In
2017, airplane pilots in Germany have stopped 222 deportations. They
refuse to take off when deportees are on the plane. This example
shows the power of the working class to fight against racism.
In
the first half of 2017, a total of 12.545 people were deported from
Germany. But not every deportation was successful. The German
government just informed the parliament that between January and
September of this year, 222 deportations were prevented because
airplane pilots refused to take off. According to the government’s
statement, 143 deportations were stopped at Germany’s biggest
airport, Frankfurt am Main. A further 40 were stopped in Düsseldorf.
A
pilot decides if a flight can start safely. If a passenger is being
deported, i.e. forced to travel to a foreign country against their
will, then a pilot can refuse to fly.
Pilots
especially refused to deport people to Afghanistan. German
authorities classify Afghanistan as a "safe country of origin",
despite the fact that the foreign ministry warns against any travel
to that destination. German politicians will only travel there in
bullet-proof vests, staying hidden behind concrete walls. The German
army has been involved in the imperialist occupation of Afghanistan
for more than a decade.
When
refusing to participate in this state-run displacement, pilots show
the enormous power of the working class. When hundreds of anti-racist
activists protest in front of an airport, they cannot always stop
deportations. But a single pilot can do so reliably.
Pilots
in Germany have repeatedly shown their massive social power, with
both official strikes and campaigns of calling in sick (wildcat
strikes). These strikes have been in defense of their own interests.
But pilots can also strike in the interest of the whole working class
– refugees, after all, are just the most exploited sector of the
proletariat. Deportations just serve to divide our class and worsen
the conditions for everyone.
We
need unions that organize all workers, regardless of whether they
have papers or not. And we need strikes to defend the rights of all
workers against racism.
>> The article above was written by Wladek Flakin and Lilly Freytag, and is reprinted from Left Voice.
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