29 September 2026: Discussion/Lecture : Colonial Continuities in Europe and Africa after CEAS

From deadly shipwrecks in the Atlantic to mass expulsions from Algeria to Niger; and from EU-funded migrant detention in Libya to racist police violence and deportations in Germany – border violence remains ever-present. The EU’s notorious CEAS “reform” is only the latest nail in the coffin of international human rights law. And yet, progressive and Leftist forces in Germany, Europe, northern Africa and the Sahel struggle to effectively challenge the erosion of international law, EU border externalization and the exploitation and instrumentalization of migration.

As global inequalities are deepening, (forced) migration remains a core smokescreen for far-right and fascist forces to push for a neoliberal transformation of states and societies in the Global North and South. But why are progressive and Leftist narratives unable to thwart the appeal of far-right propaganda and don’t stir significant mobilization anymore? Why are social movements, solidarity campaigns and grassroots efforts against border violence so often fragmented and not able to induce significant political impact despite having access to resources, unlike those in the Global South?

In this panel, we will discuss the impact of CEAS and EU border externalization on people in Europe, Africa and Asia. We will examine why the historical origins of contemporary migration control are key to counter today’s authoritarian turn and what we need to learn from anti-racist struggles led by people on the move in Germany and elsewhere. And by connecting the perspectives of politicians, activists, human rights advocates and journalists, we aim to discuss how to counter the fragmentation of political struggles and how a genuine decolonial discourse on migration could look like.

A discussion with:

• Clara Bünger (Die Linke, MP in the German Bundestag)
• Aziz Chehou (Alarmphone Sahara)
• Jennifer Kamau (International Women* Space)
• Sofian Philip Naceur (RLS North Africa, journalist)
• Facilitated by Hanaa Hakiki (European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights)

The event is held in English. Simultaneous interpretation into German will be provided.