People experiencing povert give red card to EU-leaders
11th EU Meeting of People experiencing poverty on
homelessness and housing rights
Brussels, 10
May 2012 – delegates at the 11th European Meeting of People
experiencing poverty showed a red card to EU leaders to protest against current
EU austerity measures in response to the crisis at the Opening session of
the Meeting. A group of them left the Meeting at noon to protest in front of
the European Council, calling for a right to housing, measures to put an end to
homelessness, and economic and social policies that reverse the growing
inequalities in Europe.
Delegates of
the 11th European Meeting of People experiencing poverty, dedicated
this year to homelessness and housing rights, opened the event by addressing a
red card to EU leaders as one of the delegates read a joint statement to all
participants:
“We feel
that EU leaders have lost sight of the objectives for which the European Union
was born 60 years ago: objectives that included respect for rights, widespread
material and social wellbeing, solidarity and cooperation”.
“We call
on you to follow up your many fine words with action. The policies now
being used to combat the economic and financial crisis are only creating more
poverty and social exclusion. You must take this message to heart and act
accordingly: Europe’s future depends on it!”
We don’t
want the moon, only a house and you to deliver on your commitments!
The
delegates also announced that a group of them would leave the meeting at noon
to make a protest action in front of the European Council building.
“You have
failed in taking seriously the commitments you made when you agreed the EU
poverty reduction target”, “We need a roof over our head”, “we want to
live a dignified life”, “save people, not banks”, “we claim our
future, we claim our dignity, we claim our rights” were amongst the
messages delivered in front of the European Council to EU Prime Ministers and
Presidents.
/END/
- For
more information, contact Izabella Marton, from EAPN Hungary marton.iza@hapn.hu or Letizia
Cesarini Forza, from EAPN Italy (CILAP) letiziacesarinisforza@gmail.com
or Nellie Epinat, communications officer nellie.epinat@eapn.eu
- The action
during the EU Meeting can be viewed at:
- A video of the direct action at the building of the European
Council can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH71bDQ8_rw&feature=youtu.be