DEU | ENG | FRA | GRE | HRV | ITA | NLD | PER | POL | POR | PUS | RUM | SLK | SPA | SRP | URD
We are citizens of Europe and we feel ashamed. Each of us witnessed that the European migration policies resulted in a systematic dehumanisation of people stuck at the borders of Europe. We are not pointing fingers at anyone. We believe this is on all of us.
It’s not that we have not tried. Some of us brought tents and food, some of us signed petitions and joined protests, some of us will continue to do so. But we have to face the fact that despite all our efforts, the situation has only gotten worse over the last years: there has been no European-wide attempt to solve the crisis since the European Relocation Decisions of 2015.
It’s time to acknowledge the fact that Europe has failed to uphold some of its values and no change is foreseeable in the near future. So we will acknowledge publicly and personally that we, as Europeans, have failed to act according to the European standards we have worked so hard to establish in the past. Let this be our protest and let it be known by people stuck in refugee camps, by family, friends and decision makers: a loud statement of the shame we feel. Nothing more for now, nothing less.
‘Walk’ with us in Shame. For we might feel powerless, but we will still connect. We might feel helpless, but we won’t stay silent. We cannot walk physically, as we planned earlier, due to the coronavirus pandemic, but we will Walk Together, Stand Together, Talk Together and Share Together. Be it online, as we do daily with friends, family and loved ones.
What can you do?
Share your Shame with us
Do you feel shame about the current situation of refugees in Europe? Share it with us. Write to us about the moments you felt shame, as specifically and personally as possible. Openly admitting shame restores justice and brings us closer to each other.
Join our Walk Of Shame Talks
Together we will have many conversations with friends who are stuck in refugee camps in Europe. We will create Walk Of Shame stories out of it, podcasts and videos. Some will turn these stories into art. Join our conversations, share the Talks.
Let’s rehumanise the relation between residents of Europe and people on the move – step by step, click by click – and as soon as the pandemic ends we will Walk. Together.