Peter Rees

Peter Rees

@peternrees.bsky.social

SNSF Postdoctoral Fellow interested in migration, citizenship and rights. Currently researching maritime migration at the Global Studies Institute, University of Geneva.

1.8K followers724 following72 posts

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Peter Rees
@peternrees.bsky.social

1950 Even after the two wars, the RNLI archive records the rescue of a Greek man described at the time as an "undesirable alien" off Brixham. He had escaped from being returned to Greece in a raft, using a shovel as an oar. He was rescued and handed over to the police.

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Peter Rees
@peternrees.bsky.social

1949 Back then, RNLI volunteers weren't attacked for rescuing people seeking sanctuary across the Channel. William Peters, a former coxswain of the St Ives lifeboat, received a French award for services including the rescue of French vessels and hospitality shown towards French refugees.

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Peter Rees
@peternrees.bsky.social

1915 RNLI records show Belgian refugees being rescued at sea. On 10 October, several Belgian fishing boats carrying refugees were travelling towards Lowestoft when two grounded on the Newcome Sands. The Kentwell rescued all 35 refugees aboard the two boats and brought them safely ashore.

Peter Rees
@peternrees.bsky.social

One of the better-known examples is the rescue of the Peregrine by the Walton lifeboat on 29 December. There were 59 "passengers" aboard, as well as a crew of 33. The crew of the Walton lifeboat were subsequently recognised for the rescue, receiving honours and awards.

Peter Rees
@peternrees.bsky.social

1914 An estimated 250,000–265,000 Belgian refugees came to Britain during WWI. Around 16,000 arrived at Folkestone in a single day in August, doubling the town's population. Around 80,000 are thought to have landed on the Kent coast in the surrounding days. www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/th...

kentonline.co.ukThe day 16,000 refugees arrived in KentMore than a century ago the county welcomed thousands of people in a single day, as they fled from their war-torn country.
Peter Rees
@peternrees.bsky.social

This is deeply sad and such an indictment of how Goldsmiths is being run. I was never a part of it but PERC had amazing people, producing amazing work and was the absolute highlight of the Politics Department.

Will Davies@will-davies.bsky.social

We are closing @goldperc.bsky.social after 12 years. Here I reflect on the times and what we made of them www.goldperc.uk/project_post...

goldperc.ukLooking back on PERC - Political Economy Research CentreThe Political Economy Research Centre is to close formally this summer. Here, founding Director, Will Davies, reflects on its twelve years of activity. It took two or three years before the causes, ef...
Peter Rees
@peternrees.bsky.social

"These... border policing practices... had the cumulative effect of creating more dangerous circumstances for migrants attempting the Channel crossing, and shown state policies to prevent small boat crossings as being a clear driver in the increased number of deaths amongst migrants in the Channel"

borderforensics.orgHow ‘stopping the boats’ kills: A digital counter-forensic investigation of the human cost of the UK’s externalised border in the Channel – Border Forensics

Peter Rees reposted

Rebecca Buxton
@rebeccabuxton.bsky.social

FULLY FUNDED PHDs IN POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY I'm looking for *two* PhD students to join my ERC project on refugee-led approaches to displacement justice. The positions are funded for four years, and you get to join our lovely community in Bristol. Please share widely! philjobs.org/job/show/30997

philjobs.org PhD in Political and Social Philosophy, University of Bristol - PhilJobs:JFP PhD in Political and Social Philosophy, University of Bristol An international database of jobs for philosophers

Peter Rees reposted

Nick Taylor
@ntaylor.bsky.social

Check out the brilliant @cibled.bsky.social in @econsocjournal.bsky.social on the extremes of Becker's human capital theory & its normalisation of inequality. doi.org/10.1080/0308...

doi.org‘Most (if not all!) deaths are to some extent suicides’: Human capital and endogenous mortality in Gary Becker’s workChicago School economist and Nobel Memorial Prize winner Gary Becker writes that ‘most (if not all!) deaths are to some extent “suicides” in the sense that they could have been postponed if more re...

