f.Lotta: a protest flotilla in the Mediterranean to denounce Fortress Europe and demand freedom of movement!

Collectives from across Europe are taking to the sea to denounce the militarization of the Mediterranean

f.Lotta is an initiative led by a broad coalition of organizations that have launched an “occupation of the Mediterranean Sea” departing from Lampedusa to protest the deadly effects of the European Union’s racist border control policies and to call for freedom of movement. Its aim is to demand an immediate change in migration policies and to propose an alternative and radical political horizon. Migreurop supports this initiative, in which the association ASGI, a network member, is participating.

Since September 13th, after an initial gathering south of Lampedusa, the f.Lotta ships have been sailing toward the southern Mediterranean. The idea behind this action is to bring together as many boats as possible and to “breach the southern border of Fortress Europe.” It is possible to follow f.Lotta day by day through their online logbook.

f.Lotta highlights the increasingly dramatic reality of the central Mediterranean, where thousands of lives are lost each year due to the border regime. European states have strengthened their controls, criminalized civil society solidarity efforts by obstructing maritime rescue operations, and funded Libyan militias, referred to as “coast guards.” The coalition claims: “We should not live in a world where goods and weapons cross seas and borders, while these same borders become barriers against human beings and turn into cemeteries.”

The action also emphasizes the interconnectedness and intersectionality of struggles, highlighting the idea that no one can be free until we all are free. In this way, each boat serves as the standard-bearer of a different political campaign, but all share the common theme of freedom of movement.

• Campaign against the rise of the far right (Organized by Antifa Social Club Marseille, Lunapo, Bord’iels)
• War on War! For a militarist voice at war! (Organized by Guerre à la Guerre)
• Campaign against the extension of the Italy-Libya agreement (Organized by Refugees in Libya)
• Io capitan@. The real crime is the border (Organized by Sisters Coop)
• Ferries not Frontex (Organized by WatchTheMed Alarm Phone)
• Free Palestine Against Genocide (Organized by Global Sumud Flotilla, WeSmellGas, Palestinian Institute for Climate Strategy, From Marseille to Gaza, Freedom Flotilla Coalition)
• Freedom of movement at the Franco-British border (Organized by Utopia.56, L’Auberge des Migrants, LDH Dunkerque, MRAP Dunkerque, Mobile Refugee Support, Human Rights Observers)
• No pipelines, no borders (Organized by We Smell Gas)
• Ending human trafficking between Tunisia and Libya
• Racism is a crime, solidarity is not (Organized by Chkoun)
• Voluntary humanitarian refusal: a choice that cannot be denied (Organized by ASGI, ActionAid, A Buon Diritto, Lucha y Siesta, Differenza Donna, Spazi Circolari, Le Carbet)
• From the Mediterranean to Ventimiglia: in memory of those martyred for freedom of movement (Organized by MEM.MED Memoria Mediterranea, Groupe Solidaire de Vintimille
• To find the list and description of each campaign, see the f.lotta’s website.
  

From the sea to the land: decentralized actions across Europe

In addition to the action in the Mediterranean, other decentralized actions are taking place simultaneously across European territory. The “f.Lottines” are river and lake demonstrations, while the “land f.Lotta” are actions organized in cities: conferences, marches, sit-ins in front of detention centers, and so on. These interconnected actions, conducted before, during, and after the main event, link the central Mediterranean to other cities and border regions across Europe. Their role is to reach a wider audience with the ideas of f.Lotta and to counter the growing influence of the far right in Europe.

Find here the interactive map of the actions planned across Europe.

This action is part of the Transnational Chain of Actions for Freedom of Movement, marking the 10th anniversary of the “March of Hope” from Budapest to Vienna. This transnational chain of actions commemorates the summer of 2015, during which thousands of people on the move crossed European borders and encountered solidarity and reception initiatives along the way. The aim is to link this anniversary to a radical critique of the increasing harshness of the border regime in recent years, while also celebrating the continuity of struggles for freedom of movement.

Find here the list of actions scheduled for the following months as part of the Transnational Chain of Actions.