A foreword by Michel Forst, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders for 'The shrinking space for solidarity with migrants and refugees' report.

In austerity-stricken Europe, increasing funds are flowing to arms and security firms positioning themselves as experts on border control. Researcher Mark Akkerman documents the companies profiting from E.U. border externalization and the industry’s lobbying power.

Three years ago, EU leaders praised its citizens for their efforts to welcome refugees. Why are they now criminalising those who show solidarity?

While border militarisation has been disastrous for refugees, it also has its winners. Most notably, it has provided a booming business for the defense, security and IT industries in a market that is growing at roughly 8% a year.

As refugees take the Olympic stage, the wars that sent them running for their lives continue apace.

The EU must acknowledge its part in fuelling the drivers of migration and work to stop them, including the establishment of an embargo on arms sales to the Middle East and North Africa.

The official discourse on migration has sought to criminalise migrant and refugee communities, ignoring the root causes of migration and the rights of communities; the Peoples' Global Action on Migration offers an alternative approach based on human rights and inter-cultural dialogue.

The EU approach to security is starting to eclipse the rule of law, with very little consideration of human rights.