Ladies and Gentlemen of the European Parliament,

I’m writing you this letter […] in the light of the numerous changes in the world that are taking place on a political, economic and environmental level.

[Following your election], you will also face numerous problems, especially when it comes to refugees.

I am writing you because I am a refugee in Europe. My situation is the same as that of millions of other refugees who have had to leave their countries to seek security and a decent life elsewhere.

Ladies and Gentlemen, you have perhaps witnessed the mass deaths in the Mediterranean in recent years.

You have perhaps seen our photos: We live in the streets and under the bridges of your beautiful cities, whether it’s on the outskirts of Paris, Rome, Berlin or Brussels.

You have certainly seen our long queues in which we wait for food, clothes, toilets or administrative treatment. Our queues are everywhere.

You have certainly seen the slave market: We thought it no longer existed, but in the 21st century it has returned.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have been confronted with disaster.

This brings me to ask you for your help to save the migrants. In order to find a solution to this humanitarian crisis, you need to respond to us.

1. You need to do something about the decreasing number of rescue ships in the Mediterranean.

European migration policies have resulted in the drowning of thousands of migrants in the Mediterranean. I’m calling on your conscience here: For the sake of the lives of these refugees, don’t decrease [the number of humanitarian rescue ships] who want to save us.

2. You need to help the thousands of migrants who are stuck in Libya.

The lives of these people are in danger, especially the lives of women and children. Death is present in each and every corner, and so is hunger, disease and the risks of war.

3. Help those who are in Europe.

Some of those who reach Europe aren’t any better off than those who have stayed in Libya.

They are subject to arbitrary procedures (the Dublin regulation, long waiting times, having their asylum application rejected …) They are unable to start a decent life in their new host countries.

After having already fled catastrophe, they encounter new problems and new catastrophes that are more complex.

I therefore call on you to review your asylum policies, especially the Dublin regulation which affects a lot of migrants.

Ladies, Gentlemen, you have to recognize that hate mongering is on the rise. Extremist movements are gaining ground, and their statements and demands are clear: The rejection of others.

I hope that your new assembly will select members who are more open, and who accept refugees.

Our future depends on who is elected.

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InfoMigrants has modified the original text in order to shorten it. The author of the letter, Ahmad Gamal, fled from his native Darfur via Libya and the Mediterranean to Italy, where he was registered in line with the Dublin regulation. A few months later, he made his way to France where he was granted asylum in January 2018. Today, Ahmad studies sociology at the Lyon 2 university.