Call for an European Antifascist and Antiracist Front

We participants to the REALPE Annual meeting , local representatives and MEPs declare:

The recent rise of right wing nationalist and extreme-right parties across Europe is a preoccupying situation for our continent.

During the crisis the recent years, the policies applied by the European Union through the neoliberal and conservative governments especially from the EPP guidance has been pushing dangerous voices to arrive to the European political scene and as a phenomenon we can see today all over the EU an increased outreach of extreme-right and fascist forces.

Our forces will stand:

-next to the refugees and migrants in solidarity with them,

-with peace

-next to women’s rights

-next to all oppressed communities such as LGBTQI and Roma.

-next and together to all social movements,political organisations and associations that fight for the abolition of social and economic inequalities in our municipalities

We participants of the REALPE Annual Meeting  declare our intention to create a European Antifascist and Antiracist Front starting from our municipalities and regions to be at the forefront of our struggles the forthcoming period.

Brussels,8 February 2019

Appel à la création d’un front antifasciste et antiraciste européen

Nous, participants et participantes à la réunion annuelle de REALPE, représentants locaux et eurodéputés déclarons:

La montée récente des partis nationalistes et d’extrême droite en Europe est une situation extrêmement préoccupante pour notre continent.

Au cours de la crise de ces dernières années, les politiques appliquées par l’Union Européenne à travers la plupart des gouvernements néolibéraux et conservateurs Housing, social progress & defeating fascism. Local communities for another Europe

Déclaration pour un véritable droit au logement partout en Europe

Le logement subit une offensive sans précédent des politiques néolibérales et capitalistes visant à tout régir par la loi du marché. Alors qu’avoir un toit devrait être considéré comme un droit fondamental, ce sont actuellement des millions de personnes qui sont dans une situation d’exclusion sociale. Les femmes, les familles nombreuses ou monoparentales et les migrants sont encore plus vulnérables à cette situation. Alors que dans les milieux ruraux les centres villes connaissent une désertification, dans les grandes métropoles ce sont des dizaines de milliers de personnes qui attendent de pouvoir bénéficier d’un logement social. Dans le même temps ce sont des centaines de milliers de logements qui sont actuellement vacants alors que la spéculation immobilière devient la règle. Les expulsions se multiplient alors que les fonds hypothécaires et les géants tels qu’Airbnb veulent faire du logement une valeur spéculative en s’exonérant de toute imposition.

Parce que nous assistons aujourd’hui à une nouvelle crise, nous participants de La Réunion annuelle de REALPE, élus locaux et députés européens déclarons :

– Que l’accès au logement doit être considéré comme un droit fondamental et inaliénable

– Qu’a ce titre il doit être retiré du marché et de la spéculation du système ultra-libéral par un encadrement des loyers, une réquisition des logements vacants et un arrêt des expulsions locatives des foyers les plus modestes.

– Que le développement d’un parc et d’un statut de logement social public et de qualité en Europe doit être une priorité et que des fonds public nationaux et européens doivent être investis pour la construction et la réhabilitation de bâtiments en logement social.

– Que des législations contraignantes contre la spéculation financière et l’évasion fiscale notamment des fonds hypothécaires et des multinationales telles Airbnb doivent être mises en place

– Que la lutte contre la gentrification d’une part et la désertification des zones rurales d’autres part doivent être menées par la construction d’une véritable mixité sociale et la réhabilitation des bâtiments.

Parce que l’accès au logement est une condition fondamentale de la dignité humaine nous nous engageons à en faire un combat partout en Europe.

Declaration for a real right to housing across Europe

Housing is undergoing an unprecedented offensive by neoliberal and capitalist policies aimed at regulating everything by the law of the market. While having a roof should be considered as a fundamental right, there are currently millions of people who are in a situation of social exclusion. Women, large or single-parent families and migrants are even more vulnerable to this situation. While in rural areas city centers are experiencing desertification, in large cities tens of thousands of people are waiting to be able to benefit from social housing. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of homes are currently vacant and speculation is becoming the norm. Expulsions are multiplying as mortgage funds and giants such as Airbnb want to make housing a speculative value free from taxation.

Because we are witnessing a new crisis today, we, participants to REALPE Annual Meeting, local elected representatives and MEPs declare:

– That access to housing must be considered as a fundamental and inalienable right

– That for this reason housing must be removed from the market and speculation of the ultra-liberal system by a rents control framework, a requisition of vacant housing and an end to the eviction of the most modest homes.

– That the development of public housing and a social housing status in Europe must be a priority and that national and European public funds should be invested in the construction and rehabilitation of buildings in social housing.

– That binding legislation against financial speculation and tax evasion including mortgage funds and multinationals such as Airbnb must be put in place

– That the fight against gentrification on the one hand and against the desertification of rural areas on the other hand must be led by the construction of a true social diversity and the rehabilitation of buildings on the other hand.

Because access to housing is a fundamental condition of human dignity, we are committed to making it a struggle everywhere in Europe

REALPE Annual Conference:

Thursday 7 February

13.30entrance of participants

14.30: Introduction of the conference by Gabi Zimmer, president of GUE-NGL

15.00: First panel: social housing and speculation

Introduction by MEPMartina Michels: Die Linke, Germany

15h-15h10: introduction

15h-10-16h30 : Speakers (5 to 7 minutes each)

– Françoise Desmedt, Brussels MP PTB, Belgique

– Nasos Iliopoulos, Athens candidate mayor, Vice-Minister of Employment, Greece

– Ms Katalin Gennburg, Member of the Berlin parliament, Group’s spokesperson on urban development, smart city and tourism; DIE LINKE, Germany

– José Moury, municipal councillor at Bobigny and responsible for the housing group of ANECR (Association Nationale des Elus Communistes et Republicain), PCF France

– Emma-Lina Johansson, city councillor of Malmö, Sweden,

– Mark Ward, Mayor of South Dublin City Council, Sinn Féin Ireland

– María Chao, municipal councillor of As Pontes, Galicia

– Mercedes Revuelta, Activist of the Platform of Mortgages Affected Peoples and the platform Against Vulture Funds, Spain

16h30-17h: coffee break

17h-18h: debate moderate by MEP Malin Björk: Left Party, Sweden

18h-18h30: conclusions of the panel by MEP Lynn Boylan: Sinn Féin, Ireland

18h30-19h30: Cocktail in JAN 3Q Brasserie

Friday 8 February

8.30-8.45: entrance of visitors

9.00-12.30 Second Panel: Facing inequalities and raising up of fascism across Europe, which progressist vision for our cities and local communities

9h-9h15: Introduction by Vice President of EP Dimitris Papadimoulis: Syriza, Greece

9h15-10h30 speakers (5 to 7 minutes each)

– Giusto Catania, Municipal councillor in Palermo, former GUE/NGL MEP, Italy

– Katerina Notopoulou, Thessaloniki candidate mayor, Vice-Minister of Macedonia-Thrace, Greece,

– Ignacio Iglesias Villar, city concellor of Teo, Galicia

– Nazanin Armanian, analyst of international conflicts and the Islamic world

– Stavros Yerolatsites, AKEL, Cyprus

– Enrique Oubiña, municipal councillor of Ribadumia, Galicia

– A representative from Naples City, Italy (tbc)

10h30-11h: coffee break

11h-12h: debate moderate by MEP Marie-Christine Vergiat (tbc): Front de Gauche, France

12h-12h15: conclusions of the debate by MEPAngela Vallina (tbc): IU, Spain

12h15-12h45:

General Conclusions of the initiative by MEP Lidia Senra (tbc):Galicia

For more information please contact:[email protected]