lesvos 25-31.8.09

Refugees fleeing from persecution are dying at sea

2011-04-19T07:13:00.000-07:00

http://www.everyonegroup.com/EveryOne/MainPage/Entries/2011/4/16_African_refugees._To_perish_at_sea%2C_abandoned_by_everybody.html

Tripoli, April 15th, 2011. In the era of super fast means of transport, stealth aircraft, satellites, computers and major human rights projects, refugees fleeing from persecution are dying at sea, ignored by the rest of the world.

When the vessel of a group of sub-Saharan migrants is in trouble due to an engine fault - or the boat is taking in water - the ships of the "civilized" world sail past them, helicopters fly over their heads, but nobody comes to their aid. This is the world we live in. These are our times.

This is the testimony of Abu Kurk, an Ethiopian and survivor of the shipwreck in the waters off Libya last March in which 63 Eritreans and Ethiopians lost their lives. Our thanks go to Emiliano Bos, the journalist who interviewed the survivor, and Father Mussie Zerai.

Saturday, April 16, 2011, by EveryOne Group

African refugees. To perish at sea, abandoned by everybody

Welcome To Europe expresses its joy over the vindication of the hunger strikers' demands

2011-03-14T09:35:00.003-07:00

http://w2eu.net/2011/03/14/our-statement-about-the-end-of-the-hunger-strike/

Welcome To Europe expresses its joy over the vindication of the hunger strikers' demands on day 44. We have followed and supported the hunger strike closely, and often we feared for the hunger strikers' lives. Our relief given the successful conclusion cannot be expressed appropriately.

The results of the struggle are of extreme importance, especially as they have been achieved under ever harsher conditions. The fact that the possibility to obtain a residence permit will affect all migrants in Greece points to the general nature of the struggle. The political symbolism of the travel permits that will be given should not be underestimated: it allows for free movement across the walls of Europe, and contributes to making the dream of a common social and political space uniting the Mediterranean and providing freedom of movement within more concrete.

As the promises of the government have yet to be put into law and action, we declare that we will continue to follow the developments very closely. Should the need arise to take further action, we will be at the side of our brothers, sisters and friends.

The hunger strikers' struggle for political and social rights is a big step within a new cycle of struggles for the inclusion of migrants into the European societies. It is part of a process towards a great transformation, that will lead to a Europe without borders and fences.

**
network welcome to europe

http://w2eu.net blog
http://w2eu.info independent information for migrants coming to europe

2011-03-14T09:35:00.001-07:00

2011-03-13T12:55:00.001-07:00

The struggle is complete. With the documents in hand and our heads up high, we return to our homes and our work vindicated, after 44 days on hunger strike.
The struggle continues. The announcements for an 8-year limit and the increase of work credit as prerequisites for the issuing and renewal of residence permits must become law immediately.
The struggle is the only option. The struggle against the daily exploitation and racism’s walls, the struggles for the legalisation of all migrants with no prerequisites, for equal rights between local and foreign workers, for a life with values and dignity, these are our next steps. Together with the anti-racist and migrant movement we will walk along this difficult path, the path of struggle.
The struggle unites us. With the documents in hand and the head up high we salute and wish farewell to everyone who supports us. To the people in solidarity in Greece and all other countries in the world, the doctors and their colleagues, all who stood by our side in these days of the hunger strike, in all days when our lives and our deaths demanded vindication and freedom.
See you at the struggles!
- Protest gathering, Monday 14/03, at the Ypatia building
- Protest gathering, Monday 14/03, 7pm at the Piraeus port (Agios Dionisios)

The 300 migrant hunger strikers

http://clandestinenglish.wordpress.com

2011-03-11T01:45:00.000-08:00

The hunger strike of the three-hundred migrant workers has ended. The struggle for a world of equality, solidarity and freedom continues – GREVA E URISË E 300 EMIGRANTËVE PUNËTORË PËRFUNDOJ. LUFTA PËR NJË JETË ME BARAZI, SOLIDARITET DHE LIRI VAZHDONالإضراب عن الطعام من ٣٠٠ العمال المهاجرين فرغ النضال لعالم حرا وسويا مستمر

Μαρτίου 10, 2011

On January 25th, 2011 three-hundred migrants in Athens and Thessaloniki commenced a fierce hunger strike, claiming the most basic things: equal rights with the local workers and the legalization of all migrants living, working and moving across the country.

44 days later and after more than 100 strikers were hospitalized with serious health issues, the state was forced to drop its intransigent attitude along with previous threats of deportation of the strikers and to negotiate officially with them, meeting a significant part of their demands:

Decrease of the required residence time of migrants in the country in order to submit applications for residence permits to 8 years, down from 12 years before (this applies to every single migrant living in the Greek territory)
Decrease of the required work credits to 120, from 200 before (same as for local workers)
Decrease of the work credits required for insurance cover to 50, from 80 before (this applies to all workers, local and migrant)

For the three-hundred hunger strikers in particular, the allowance has been given for them to indefinitely renew their 6-month “state of tolerance” status until the time when they reach the time and conditions to receive a residence permit. During that time they will be allowed to travel freely to and from their country of origin. The three-hundred migrant strikers risked their lives not on the basis of individualistic or utilitarian motives but for a collective right, in a struggle that asserted rights concerning the dignity of the entire working class. This hunger strike is a social struggle against the illegality of all migrants, a struggle addressing the entire class of workers. It comes as a continuation of struggles of the recent past, from the farmer-migrants in Manoliada, Ilia and Skala, Lakonia to the strike of the fishermen-migrants in Michaniona, Thessaloniki. The struggle of the three-hundred migrant workers proves nothing is impossible.

If the three-hundred achieved this, imagine what thousands of migrants-workers-repressed can achieve together.

