Keynote Speech by Daniel Gutierrez – »Voters Without Borders«
Channel: European Alternatives
Date: 03/11/2023

Watch the interview keynote speech by Daniel Gutiérrez (Member of the Working Group Right to the City for All at Deutsche Wohnen & Co. Enteignen & Solidarity City Berlin), as part of the »Voters Without Borders« online citizen forum! 

EVENT

Voters Without Borders Online Citizen Forum – »Full Political Rights Should Not Be Tied To National Citizenship«

25.01.2021, 17:00 – 21:30 (CET), Zoom (Online)

Migrants, refugees, and mobile Europeans need full political rights as they are not only asylum seekers, but also workers, taxpayers, housing renters, and last but not least citizens of a world in a deep crisis longing for democratic renewal. Although migrant communities are thus most often at the frontlines of political crises fighting for equality, justice and solidarity, they have to live with the fact that they often do not have the right to vote.

After the last regional elections and the housing rights referendum of “Deutsche Wohnen & Co. Enteignen” in Berlin the migrant voting rights question got broad media attention. Even if Berlin has for generations been a refuge for migrant and EU citizen communities – in the last decade especially diaspora communities from Eastern European countries grew a lot – all those people have not been allowed to vote on the referendum to expropriate big real estate corporations to regulate the housing market in Berlin. Ironically, it’s especially poorer working-class migrants who are disproportionately affected by high rents and gentrification. Lately, the new Berlin coalition agreement includes the prospect of extending the right to vote.

In this online citizens forum, an activist keynote address will argue for full political rights for all regardless of national citizenship and beyond the nation state before we learn together from campaigners and organizers about successes and failures of prior migrant voting rights and election campaigns. Finally, activists, NGO representatives and policy makers will talk about why and how we should fight for migrants' political rights at local, national and European levels.

Join us in this citizens forum to learn how to counteract the political marginalization and disenfranchisement of migrant communities and to discuss how we can fight for equal political rights, comprehensive citizenship reform, and true transnational democracy.

HOSTED BY

European Alternatives & School of Transnational Organizing

IN COOPERATION WITH

ECIT Foundation & Voters Without Borders

WITH THE SUPPORT OF

Friedrich Naumann Stiftung

LINKS

www.euroalter.com
www.transnationalorganizing.eu
www.voterswithoutborders.eu

CREDITS

Video Concept, Production & Editing: School of Transnational Organizing
Host: Ophélie Masson & Kasia Wojcik