in english

This May 29, City of Osaka went on removing ‘resident registration’ of 2088 workers whom registered through Kamagasaki Liberation Center and other NGO group like ‘Furusato-no-ie’. Those who had lost ‘resident registration’ are day laborers and elder homeless people, the most unstable, the ones who need every social programs available the most. Amongst are the 131 people who are currently in hospital.

During the discussion we held, the city, without mercy, told us ‘homeless can not vote; they have no civil rights’. This directly tells us it is okay to take away basic civil rights because they are ‘poor who can not maintain basic living of paying rents and those being sick without family support’ .

We do not believe our election is no longer be called, ‘universal election’. We believe that this new step, allowing only the ones who has sustainable income could participate in civil rights such as voting, this reminds us of infamous ‘limited election’ before the world war era’ under the dictatorship of imperial army.

This aggression would not stop there to those 2088 people. This also means that it is okay to take away the rights of many of those part time workers whose no choice but to sleep at internet café, and temp/contractual workers whose life depend on current job site working away from home. Those are the 30 percent of all working population.

We keep on demanding and struggling for the rights of poor people.
Stop exemption of those who receive social welfare
No forced evacuation of homeless people
And of course, Take back ‘resident registrations’
Improve the living conditions of the poor people and all who is living on a margin.
Demand Democracy!
Voices to Seki- the mayor of Osaka

By the committee of unemployment and homelessness