Assembly of solidarity of anarchists/anti-authoritarians/libertarians/comrades

2011-03-10T08:12:00.000-08:00

The vindication of the 300 migrants hunger strikers is a hope for the whole society

Μαρτίου 9, 2011

Today’s government’s decision to meet part of the demands of the 300 migrants on hunger strike proves that the only lost struggle is the one that is not led. It also showed to all the
working people that the government of the E.U., I.M.F. and European Bank Memorandum is not invincible. The rigid militant spirit and broad social solidarity can bring tangible results.
It is obvious that it will take a long and hard struggle for lifting the Apartheid against foreign workers living in Greece and Europe. However, there should be no doubt
that the dedication of the 300 opened a new path of hope.
We would like to thank all those (and there were many …) that have supported this difficult struggle from the first days in the Law School until the hospitals. Thus, above all, we would like to respectfully welcome the 300 fighters of who the entire working class can be proud.
Athens
09/03/1911
Solidarity Initiative to the 300
migrants on hunger strike

The Hungerstrike is finnished !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!solidarity!!!

2011-03-09T10:51:00.001-08:00

http://www.occupiedlondon.org/blog/2011/03/09/535-migrant-hunger-strike-ends-in-huge-victory/

As it has just been announced, the hunger strike of the 300 migrant hunger strikers has just ended, following some key government concessions in meeting their demands. As it has been agreed:
- the time limit for application for permanent residence in the country is now dropped to eight years (down from twelve).
- work credit (ensima) are disconnected from the application for permanent residence.
- all three-hundred migrant hunger strikers will be allowed to apply for 6-month rolling permits until the reach the 8-year limit in order to gain permanent residence.
This is a huge victory on the side of the hunger strikers who now see the road paved for tens of thousands of people to be able to live in the country without the fear of being undocumented.

The Hungerstrike is finnished !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
solidarity!!!

more later...........

solidarity aktion in Berlin 8.3.

2011-03-09T03:53:00.001-08:00

solidarity aktion in berlin 8.3.

2011-03-09T03:52:00.001-08:00

solidarity aktion in berlin 8.3.

URGENT: The government threatens the hunger strikers that they will be evicted if they don't all agree to be transferred to hospitals.

2011-03-07T08:23:00.001-08:00

URGENT: The government threatens the hunger strikers that they will be evicted if they don't all agree to be transferred to hospitals.

About an hour ago (shortly before 2pm on Monday, March 7), on the 42nd day of the hunger strike of the 300 migrant workers, the Ministry of Health sent a representative to the hunger strikers staying in the front yard and corridors of the Ypatia mansion in Athens.

In its message to the strikers, the Ministry of Health states that “their limits of patience and understanding have been exhausted” and that they ask “with no further delay, that all hunger strikers be transferred to NHS hospitals in Athens (…) so that danger to their health and to their life is avoided.” The text ends in a warning: “We ask the migrants who are staying at Ypatia to cooperate with the ambulance staff so that they are transferred without further delay. We ask the people who accompany them and support their struggle, to not only refrain for obstructing the procedure, but to make every possible effort to persuade all migrants to be transferred to public hospitals.”

In other words, under the pretext that they are interested in the hunger strikers’ health condition, the government is prepared to send the police to force the migrant hunger strikers out of the building. This is the first step towards forceful feeding by the hospital staff, i.e. towards breaking the hunger strike with an order by a public prosecutor.

The hunger strikers have already decided that they are not leaving the building without a residency permit.

300: A brief chronicle of the hunger strike, through the texts of the hunger strikers and the solidarity initiatives in Athens and Thessaloniki

2011-03-06T07:06:00.000-08:00

300: A brief chronicle of the hunger strike, through the texts of the hunger strikers and the solidarity initiatives in Athens and Thessaloniki

The 300 hunger strikers begin their hunger strike in Athens and Thessaloniki (25 JANUARY 2011) and formulate their demands: REGULARIZATION and EQUAL RIGHTS for ALL IMMIGRANTS LIVING AND WORKING HERE
http://allilmap.wordpress.com/2011/01/20/statement-of-the-300-migrant-workers-on-hunger-strike-from-25-january-2011/

People in solidarity respond with an analysis of the recent crisis and explain why it is essential to support the migrants’ demands:
http://allilmap.wordpress.com/2011/02/25/text-for-the-press-conference-with-the-doctors/

What the hunger strikers said when the government wanted to change the location of the strike (an empty University building) after the strike had already started (27 January):
http://allilmap.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/press-release-decision-of-the-assembly-of-migrants-on-hunger-strike/

THE GREEK STATE TORTURES HUNGER STRIKERS, explains the Solidarity Initiative (27 January) after a series
of meaningless negotiations with the government and false promises that they will be relocated somewhere better:
http://allilmap.wordpress.com/2011/01/29/thursday-january-27-the-greek-state-tortures-hunger-strikers/

Despite the hardships, the hunger strikers declare that they are determined to continue (29 January):
http://allilmap.wordpress.com/2011/01/30/announcement-to-the-society/

The hunger strikers’ message to the assembly of the City Council in Thessaloniki, which later voted in full support of the strike (12 February):
http://allilmap.wordpress.com/2011/02/14/message-by-the-assembly-of-fifty-hunger-strikers-in-thessaloniki-to-the-mayor-and-the-members-of-the-city-council/

Intellectuals (Noam Chomsky, Emmanuel Wallerstein, Eduardo Galeano, Slavoj Zizek, Alain Badiou, Naomi Klein), immigrants’ and worker organizations from all over the world express their solidarity with the hunger strikers:
http://allilmap.wordpress.com/2011/02/15/solidarity-with-the-300-migrant-workers-on-hunger-strike-in-greece/
http://allilmap.wordpress.com/2011/02/19/a%CE%BB%CE%BB%CE%B7%CE%BB%CE%B5%CE%B3%CE%B3%CF%8D%CE%B7-%CE%B1%CF%80%CF%8C-slavoj-zizek-%CE%BA%CF%8E%CF%83%CF%84%CE%B1-%CE%B4%CE%BF%CF%85%CE%B6%CE%AF%CE%BD%CE%B1/

The hunger strikers’ specific demands (21 February)

http://allilmap.wordpress.com/2011/02/22/hunger-strikers%E2%80%99-assembly-decision-2102/

