ANTWERP/BRUSSELS - To understand how citizens weigh ethics against the law, Suzanne Roes decided to conduct research into criminalised movements above and below ground.
Her support for local residents and climate activists led to her arrest and the temporary confiscation of not only her belongings, but also her clothing. In this essay, she writes about her own experiences and how they relate to the risks faced by climate activists and their supporters.
When helping migrants becomes a crime
Every night, two groups patrol the Alps around Briançon: the border police and aid workers. The police try to stop refugees who want to cross the border here, forcing them to take dangerous routes. Anyone who helps the refugees risks arrest, fines and harassment.
The aid workers who are not deterred by this do everything they can to help refugees in need. This is not always successful: since 2018, sixteen migrants have died or gone missing in the Briançon passes.
Furthermore, this is not purely a French phenomenon: it is part of a broader European trend to obstruct and prosecute humanitarian aid workers.
Photo: © Vincent M.A. Janssen
- Als helpen een misdaad wordt: 'Dit is intimidatie door de politie', Knack, 01/10/2025, p. 48-53
ONLINE
- Van buurtbewoner tot 'beroepsbetoger': wat blijft er over van het recht op protest?, Knack, 09/11/2025
- Als migranten helpen een misdaad wordt: ‘In de bergen laat je mensen niet zonder eten in de kou staan’, Knack, 28/09/2025
- Blijkbaar klimmen alleen radicale activisten in bomen, De Standaard, 20/08/2025
EVENT
- Wanneer solidariteit strafbaar wordt, DeBuren — Brussel, 13/11/2025
COUNTRIES
- Belgium
- France
- Italy
