By Sarah Lafen

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

 

STOCKHOLM, Sweden — Amidst heightening tension with Russia, Sweden reintroduced conscription, or compulsory military service.  The draft, which has not been active since Sweden abolished the 109-year practice in 2010, will be implemented on a gender-equal basis.  In 2010, after suspending conscription, Sweden adopted a voluntary recruitment system.

Peter Hultqvist, Swedish Minister of Defense, called the move a “response to the new security situation” in Europe.  Hultqvist cited Russia’s annexation of Crimea, the conflict in Ukraine, and increased military activity in Europe as some of the triggers behind the decision.  Though it is not a member of NATO, Sweden is strengthening its ties with the organization.  Sweden is also strengthening its military cooperation with Finland.

The new draft will aim to ensure there are 6,000 full time members, and 10,000 part-time members.  According to Marinette Nyh Radebo, spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense, men and women born between 1999 and 2000 will undergo testing on July 1 to see if they are eligible for the draft.  The goal is to gather 13,000 men and women in the correct age category and have them undergo physical and psychological tests.  Recruits will then participate in their first military exercise on January 1, 2018, and will spend nine to eleven months in training before they choose whether to continue in the military, or join as a reserve soldier.

This is the first time that Sweden will include women in the draft.  There will not be a quota system to ensure an equal ratio between men and women, however the “gender equal” policy should ensure there will be an increase of women in the armed forces.  Sweden’s gender-neutral policy will mirror that of Norway’s, which features one of the only gender-neutral military forces in the world.

17-year old Sofia Hultgren told reporters that others her age view military careers as old-fashioned.  However Hultgren welcomed the revival of conscription, and said she would consider participating in training activities even though she might not want to make it a career.  Hultgren thinks conscription “can give a feeling of comfort” and believes that it will strengthen Sweden’s defense.

Sweden is not alone in reinstituting conscription.  In 2015, Lithuania reinstituted the draft, and the Ukraine did the same in 2014.

For more information, please see:

The Atlantic — Why Sweden Brought Back the Draft — 3 March 2017

CNN — Sweden Reintroduces Conscription as Tensions Rise over Russia — 3 March 2017

The New York Times — Sweden Reinstates Conscription, With an Eye on Russia — 2 March 2017

Reuters — Sweden Returns Draft Amid Security Worries and Soldier Shortage — 2 March 2017

By Sarah Lafen

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

 

BERLIN, Germany — According to a report conducted by the German Interior Ministry, over 2,500 migrants in Germany were attacked in 2016 as the result of hate crimes.  560 migrants were injured, including 43 children.  Nearly 1,000 of the attacks were on migrant housing, and 217 of the attacks were on refugee organizations and volunteers.  An average of 10 attacks per day occured.

In February 2016, a neo-Nazi was sentenced to eight years in jail for burning down a sports hall which housed refugees and caused $3.7 million worth of damage.  In another instance, a group of onlookers cheered as an asylum shelter in eastern Germany was engulfed in flames.

German authorities have recently tightened their refugee procedures, practicing stricter benefit rules, speeding up the process of removing failed asylum seekers, and paying refugees to voluntarily return to their home countries.  Though the country is still struggling with a backlog of asylum applications, Germany’s intake of refugees fell in 2016 to 280,000 from 890,000 in 2015.

The German government issued a statement strongly condemning the violence on refugees, commenting that “people who have fled their home country and seek protection in Germany have the right to expect safe shelter.”

A left-wing politician with the Die Linke party, Ulla Jelpke, blames the violence on far-right extremism, and called upon the government to take stronger action to eliminate the violence.  Jelpke asked whether “people have to die before the right-wing violence is considered a central domestic security problem and makes it to the top of the national policy agenda” and called on the government to “stop giving the impression through new tougher asylum laws that refugees are a threat.”

International human rights group Amnesty International commented that “there are structural problems in Germany with how it prevents and deals with hate crimes.”  Amnesty called for “better risk assessments, more protection at certain locations and prosecutions of these appalling racist crimes.”

2016 was the first year in which data was collected on the amount of attacks on refugees, so the total number of attacks cannot be compared with those of previous years.

 

For more information, please see:

Aljazeera — ’10 Attacks a Day’ Against Refugees, Shelters in 2016 — 26 February 2017

BBC — Germany Hate Crime: Nearly 10 Attacks a Day on Migrants in 2016 — 26 February 2017

The Independent — Nearly 10 Attacks on Refugees a Day in Germany in 2016 — 26 February 2017

International Business Times — Germany sees Hate Crimes Against Migrants Surge in 2016 to 3,500 — 26 February 2017

By Sarah Lafen

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

MADRID, Spain — On February 17, about 700 migrants stormed an 8 kilometer long, 6 meter high barbed-wire security fence separating Morocco from Ceuta, which is a Spanish territory in North Africa.  Security cameras filming the incident showed some migrants breaking through the fence using wielding shears and clubs.

498 migrants successfully made it onto Spanish territory.  Those that successfully scale the fence are usually taken to migrant centers where they are repatriated or released, with the majority choosing to seek asylum or work undocumented in Europe.  Those that are intercepted before making it onto Spanish territory are usually returned to Morocco.

Two migrants were hospitalized as a result of the invasion, 30 were treated at a migrant center for fractures and other injuries, 10 members of Morocco’s armed forces were injured, and 11 police officers were injured.  In the video footage, some migrants can be seen with blood on their faces.