Meanwhile their health is deteriorating (22 February)
http://allilmap.wordpress.com/2011/02/23/medical-report-22nd-february-2011/

The government, through Minister Ragoussis, repeats its position that “there will be no regularisations” and the Solidarity Initiative with the strikers respond:
http://allilmap.wordpress.com/2011/02/25/an-answer-to-ragkousis-statements/

The hunger strikers’ health is in danger:
http://allilmap.wordpress.com/2011/02/25/text-for-the-press-conference-with-the-doctors/
Announcement of the hunger strikers (March 4, 2011)
The hunger strike has been going on for 40 days now and the clock is ticking. (PRESS RELEASE MARCH 5, 2011)

It is high time the hunger strikers’ demands were met before it is too late.

http://clandestinenglish.wordpress.com/2011/03/06/a-brief-chronicle-of-the-hunger-strike-through-the-texts-of-the-hunger-strikers-and-the-solidarity-initiatives-in-athens-and-thessaloniki/

Hassan talks about the lies the newspaper NEA wrote about him

2011-03-05T03:45:00.001-08:00

Samstag, 5. März 2011
Hassan talks about the lies the newspaper NEA wrote about him

I want to say something about what the newspaper TA NEA wrote about me,showing a picture of me with a wrong name.
We the hungerstrikers take all decisions on our own in our plenum and nobody is telling us what to do.
A hungertsriker has no reasons to go for a walk, since he has to take care of himself and his health condition.

Hassan

Announcement of the hunger strikers to society (4/3)

2011-03-05T02:38:00.001-08:00

Announcement-response to the government’s
proposal,

after the meeting (of the immigrants-workers

hunger strikers) with the ministers:

1. We hunger strikers, from the places of our strike in Athens and
Thessaloniki and from hospitals, unanimously reject the government’s
proposal for a regime
of tolerance, because it does not respond to our claim for legalization with
freedom of movement, work-based renewal and all other rights that legal
immigrants have in Greece and Europe.

2. We reject the request of the minister of Health to transfer
all Athens’ hunger strikers to hospitals due to weather conditions’
worsening.
As we have done for 39 days with cold and floods, we continue
the hunger strike in Hypatia building (Patission Ave, and Ipirou Str.),
and of course those who are in critical condition will be transfered
to hospitals under our doctors’s orders.

3. We stress once again that the nationwide hunger strike is our struggle,
that we take the decisions on all issues, and we demand the lies
and slander to be stopped.

The 300 hunger strikers in Athens and Thessaloniki, 4 March 2011
hungerstrike300.espivblogs.net

Hamburg-Stop frontex in the mediteranean and Solidarity greetings to the 300 hunerstrikers in Greece

2011-03-03T15:34:00.000-08:00


STOP HERMES-so that everyone can arive safely!		no war against refugees.

solidarity for the 300 hungertsrikers in Greece!

many people habe arived in germany who have had to cross Greece they wish specially strongly much strength and a good end for their fight to the hungertsrikers

this kid will be able to say later that it was from the frist begining against any frontex activities

call me!

today 98 hungerstrikers in hospitals!!!

2011-03-03T04:24:00.001-08:00

today 98 hungerstrikers in hospitals!!!

Dozens of Greek Migrants Hospitalized During 37 Days of Hunger Strike

2011-03-02T10:22:00.000-08:00

video made by wbjourdan

Song written bei one of the hungerstrikers-today 78 in hospitals

2011-03-02T10:01:00.000-08:00

2/3/2011 – 78 hunger strikers in hospitals
Μαρτίου 2, 2011

78 hunger strikers in hospitals

Last night, March 1, at least 78 immigrants hunger strikers were in hospitals in Athens and Thessaloniki. The medical team responsible to support the hunger strikers decided the transfer to the hospitals because the hunger strikers were suffering from:

a) imminent acute renal failure (that is reversible if treated promptly),

b) severe dehydration with electrolyte deficiencies,

c) cardiac arrhythmias,

d) several other medical problems.

In several hospitals police «visited» the doctors and asked the Ids and data about the medical condition of the hunger strikers. When doctors refused to give any information about their patients, police have written down the names of the doctors. Such incidents in hospitals were taking place in Greece only during the period of the dictatorship.

Yesterday morning, riot police attempted to prevent a press conference in front of the parliament. Several trade unionists, intellectuals, artists and antiracist activists (among them the writer Vassilis Alexakis) were hit and pushed violently by the policemen. ( Photo ).

35 day of hungerstrike of the 300 migrants today. 42 migrants already in hospitals.

2011-03-01T06:32:00.000-08:00

video interview three days ago with one of the hungerstrikers who has been in germany .
we wish Elktif and all others to stay strong !

show solidarity!

35 day of the hungerstrike: 28.2.11

2011-02-27T23:49:00.000-08:00

Ministery of Labour occupied by solidarity groups

In Athens solidarity groups have just occupied the Ministery of Labour in Athens to protest against the unwillinness of the greek goverment to fullfill the requests for legalisation of the 300 migrant hungerstrikers who are today in the 35 day of hungerstrike.In the building of the ministery for Labour in december 2010 a desperate ägyptian migrant killed himself jumping form the 3 flour. the solidarity groups call for a gathering at 14 o´clock in the Platia Korai, infront of the ministery.
solidarity!

Κατάληψη τώρα του Υπουργείου Εργασίας στην πλατεία Κοραή – κάλεσμα σε συγκέντρωση σήμερα 28/2, 2μμ,

ministerium

ministerium jetzt

Ο δίκαιος αγώνας των 300 μεταναστών-εργατώναπεργών πείνας είναι και δικός μας αγώνας!

