The association for the support of immigrant workers criticises two main points: language and equality. In particular, the statement “the language of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is Luxembourgish” does not reflect the reality in the country.
A constitution should withstand time, says Sergio Ferreira of the Asti. But such restrictive formulations can lead to problems in a country that relies on immigration.
“This can have practical consequences in future, for example if we had a far right government or a rise of nationalist movements. In our eyes, this is a statement that can become problematic,” as it could then be used against residents from other countries. The same thing can be said for equality, says Laura Zuccoli.
“It’s a shame, we would have hoped that our multicultural country would be taken into account, for instance by saying not only Luxembourgers are equal before the law, but we are all equal before the law.”
It should still be possible to maintain differences in rights depending on whether you hold a Luxembourgish passport or not. In principle, however, everyone should be equal, so the statement “All Luxembourgers are equal before the law” is not something they can accept, says the Asti.
They are pleased that the right of asylum will be enshrined in the constitution, however.
They also raised the issue of people residing in the country without a permit of residence. The pandemic had led to a dramatic deterioration of their situation, as they had no social safety net and were often afraid to turn to authorities. The Asti was able to provide around 500 of them with food coupons. About a third of them were minors.