Peter Rees reposted

The New Humanitarian
@newhumanitarian.bsky.social

Fighters from the Rapid Support Forces have filmed themselves committing mass killings in Darfur’s El Fasher – even as their leaders sat in US-sponsored peace talks. The city’s fall marks a new horror in Sudan’s war, reports journalist and human rights defender Ahmed Gouja. ⬇️

buff.lyAn atrocity foretold: How the RSF siege of El Fasher turned into genocidal slaughterCommunication networks are down but a deluge of shocking videos point to mass killings on a devastating scale.
Peter Rees
@peternrees.bsky.social

Really looking forward to this!

Austin Kocher, PhD@austinkocher.com

Join geographer Luna Vives for a discussion of "The Gates of the Sea," exploring search and rescue operations for migrants in the Mediterranean. Free event—registration required. Details below. ⬇️ austinkocher.substack.com/p/book-event...

austinkocher.substack.comBook Event: In “The Gates of the Sea” Geographer Luna Vives Examines Migrant Search and Rescue in the MediterraneanPlease join me on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, from 2:00–3:00 PM EST for a virtual discussion with fellow geographer and longtime friend Luna Vives about her new book The Gates of the Sea. If you’re…
Peter Rees
@peternrees.bsky.social

More completely predictable and needless loss of life in the Channel. What really worries me is the rise of the so-called "super dinghy". This weekend saw a record 125 people in one boat. These are flimsy, unseaworthy, vessels. I worry it's a matter of time until there is a much larger shipwreck.

The Channel Monitoring Project@channelmonitoring.bsky.social

Last weekend, as the weather improved, more people tried to cross the Channel to reach safety in the UK. Four lost their lives in three separate incidents — one was a child. The government’s deterrent policies don’t work; they push people to take greater risks. We need #SafeRoutes now.

Peter Rees reposted

Maja Janmyr
@myrmek.bsky.social

To launch our new book we are organizing three webinars this fall. The first on Sept 30 will address the enduring impacts of colonial legacies on the governance and treatment of refugees in non-signatory states. Sign up here and do help us spread the word! www.jus.uio.no/ikrs/english...

jus.uio.noWebinar Series: Non-signatory States in International Refugee Law - Department of Criminology and Sociology of Law (IKRS)We are proud to announce a three-part webinar series building on the critical themes presented in our newly launched book, Non-signatory States in International Refugee Law.
Maja Janmyr@myrmek.bsky.social

Hot off the press! So pleased to see that our volume "Non-signatory States in International Refugee Law" is out and available fully open access. Find the link below.

Peter Rees
@peternrees.bsky.social

📣 Important Launch Today 📣 A new organisation has officially launched to defend the rights of people crossing the Channel and to develop life-saving technology that keeps them safe. 🌊✨ 👉 Please support them by sharing this post and giving them a follow. Your voice helps amplify theirs.

The Channel Monitoring Project@channelmonitoring.bsky.social

We are excited to announce the launch of The Channel Monitoring Project. A new initiative to change reality on the ground and at sea. For the #safety, #dignity and #humanrights of those crossing the border in #smallboats. Counter the toxicity to tell the real story.

Peter Rees reposted

Elisa Wynne-Hughes
@ewh.bsky.social

Cardiff University's Department of Politics & IR is currently advertising three lecturer (Grade 7) posts: - Non-western (especially non US) Foreign Policy/War/Security Studies - Political theory - History and theory of colonialism tinyurl.com/mkhrwvcs Please get in touch with any questions!

tinyurl.comLecturers in Politics and International Relations (Teaching & Research) at Cardiff UniversityExplore an exciting academic career as a Lecturers in Politics and International Relations (Teaching & Research). Don't miss out on other academic jobs. Click to apply and explore more opportunities.

Peter Rees reposted

Refugees in Libya
@refugeesinlibya.bsky.social

Great piece by Peter Rees, Rachel Ibreck and Souhayel Weslety on UNHCR and our UNFAIR campaign. @unhcr.org @iom.int @davidyambio.bsky.social @infomigrants.net Give it a read⤵️ academic.oup.com/jrs/advance-...

academic.oup.comThe ‘UNFAIR’ refugee agency: UNHCR accountability after protests and violenceAbstract. Urban refugees increasingly resort to sit-ins outside United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) offices because they lack avenues for accountability.
Peter Rees
@peternrees.bsky.social

I highly recommend this article by my friend and occasional co-author, Antje Scharenberg, on ships and the material politics of solidarity with maritime migrants.

onlinelibrary.wiley.comVessels of Solidarity: The Material Politics of Civil Sea Rescue ShipsThis article theorises ships as material carriers of transversal solidarity, based on the specific case of civil sea rescue vessels in the Mediterranean. My argument derives from eight months of fiel...
Peter Rees
@peternrees.bsky.social

We treat Channel crossings today as exceptional, and the RNLI is called a "migrant taxi service." However, people have long sought refuge across the Channel. On this day in 1939, two German refugees were rescued in the Channel by the RNLI and brought to safety in the UK.