Εδώ και 35 μέρες, σε Αθήνα και Θεσσαλονίκη, 300 μετανάστες εργάτες έχουν ξεκινήσει μια σκληρή απεργία πείνας. Διεκδικούν ίσα δικαιώματα με τους ντόπιους συναδέλφους τους και τη νομιμοποίηση όλων των μεταναστών και των μεταναστριών που ζουν, εργάζονται και μετακινούνται στη χώρα.
Επιθυμώντας να διαχύσουμε το πνεύμα αυτού του αγώνα στο κέντρο της Αθήνας, καταλαμβάνουμε τις υπηρεσίες του Υπουργείου Εργασίας στην πλατεία Κοραή. Πρόκειται για το κτίριο όπου το Δεκέμβριο του 2010 ο αιγύπτιος μετανάστης εργάτης Emand Aziz, δουλεύοντας ανασφάλιστος και μέρα Κυριακή
στο Υπουργείο Εργασίας, σε συνθήκες όπου δεν τηρούνταν τα στοιχειώδη μέτρα ασφαλείας, σκοτώθηκε πέφτοντας από τον 3ο όροφο. Πρόκειται για ένα από τα κρατικά κτίρια τα οποία καθαρίζουν μετανάστες δουλεύοντας για εργολάβους-δουλεμπόρους και στα οποία βασιλεύει ο εργασιακός μεσαίωνας, η αδήλωτη εργασία, η εργοδοτική βαρβαρότητα. Τι έχουν να πουν γι’ αυτό οι εργαζόμενοι στο υπουργείο εργασίας; Τι έχουν να πουν για τον αγώνα των 300 μεταναστών-εργατών που περιλαμβάνει όλους τους μετανάστες και τις μετανάστριες και, ακόμη περισσότερο, όλη την τάξη των εργαζομένων;
Το τελευταίο 24ωρο, είκοσι μετανάστες απεργοί πείνας έχουν μεταφερθεί σε νοσοκομεία της Αθήνας με συμπτώματα βαριάς αφυδάτωσης και νεφρικής ανεπάρκειας και τέσσερις σε νοσοκομεία της Θεσσαλονίκης με λιποθυμικά επεισόδια. Σε κάποια από τα νοσοκομεία όπου μεταφέρονται, δε γίνονται δεκτοί, ενώ σε άλλα, αστυνομικοί απαιτούν από το νοσηλευτικό προσωπικό τα ονόματά τους.
Οι 300 απεργοί πείνας διακινδυνεύουν τη ζωή τους όχι στη βάση ατομικών και ωφελιμιστικών κινήτρων αλλά για ένα συλλογικό δίκαιο, σε ένα αγώνα που διεκδικεί την αξιοπρέπεια όλης της εργατικής τάξης. Οι μετανάστες οργανώθηκαν μέσα από δημόσιες και οριζόντιες συνελεύσεις στην Κρήτη, θεμελιώνοντας μέσα από συλλογικές διαδικασίες έναν από τους πιο μαζικούς αυτόνομους αγώνες μεταναστών-εργατών στην ελλάδα. Ζήτησαν από την πρώτη στιγμή την αλληλεγγύη και τη γεφύρωση του αγώνα τους με τα προτάγματα όλων των ανθρώπων και των συλλογικοτήτων που αγωνίζονται για ένα κόσμο ισότητας και ελευθερίας. Παραθέτουμε αποσπάσματα από το κείμενο της συνέλευσης των απεργών πείνας, με το οποίο ζητούν την αλληλεγγύη μας:
«.Βρισκόμαστε στην αναξιοπρέπεια και στο σκοτάδι της παρανομίας για να ωφελούνται οι εργοδότες και οι υπηρεσίες του κράτους από την άγρια εκμετάλλευση της εργασίας μας. Όσο κόβονται οι μισθοί και οι συντάξεις, όσο ακριβαίνουν τα πάντα, τόσο ο μετανάστης παρουσιάζεται ως φταίχτης, ως ο υπαίτιος για την εξαθλίωση και την άγρια εκμετάλλευση των ελλήνων εργαζομένων. Η προπαγάνδα φασιστικών και ρατσιστικών κομμάτων και οργανώσεων έχει πλέον γίνει η επίσημη γλώσσα του κράτους για το μεταναστευτικό. Ζητάμε από τους έλληνες συναδέλφους μας εργαζομένους, από κάθε άνθρωπο που τώρα υποφέρει κι αυτός από την εκμετάλλευση του ιδρώτα του, να σταθεί δίπλα μας. Να στηρίξει τον αγώνα μας, για να μην αφήσει να επικρατήσει και στο δικό του τόπο το ψέμα και η αδικία, ο φασισμός και η απολυταρχία… Αυτό δηλαδή που έχει επικρατήσει και στις δικές μας πατρίδες και μας ανάγκασε να ξενιτευτούμε. εμείς και τα παιδιά μας.»

Ο ταξικός λόγος των απεργών συγκρούεται με το σύνολο των αντι-μεταναστευτικών πολιτικών που θέλουν τη ζωή και την εργασία των μεταναστριών και των μεταναστριών παράνομη, υποτιμημένη και πολιτικά απροστάτευτη απέναντι στις δολοφονικές διαθέσεις των αφεντικών και των στρατιωτικών και αστυνομικών θεσμών των εθνικών κρατών.

Το ελληνικό κράτος έχει τα χέρια του βαμμένα με αίμα. Συμμετέχει στις διεθνείς διακρατικές συμμαχίες που είναι υπεύθυνες για τη (δήθεν ανθρωπιστική) στρατιωτική κατοχή σε χώρες από όπου προέρχονται οι μετανάστες. Στα σύνορά του, σε συνεργασία με τις συνοριοφυλακές άλλων χωρών, τη FRONTEX και τους κρατικά ελεγχόμενους δουλεμπόρους, οδηγεί τους μετανάστες και τις μετανάστριες σε ναρκοπέδια, στο βυθό του αιγαίου και σε στρατόπεδα συγκέντρωσης στην περιφέρεια της χώρας, όπου επικρατούν απάνθρωπες συνθήκες μαζικού εγκλεισμού, βασανιστηρίων και διαδικασίες βίαιων απελάσεων.
Στα εγκλήματα αυτά, όπως και στην ευρύτερη υποτίμηση της ζωής και της εργασίας των μεταναστών και των μεταναστριών από τα μικρά και τα μεγάλα αφεντικά, συντελούν οι ιδεολογικοί μηχανισμοί του κράτους, τα μέσα μαζικής ενημέρωσης, αλλά και ένα διακριτό κομμάτι της ελληνικής κοινωνίας που κεφαλαιοποιεί εδώ και 30 χρόνια τον πλούτο που παράγει η μεταναστευτική εργατική δύναμη. Οι μετανάστες και οι μετανάστριες, αν και αόρατοι και απομονωμένοι, βρίσκονται ακριβώς δίπλα μας και αποτελούν έναν τεράστιο παραγωγικό πληθυσμό που ζει, εργάζεται, μετακινείται, επιθυμεί, δημιουργεί οικογένειες, κοινότητες και δίκτυα αλληλεγγύης.

