Lisbon, 29 November 2024 (SPS) - A trade union conference in solidarity with the Sahrawi people is taking place on Friday in Lisbon (Portugal) to spotlight the recent rulings of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) and to warn about the consequences of blind support for Morocco in its expansionist endeavors in Western Sahara.
This meeting, attended by dozens of unions from Africa, Europe, and Latin America, coincides with the 48th European Conference of Support and Solidarity with the Sahrawi People (EUCOCO), which began its sessions earlier in the day in the Portuguese capital, said Salama Bachir, Secretary General of the General Union of Workers of Saguia al-Hamra and Rio de Oro (UGTSARIO). He emphasized that Lisbon "is becoming today the capital of solidarity and support for all liberation causes in the world, particularly the Palestinian and Sahrawi causes."
He specified that the trade unionists participating in this meeting will address several issues, including the ruling issued by the CJEU on October 4, which will be the subject of in-depth debate, particularly regarding the mechanisms for implementation.
The choice of this topic has become imperative given the political developments in certain European capitals, which are attempting to circumvent international legality to continue plundering and stealing the wealth of the Sahrawi people. The CJEU ruling is clear: it annulled the agreements signed between Morocco and the European Union because they illegitimately included Western Sahara, a territory distinct and separate from Morocco, without the consent of the Sahrawi people, Mr. Bachir explained. He stated that "Europeans, who have long prided themselves on being defenders of justice, democracy, and human rights, must start by respecting these principles before lecturing others."
"Trade unions and labor movements, which have always defended justice and human values, are today called to uphold the CJEU rulings and to firmly reject the continued plundering by Western governments and multinationals of Sahrawi resources, whether marine, plant, or mineral, which exclusively belong to the Sahrawi people, whose only representative is the Polisario Front," insisted the Secretary General of UGTSARIO.