Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-11-18-Speech-4-073"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"1999-11-18"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Eurodac2
dcterms:Language	"en"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.19991118.5.4-073"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:1999-11-18-Speech-4-0742
lpv:speaker	lp:Patricia McKENNA2
lpv:spoken text	"Mr President, the whole principle of fingerprinting asylum-seekers, as far as I am concerned, is intolerable. It is basically criminalising victims, people who are seeking asylum and refuge. Instead, our priority should be to improve the situation of asylum-seekers in the Member States. In my own country at the moment the situation for asylum-seekers is completely intolerable. Just this week the Minister for Justice has announced that he is going to prosecute taxi drivers who carry illegal immigrants. Basically what we are doing is promoting the whole attitude of xenophobia and victimising people who are already victims. The report tries to make the protocol sound less threatening, but the principle is exactly the same. We are criminalising victims. Fingerprinting is something that is normally done to suspected criminals. Suspected criminals at least have the advantage that they will have legal representation, they will know their rights. These people will not know their rights, not have legal representation. The protocol does not explain where and how fingerprinting will be done. Will it be on entry into the country, before the border is crossed? If this is the case does that mean that anyone, anywhere, can be stopped? This is basically in line with the Dublin Convention. It was something set up in secret, behind closed doors, unfortunately in my own country – which I am very sorry about. It basically promotes the whole idea of a fortress Europe, keeping out the so-called undesirables, whereas we should be looking at why people are seeking asylum, not victimising them. One of the improvements aimed at here is on age. The idea is that fingerprinting 14-year-old children is completely unacceptable. But even at the age of 18 or 21 it is still unacceptable because these people are not criminals. You are making the assumption they are. The whole principle of the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty seems to have been done away with here. The attitude within the European Union towards asylum-seekers has to change. What we are doing is encouraging the xenophobia that is growing throughout the Member States of the European Union. That is a tragedy."@en1
lpv:spokenAs	member; G/EFA (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3,3 member; PECH (1999-07-21--2002-01-14)3,3 unknown; Green Party (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3,3 member; Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy (1999-07-21--2002-01-14)3,3 member; Delegation for relations with the Member States of ASEAN, South-east Asia and the Republic of Korea (1999-09-28--2002-01-14)3,3 substitute; Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy (1999-07-22--2002-01-14)3,3
lpv:unclassifiedMetadata	"McKenna (Greens/ALE )."1

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