Ο αγώνας των 300 μεταναστών-εργατών αποδεικνύει τη συλλογική ικανότητα μιας αυτόνομης, ταξικής και κοινωνικής δράσης όλων όσων δε θεωρούνται θεσμικά πολίτες από τα κράτη και δείχνει το δρόμο για να συναντηθούν οι αγώνες των μεταναστών με αυτούς των ντόπιων. Και αυτό τρομάζει τα αφεντικά.
Γι’ αυτόν ακριβώς το λόγο ο αγώνας τους χτυπήθηκε από την πρώτη στιγμή από το κράτος και τα μέσα μαζικής ενημέρωσης, γι’ αυτό έγινε άρση ασύλου και απαγόρευση μιας πολιτικής διαμαρτυρίας στη Νομική, ενώ τώρα επιχειρείται για πρώτη φορά η ποινική δίωξη σε απεργούς πείνας. Αυτός ο κανιβαλιστικός και ρατσιστικός λόγος δουλεύεται εδώ και χρόνια από τους μηχανισμούς του κράτους, και στην εκκένωση τη Νομικής τον ακούσαμε από το στόμα των διαφόρων υπουργών εσωτερικών, εργασίας και νταβατζήδων του πολίτη, καθώς και των τραμπούκων του τύπου.
Καθώς η απεργία πείνας φτάνει σε ένα επικίνδυνο για την υγεία των μεταναστών-εργατών στάδιο, επιστρατεύεται τώρα το «καθεστώς ανοχής» ως πρόταση στους απεργούς. Το «καθεστώς ανοχής» δεν αποτελεί ανθρωπιστική αλλά μια ασαφή ρύθμιση, καθώς δίνει για έξι μήνες την άδεια να μείνουν οι μετανάστες εδώ με πρόθεση απέλασης, χωρίς τη δυνατότητα να μπορούν να φύγουν από τη χώρα εάν το επιθυμούν. Γι’ αυτό και οι απεργοί απορρίπτουν την πρόταση αυτή.
Οι αγωνιζόμενοι μετανάστες απεργοί πείνας βρίσκονται στην πρώτη γραμμή του κοινωνικού πολέμου. Προτάσσουν τη ζωή τους, ενάντια στη βαρβαρότητα της εξουσίας, την εξαθλίωση και την κουλτούρα θανάτου που προσπαθεί να επιβάλει το κράτος σ’ ολόκληρη την κοινωνία. Αγωνίζονται για τη ζωή, την ελευθερία και την αξιοπρέπεια. Για έναν κόσμο όπου ο θάνατος δεν θα έχει πια εξουσία. Γι’ αυτό, καλούμε όλα τα αγωνιζόμενα κομμάτια της κοινωνίας να σταθούν αλληλέγγυα στον αγώνα των 300 απεργών πείνας που γίνεται για λογαριασμό όλων μας. Γιατί η αλληλεγγύη μεταξύ όλων των καταπιεσμένων είναι το όπλο μας. Γιατί η αλληλεγγύη δεν είναι μόνο συμπαράσταση αλλά και σύγκρουση για μια κοινωνία αυτοδιεύθυνσης, χωρίς σύνορα, χωρίς φράχτες, χωρίς στρατόπεδα συγκέντρωσης, χωρίς ρατσισμό, χωρίς εκμετάλλευση.
«Δε θα φτηνύνουμε εμείς τη ζωή, που την έχουν κάνει αμελητέα κι αναλώσιμη.
Εμείς θα ακριβύνουμε το θάνατο, τόσο που να ‘ναι αβάσταχτος κι αδιανόητος».

Καλούμε σε στήριξη της κατάληψης από τις 8 το πρωί και

σε συγκέντρωση σήμερα, στις 2μμ, στο Υπουργείο Εργασίας στην Πλατεία Κοραή.

Αλληλεγγύη σε όλους τους αγωνιζόμενους μετανάστες
και τις μετανάστριες
Κοινοί αγώνες όλων των καταπιεσμένων
Για έναν κόσμο ισότητας, αλληλεγγύης, ελευθερίας

Αλληλέγγυες και Αλληλέγγυοι

16 hungerstrikers are today in different Hospitals in Athens .Police tries to get their names!

2011-02-27T14:13:00.000-08:00

On the 34 day of hungerstrike 16 people are brought to several hospitals in Athens,The police uses the opurtunity to get the names of the Hungerstrikers.Two Hospitals Red Cross and Flemming are refusing to give the names.The police requests the names of the Doctors!

be solidar! act now against the repression!

The 300 hunger strikers

2011-02-21T16:31:00.000-08:00

28th day on hunger strike-
February 22, 2011

For us, legalisation is neither a generic nor an abstract slogan. We don’t want proposals to be heard without us. For us legalisation means many and very specific things. Between those, first and foremost:

The issuing – since we are entitled to it – of a proper residence and labour permit to us, the 300 hunger strikers, who demand what should be a given for everyone by putting our lives on the line

As well as:

- that residence permits are no longer connected to work credits

- that all who lost their permits because of the above reason are legalised again

- the vindication of everyone whose application was rejected in 2005, after their application submission had been accepted and after they were forced to pay thousands of euros each

- the establishment of a permanent and open procedure for complete legalisation, which will process applications constantly

- the abandonment of any idea of criminalising any of our comrades in solidarity with us, who have been called as suspects of committing criminal acts by the authorities

And many more…

Anyone who wants to seriously engage with our strike and avoid a humanitarian crisis in Greece, should officially and directly contact us and whatever discussion must be focused on meeting the above demands.

