis in Europe is the result of the cynical relationship of the institutions of the European Union and EU governments, which have helped in causing the migration crisis thanks to their centralist practices. That kind of policies must stop!

They expect of EU governments and institutions to show humanity and solidarity and to provide safe corridors and access to EU territory – to reduce the number of migrant deaths and prevent violations of their rights. Contemporary migrations are the consequences of multiple and mutually conditioned reasons that preceded them and neither one aspect of it can’t be considered in isolation.

The causes of the international humanitarian crisis are asymmetryin development, political and financial power, climate changes, wars and instability. Because of that, making difference between refugees and economic migrants in contemporary context is representing a kind of phony dilemma which is being justified with established legal framework. This legal framework can’t provide adequate answer to reality in which thousands of people are crossing borders every day on their way to safety. Because of them, but also because of ourselves, we must demand the change of the existing system, the change which is loudly wanted by thousands of volunteers and even more of those who are showing their solidary with our new fellow citizens on the street of Europe.

‘We, volunteers, citizens, refugees, don’t want to accept Europe becoming closed continent! We also don’t accept that the only alternative for people who are escaping from insecurity of the war becomes insecurity inside of the European borders, where they are left to the marginalisation and criminalisation and exposed to racism and xenophobia’, stated the participants of the March.