outofcontrol

“Machines do not win wars, people do”
Mao

Transportable Autonomous Patrol for Land Border Surveillance (TALOS) is a robotic system which is to be implemented to address the ‘problems’ of surveillance along the large land border of the EU. The aim of TALOS is to help in detecting persons trying to cross the land border. Like existing surveillance systems, TALOS is going to use sensors to detect, track and intercept people, vehicles and hazardous substances crossing the unregulated land border between existing border crossing points.

However these sensors will be carried by unmanned robotic ‘drone’ vehicles having a high degree of ‘autonomy’. TALOS is an international research project co-funded by the EU. The main objective of TALOS is to develop and field test the innovative concept of a mobile, autonomous robotic system for protecting European land borders. The conventional border protection systems are based mainly on expensive ground facilities installed along the entire length of the border used only to observe, detect and warn. This infrastructure is complemented by motorized and foot patrols. The system developed within the TALOS project aims to observe the border, and improve communications, enabling Border Guards to react quicker.

Some ideas on migration, capitalism and social revolts

I. INTRODUCTION

This text comes from practical questions linked to the tenure of an ECOFIN meeting (European financial ministers gathering from the 30th September to the 1st October) and of a n European Trade Union demonstration (on the 29th September) during the No Border Camp in Brussels (25th September- 3rd October). During discussions, we questioned our position with regard to this summit. Our reflexions quickly went to « the » current crisis and his social and political effects, in the meantime increase of racist politics and behaviours, and of social revolts and mass-movements. Questions on these effects are finally the main reason for this text, with the last September week in Brussels as background. From a radical position against borders and for freedom of movement, we propose here a few ideas on the « No Border movement », on relations between anti-migration and economic European politics, and on the actual blooming of social revolts. Ideas which aim to bring reflections, discussions … and actions.

II. ABOUT OUR LIMITS

To begin with, we thought about how the “No Border activists”, in a larger sense, connect usually migration policies to economical policies. In these discourses we can distinguish two main poles, in between a variety of discussions and positions against borders are taking place.