Every human is worth a dignified life and labour

The hunger strike shall win

Athens – Thessaloniki

21-2-2011 / 28th day on hunger strike

The 300 hunger strikers

Pagani today with growing tomatoes .

2011-02-16T12:06:00.000-08:00

But the future for refugees is unknown

Tomatos growing on the prison doors the best sign that the prison is now a useful friendly place. Aslong as the doors dont get openne

the prison doesn´t exist because we wanted it so! w2eu.

tomatos waiting to be picked up.

no more fences! after a defencing action summer 2010.

it is not the blood that makes you be brothers and sisters

container used by the medical stuff and last year by Frontex.

freedom of movement and AZADI!

the cells still are full of beds.....

and the greek Police is publishing new vacancies for 81 Psychologists, Sociologists and Translators for Farsi , Urdu Pashto and Arabic for 6 months starting July 2011. The job is to translate and work with future deportees preparing the documents and the interviews before the deportation.
The work will take place in Athens, Lesvos,Chios, Samos Orestiada and Axaia, in deportation prisons.
sounds like a hot summer is aproaching!

no border!
freedom of movement!
w2eu!

„Bags Mohajer“ is a project of mainly Afghani underaged refugees.

2010-09-14T07:39:00.000-07:00

www.mohajer.jogspace.net

„Bags Mohajer“ is a project of mainly Afghani underaged refugees. Many of them worked in Iran as tailors earning money to enable them to travel to Greece. In „Villa Azadi“ the asylum seekers make bags out of clothes which are donated to the camp. 99% of the kids are boys therefore most of the bags made are from women’s clothes. Through their tenacious creativity they transform these discarded garments into a variety of bags. Additionally, they use material from deflated and discarded rubber dinghy boats from the beaches in Lesvos. A great majority of these dinghy boats were used by the refugees themselves when they travelled through adverse conditions from Turkey to Greece. The dinghy boats were mostly overloaded and in poor condition thus forcing the immigrants to risk their lives to arrive in Greece. On top of these problems, a lot of dinghy boats were destroyed by Frontex (the European Border Agency) or by the refugees themselves on arrival in Greece, so Frontex wouldn’t be able to send them straight back. From the dinghy boats they create laptop bags, wallets, sports bags and other bag varieties. The refugees also recycle plastic clips from the life jackets they used on their journey to Greece.
The asylum seekers live in „Villa Azadi“ which is one of eight reception centres for unaccompanied minors in Greece and also one of the newest. With 96 beds it covers one third of the official housing capacity for underage refugees. Villa Azadi is a state run reception centre, financed by the European Refugee Fund (ERF) and under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. The building and housing programmes are run by the state run foundation “Theomitor” while the 17 person team is employed by the co-operating local NGO “Iliaktida”. It supplies basic needs (housing, nutrition, clothing), legal and social councilling, medical support and language training. Professionals include social anthropologists, a sociologist, a social worker, a lawyer, a psychologist, pedagogical employees, interpreters, cooks, a doctor and a nurse. The reception centre is located in central Lesvos, 5 km from the mountain village Agiasos and approx. 40 km far from Mitilene, the island’s capital.

Samos Swarming No Border 28-29.08.2010 w2eu- Shut down Frontex!

2010-09-11T10:51:00.001-07:00

Samos Swarming No Border 28-29.08.2010 w2eu- Shut down Frontex!

bewafnen steht auf diese mobiltelefon werbung.

Hier ein erster Zwischenbericht zu den diesjährigen Swarming NoBorder Activities in Griechenland. Erster Stopp wurde auf Samos gemacht, einer Insel im Ägäischen Meer nahe dem türkischen Festland, weshalb viele Migrant_innen hier ankommen und folglich auch Frontex stationiert ist. Während des Aufenthaltes war in Zusammenarbeit mit Aktivist_innen aus Samos ein antirassistisches Wochenende Ende August organisiert worden.

Direkt nach der Ankunft auf der Insel wurde deutlich, wie militarisiert der Hafen ist. Zusammen mit Frontex liegen dort diverse Militärschiffe sowie auf der gesamten Insel viel Militär stationiert ist. Da Frontex in Vathy bzw. Samos, der Hauptstadt der gleichnamigen Insel, in dem kleinen Hafen liegt, war das Schiff nicht zu übersehen. Gleich gegenüber liegt das Hotel Samos. Wie festgestellt werden konnte, sind dort die 30 Frontexmitarbeiter, welche auf Samos stationiert sind, untergebracht, gehen ein und aus und verbringen dort viel Zeit mit Kaffeetrinken, Frühstücken, Bier trinken etc. Die Mitarbeiter der Küstenwache hingegen müssen sich eigene Wohnungen mieten, was zu Neid und Unfrieden zwischen Küstenwache und Frontex führt.

In Samos/Vathy ist außerdem ein Detention Centre, ähnlich dem Knast Pagani auf Lesbos, wo bis vor kurzem noch die neu ankommenden Migrant_innen, welche von den Bullen aufgegriffen werden, für unbestimmte Zeit eingeknastet wurden. Mitte August wurde dieser Knast geschlossen und die Migrant_innen stattdessen in der Bullenwache im Hafen eingesperrt. Der Knast sieht im Übrigen nicht so aus, als wäre er dauerhaft geschlossen worden. Während der letzten Tage wurde dort fleißig aufgeräumt, was den Eindruck machte, dass er bald wieder benutzt wird.

spielplatz im detention center!!! humanitäre unterbringung für flüchtlinge!