Peter Rees reposted

Peter Rees
@peternrees.bsky.social

We treat Channel crossings today as exceptional, and the RNLI is called a "migrant taxi service." However, people have long sought refuge across the Channel. On this day in 1939, two German refugees were rescued in the Channel by the RNLI and brought to safety in the UK.

Peter Rees reposted

Zoe Gardner
@zoejardiniere.bsky.social

Replying to @zoejardiniere.bsky.social

The report recommends: - Splitting the department into two - Introducing much stronger checks on the powers of the Home Secretary - Ending the politics that pursue hostile headlines at the expense of evidence & human rights carladenyer.co.uk/no-way-home/

carladenyer.co.ukNo Way Home: It is time to remove management of immigration from the Home Office - Carla DenyerCarla Denyer: Your Bristol West Green Party MP Candidate. Tackling the Climate Emergency - An End to the Housing Crisis - A Fairer and More Equal City

Peter Rees reposted

El Hiblu 3
@elhiblu3.bsky.social

Hearing, 12 June The #ElHiblu3 defence is attacking the terrorism charges against the accused young men, arguing the proper reference to the law were not made in the charges issued against them.

Peter Rees
@peternrees.bsky.social

I just got round to watching Samuel Storey's film on the use of AI technology to prevent and criminalise migration in the Channel. It's super well-researched, well-made and deeply troubling. I highly recommend watching it. migrantsrights.org.uk/projects/hos...

migrantsrights.org.ukThe UK’s AI Borders: Anduril’s Autonomous Surveillance Towers - Migrants' Rights NetworkAnduril Autonomous Surveillance Towers (ASTs) are scanning the Channel for people seeking safety on the South-East Coast of England.

Peter Rees reposted

maurice stierl
@mauricestierl.bsky.social

In this article, @smartitaz.bsky.social & I discuss how some decolonial approaches to borders & migration conceptualise colonial legacies by reducing the complex ways in which the colonial past informs racialised bordering mechanisms in the present. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

tandfonline.comMare nero? Undoing the decolonial redux, multiplying (post)colonial legacies and strugglesCritique concerning Migration Studies’ Eurocentrism and its oblivion of race and colonialism has gained traction, prompting considerable soul-searching in the field as well as calls to decolonise M...
Peter Rees
@peternrees.bsky.social

I'm a little late to the game but please do read this important and very informative piece on the El Hiblu 3 and their search for justice.

El Hiblu 3@elhiblu3.bsky.social

Malta, a nation of seafarers, turns its back on people in need and instead criminalises who steps up to take responsibility to help those seeking protection. Our summary on the six years in limbo of the #ElHiblu3 can be found here: timesofmalta.com/article/abuse-el-hiblu-3.1107424 Enough is enough!

timesofmalta.comAbuse of the El Hiblu 3The three young men in the El Hiblu case are still in legal limbo. In pursuing it, Malta is making examples of individuals for the purpose of deterrence
Peter Rees
@peternrees.bsky.social

A timely and excellent article! I am glad I got the chance to read it in advance. 😀

Carla Ibled@cibled.bsky.social

Very happy to say that my article on Musk and Thiel's political theory of the founder (drawing on Lacan on the way) is out with @jcultecon.bsky.social! Strange to see it out there with all what happened in the last year, but it will hopefully make it a good read www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

tandfonline.com‘Founder as Victim, Founder as God’: Peter Thiel, Elon Musk and the two bodies of the entrepreneurSilicon Valley’s tech moguls have increasing political ambitions, as spectacularly illustrated by Peter Thiel’s and Elon Musk’s involvements in the US 2022 midterm elections and 2024 presidential e...