The border invasion was one of the largest since the fence was built in 2005.  According to an unidentified Civil Guard spokesman, police officers clashed with the migrants at the Tarajal section of the fence.  The last similar attempt took place on New Year’s Day 2017, when over 1,000 migrants attempted to jump a fence between Morocco and Ceuta.  Only two of those migrants were successful in reaching the Spanish territory, however both required hospital treatment.  Other recent successful attempts were made by 400 migrants in December, and by 200 migrants in October.

The video footage of the invasion captured migrants celebrating their arrival onto Spanish territory.  Some screamed “Libertad, libertad!” while others wrapped themselves in Spanish and European flags.  One migrant was heard shouting “I love you Mamma, long live Spain.”

Hundreds of migrants regularly attempt to enter Ceuta via climbing the fence, swimming along the coast, or hiding in vehicles.  Many consider reaching the Spanish territory as safer than attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea.  These migrants are hopeful in eventually reaching Europe and fleeing poverty and violence.  The migrant center in Ceuta has recently been struggling to host over 600 migrants, and has been using military tents as makeshift shelters for migrants in nearby parking lots.

 

For more information, please see:

BBC — Hundreds of Migrants Storm Fence to Reach Spanish Enclave of Ceuta — 17 February 2017

DW — Hundreds of Migrants Storm Spain’s Ceuta, Clashing with Police — 17 February 2017

The Local — Hundreds of Migrants Storm Fence to Enter Spain from Morocco — 17 February 2017

The Washington Post — Almost 500 Migrants Smash Through Border Fence into Spain — 17 February 2017

By Sarah Lafen

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

BERN, Switzerland — Switzerland just voted to make the immigration process easier for third-generation immigrants to become citizens.  Prior to the vote, a “fast-track” route to citizenship in Switzerland was only available to foreigners who were married to a Swiss citizen for over six years.  Non-Swiss residents were required to wait an average of 12 years before applying for citizenship.

The new process exempts third-generation immigrants who were born in Switzerland, and whose parents and grandparents resided permanently in Switzerland, from interviews and tests throughout the application process.  The interviews and tests are administered by town councils, and include requests for applicants to name local cheeses or mountains to ensure they are well-integrated into the Swiss culture.

The new immigration process does not make citizenship an automatic process, however.  It will continue to require immigrant-hopefuls to prove they are 25 years of age or younger, were born in Switzerland, attended school there for at least five years, share Swiss cultural values, speak the national language, and do not depend on state aid.

Rightwing politicians in Switzerland argue that relaxing the process will pose a security threat to the country, and that this is the first step in grant all immigrants currently in Switzerland citizenship.  The Swiss People’s Party, a political party often accused of demonizing Islam, warned of the risks of the possible “loss of Swiss values” through the citizenship of more Muslims.  Some believe the new process might lead to “Islamisation” of Switzerland.  In support of that argument, a poster was distributed to the public that featured a woman wearing a niqab with a caption that encouraged voters to reject “uncontrolled” citizenship.

Proponents of the simplified citizenship process argue that it is unfair to request that people who were born in and have lived in Switzerland all of their lives to prove they are integrated.  The new law will affect about 25,000 people, the majority of whom are of Italian descent.  Other large populations in Switzerland include foreigners from the Balkans and Turkey.

Over the past 30 years, three attempts to relax citizenship process were rejected by voters.

 

For more information, please see:

BBC — Switzerland Votes to Relax its Citizenship Rules — 12 February 2017

DW — Switzerland Votes on Third-Generation Immigrant Citizenship — 12 February 2017

The Guardian — Switzerland Votes to Ease Citizenship Process – 12 February 2017

Independent — Switzerland Votes to Relax Immigration Rules in Defiance of Anti-Muslim Rhetoric — 12 February 2017

By Sarah Lafen

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, North America

WASHINGTON DC, United States — The organizers of the Women’s March last month announced a plan to hold a general women’s strike on a date that is yet to be determined.  The plan for the strike has been announced across the official social media accounts for the Women’s March, declaring there will be a “General Strike: A Day Without a Woman.”  The idea of a general strike comes from labor-oriented political movements where people leave their place of employment to demand political action.

The will of the people will stand.

A post shared by Women's March (@womensmarch) on Feb 6, 2017 at 8:03am PST

(Photo Courtesy of Salon)

The general strike comes on the heels of the Women’s March which took place last month, in which over three million Americans across the nation protested their dissent for the new president.  The official website of the Women’s March thanked participants, however also noted that the “march forward does not end here.  Now is the time to get friends, family and community together and make history.”

Organizers of the Women’s March have voiced their praise for boycotts of companies that support President Trump, and reinforce their commitment to engage in “actions that affirmatively build community, strengthen relationships and support local, women- and minority-owned businesses” at a time when “foundational principles of freedom and equality are under threat.”

Many other organizations have called for strikes against the new presidency as well.  Strike4Democracy has a general strike planned for February 17, and according to its Facebook page, over 16,000 people will be participating.  The organizers of this strike are encouraging people to strike from work or school and spend the day doing community service.  The strike is also calling upon members of Congress to defend the Constitution.  Writer Francine Prose wrote an article in the Guardian, calling for a general strike following President Trump’s executive order temporarily banning travel from seven countries.

There are no other details about the women’s general strike aside from the caption on the Instagram picture announcing the strike, which reads “The will of the people will stand.”  The Instagram post is the only public announcement that has been made about the general strike so far.

 

For more information, please see:

CNN — ‘A Day Without  Woman’ — Women’s March Organizers Plan General Strike — 7 February 2017

The Huffington Post — Women’s March Organizers are Planning a ‘Day Without a Woman’ — 6 February 2017

Marie Claire — The Woman’s March Organizers are Planning a Women’s Strike — 6 February 2017

Salon — “A Day Without Women”: Women’s March Group Announces Plan to Hold a General Strike — 6 February 2017