Frontex behauptet zudem, dass momentan keine Menschen mehr ankommen. Dies stimmt definitiv nicht, allerdings sind es zur Zeit weniger. Dies wurde von vielen Migrant_innen aus der Stadt Karlovassi, der Universitätsstadt auf Samos, bestätigt. Viele dieser Migrant_innen leben schon länger auf der Insel und arbeiten dort, z.B. bei der Traubenernte.

Ursprünglich war für Frontex ein Büro auf Samos geplant gewesen. Dies wurde zwar nicht verwirklicht, stattdessen haben sie einen Container bekommen, der vor der Bullenwachen am Hafen von Vathy/Samos steht. In den Räumen dieses Containers führen sie auch die Interviews mit den Migrant_innen durch.

Interessant ist des Weiteren das Menschenbild, welches die Küstenwache auf Samos, die mit Frontex zusammenarbeitet, und Frontex selbst offenbaren. So sind die meisten Migrant_innen ‚Mörder und Diebe’ und Athen sei ohnehin schon überfüllt, weshalb ihre Arbeit sehr wichtig sei. Frontex fährt im Übrigen nachts immer von ca. 22 Uhr bis morgens um 6 Uhr raus, um nach Booten zu suchen. Wenn sie welche finden, rufen sie die Küstenwache hinzu. Eins der Küstenwache, welches dort im Hafen liegt, kann diese Arbeit jedoch nicht mehr verrichten, da es einen Motorschaden hat. Die Strecke, welche sie in diesem Zeitraum abfahren geht von Vathy bis Psili Ammos. Beteiligt an dieser nächtlichen Arbeit ist außerdem ein Hubschrauber, von dem aus nach Booten gesucht wird. Sollte die Suche erfolgreich sein, werden die Schiffe informiert. Von dem Hubschrauber aus werden nachts außerdem die Strände mit einem Scheinwerfer abgesucht. An einigen Stränden wird außerdem mit einem Van, in dem sich Kameras befinden, überwacht, ob dort Menschen ankommen. Tagsüber fährt ein kleineres litauisches Schiff umher und sucht. All diese Maßnahmen bedeuten nicht nur eine brutale Gefährdung der Leben vieler Flüchtlinge, sondern schränken zusätzlich auch das Leben der Inselbevölkerung ein. Die Fischer können nicht mehr in allen Gegenden fischen und werden zudem häufig kontrolliert. Der Hubschrauber hält durch den Lärm viele Menschen vom schlafen ab. Dadurch wird zusätzlich der Tourismus beeinträchtigt, weshalb es bereits Protestaktionen von einigen Tourist_innen gab.

Auch die Tiere leider mit Sicherheit darunter, wovon es auf der Insel eine beeindruckende Vielfalt gibt, wie beispielsweise Chamäleons.

Während der Aktionstage gegen diese menschenverachtende EU-Migrationspolitik fand am Donnerstagabend eine Art Kundgebung auf dem zentralen Platz in Karlovassi statt. Dabei wurden sowohl Flugblätter verteilt als auch die Transpis und andere Materialien für die Demo am Samstag vorbereitet. Viele Menschen waren interessiert und haben mitgemacht, darunter auch viele Migrant_innen.

grenzen sind gefängnisse

Am Samstag fand dann eine Demo in Vathy/Samos statt, welche eine Farewell-Parade darstellte, während der Frontex von der Insel verabschiedet wurde.

frontex schiff billig zu verkaufen

vor dem Hotel wo die Frontex mitarebietr rein udn raus gehen

Interessanterweise hatte Frontex davor derartige Angst, da sie morgens ihre Schiffe in einen anderen Hafen fuhren. Während der Demo wurden die Anlegestelle der Küstenwache und von Frontex sowie der Container von Frontex verschönert.

frontex mörder co

Abends fand eine Veranstaltung auf einem zentralen Platz in Vathy/Samos statt, auf welcher über Frontex informiert wurde. Zu Besuch war auch ein Frontexmitarbeiter.

Sonntag abend fand die gleiche Veranstaltung in Karlovassi statt.

illegale menschen gibts nur in dreckige gehirne

austellung der karikaturen von SAID

Wir fanden übrigens auch einige Verkaufs- und Vermietungsschilder, auf denen das Frontexschiff und der Hubschrauber zum Verkauf angeboten wurden.

Die NoBorder-Reise führt weiter nach Lesbos und Athen.

Infos dazu sind unter w2eu.net zu finden.

Beschwerden werden bitte direkt an das Frontex-Büro in Warschau gerichtet:

Rondo ONZ 1, 00-124 Warsaw, Poland, Tel.: (4822) 544 9500.

Auf180 on w2eu tour 2010

2010-07-21T09:37:00.001-07:00

noyjans blog from mitlini to the world

2010-07-21T09:28:00.001-07:00

http://noyjanthirstyforrightandpeace.blogspot.com/

They say: if you want something with all your heart, then the universe will work in every way possible,to help you get it.
today you have given me everything that i wanted.
thank you very much.
i feel like the King of the world.
thank you for making me believe that.
just like in our films in life too: finnaly in the end everything is ok.
happy endings.
and if it is not happy then it is not the end, my friends!
the film is not over yet!

Turkey sets out Dikili as migrants' readmission port

2010-07-08T05:31:00.000-07:00

During last week's meeting of Greek and Turkish officials on irregular migration in Athens,
the Turkish side agreed to set out the port of Dikili, about 15 miles off Lesvos island,
to serve the readmission of irregular migrants in Turkey.
Turkish authorities estimate that the port will start operating
within the present month of July.

(Ethnos, 5 July)

Two more dead immigrants in Evros river

2010-07-08T05:28:00.000-07:00

July 6 2010

Two more immigrants were found dead in the Evros river.

In the first half of 2010, 50 sans papier immigrants,
trying to cross the greek borders from the Evros river, have been found dead.

http://clandestinenglish.wordpress.com/2010/07/08/two-more-immigrants-found-dead-in-the-evros-river/

Survivor Marila regaining forces in Miilini while Man hit by coast guard boat

2010-07-04T22:41:00.000-07:00

the boat of the family father that died yeasterday near the harbour of Mitilini hit by a coast guard boat.In the meantime:
The small afghan baby,only survivor of the accident near the coast of Mitilini that hapened Oktober 2009,is growing and getting slowly over the worst schok from having being nearly drawn in the sea.Her loving parents have managed to make her strong and never will forget the fischerman who jumped himself in the water to save the baby.The fischermann from the small village Sikaminia in Mitilini did what the Waterpolice that hit a privat boot two nights ago with a 42 year old father of 3 children who had gone out in the sea ,like many people do,to fisch calamares.

After the coast guard speed boat hit his and the man was thrown in the sea,nobody jumped in the water to try to help him,look for him .the coastguard truned around the area for around one hour with their huge motors searching for him being themselfes out of danger and then organised a big airplane ,botas helickopter action that lasted hours and the result was to find the dead body of the man who was working in the University of the Agean in Mitilini,dead with

a bad injury in the back of the head from a propela.

it is well known that coast guard and frontex want to be seen as humanright activists but actions like this proove that they are not even able to help when they want to.

the unlycky family father had friends in the coast guard and was for sure not hit on purpose.

"German Asylum Policy and its Deadly Consequences" (1993 bis 2009)

2010-06-15T07:56:00.000-07:00

ANTIRASSISTISCHE INITIATIVE E.V.
Dokumentationsstelle
ari-berlin-dok@gmx.de – www.ari-berlin.org/doku/titel.htm

New release ! 17. Updated edition of the documentation Berlin, 17.3.2010
"German Asylum Policy and its Deadly Consequences" (1993 bis 2009)
The documentation shows in more than 5000 single incidents the consequences of governmental and social racism -
consequences for people who came to the Federal Republic of Germany searching for protection and security, but were
harmed physically as a result of its racist special laws and the racism in German society.
The many cases documented clearly show the level of violence used by governmental agencies, courts, police, medical
personal and others to implement laws concerning refugees, as well as the degree of arbitrariness and disrespect for human
dignity with which refugees are tormented, harassed and often driven to suicide or harming themselves. Blackmail,
harassment and fraud but also clan liability, family separations or the imprisonment of minors are some of the measures used
by the state and its compliant employees to force refugees into “voluntary” departures.
The effects are devastating. Spending years with one’s life being put on hold (forced to live in refugee camps, not
allowed to work, being obliged by law to stay in a certain district), without any prospects for the future and existential fear
result in grave traumatization of the refugees and their families. And when people are simply too sick to be deported and no
decent physician, who would announce them fit to travel, can be found, the authorities hire “fit-to-fly” doctors. In exchange
for a bounty, critically ill patients are cleared for deportation by such medics – in spite of all other expertise saying the
opposite. The borders to malicious injury are crossed in this procedure and people receive injections until they constitute no
more “disturbance”. Other physicians appear at the hospital bed with police at their side and give the order to let patients be
carried away.
Even people who after years finally get their right to residency granted, still do not get a chance to find peace of mind and
develop a perspective for their lives. After no more than three years, the federal office of migration and refugees reviews the
decision in so called rescission procedures and can revoke it. Many people lose their residence status in this process and are
once more threatened with deportation. While between 2003 and 2009 residency (asylum) was granted in only 38.255 cases,
62.385 acknowledged refugees got their status revoked in the same time. Thousands and thousands of people who have their
status revoked in these rescission procedures have to start from “zero” again – not only legally but also psychologically.
The documentation covers the period from 1.1.1993 to 31.12.2009.
175 refugees died on their way to the Federal Republic of Germany or at its borders,
131 of them died at the German Eastern border,
507 refugees suffered injuries crossing the borders, 299 of them at the German Eastern border,
154 refugees killed themselves in the face of their impending deportation or died trying to escape from
deportation, 59 of them while in custody pending deportation,
858 refugees injured themselves out of fear of deportation, in protest against the impending deportation (risk
hunger strikes) or tried to commit suicide, 509 of them in custody pending deportation,
5 refugees died during deportation and
384 refugees were injured by compulsory measures or mistreatment during their deportation,
31 refugees died in their country of origin after their deportation, and
488 refugees were mistreated and tortured by the police or military in their country of origin
or were at the risk of their lives due to severe illnesses,
73 refugees disappeared without a trace after their deportations,
14 refugees died during police assignments independent from deportation
427 were injured by the police or custody staff, 138 of them during arrest,
67 refugees were killed in fires or other attacks on refugee accommodation centres
786 refugees were injured, in part severely,
15 refugees died through racist attacks on the street and 767 people were injured.
Since 1993 at least 378 refugees have died as a result of measures taken by the German Federal Republic –
82 people died through racist attacks and arsons on refugee accommodations.
The documentation contains two books. Both books are available for 18 € plus 3.20 € for shipping & packing.
Book I (1993 – 2002) 10 € for 260 pages – Book II (2003 – 2009) 10 € for 260 pages - plus 1,60 € each for shipping & packing.
The CD-ROM is available for 18 € plus 1.60 € for shipping & handling.
Both books and the CD-ROM are available for 32 € plus 3.20 € for shipping & handling.
The 16th edition currently available online: www.ari-berlin.org/doku/titel.htm

stop deportation of Amanullah from London to Kabul

2010-06-12T02:42:00.000-07:00

Mr. Christoph Von Saldern, Managing Director
Hamburg International Airlines, Falkenbergpark, Paradiesstraße 206b, D-12526 Berlin/Schönefeld
Head Office Fax: 00 4940 5005 0111, E-Mail: contact@hamburg-international.de

Amanullah Muradi Home Office nr. M 1179902 on Tuesday 15^th June 22:00 flight PVT008 London Kabul/Afghanistan.

I am writing to you with regards to Amanullah Muradi, Home Office Reference number M1179902, who is due to be removed on Tuesday 15^th June, on the charter flight from London-Kabul. Amanullah Muradi is a 22 year old Afghani who is in Oakington detention centre awaiting deportation to Afghanistan coming Tuesday.

Amanullah has been told it is safe to return him to Afghanistan. This appears in direct contradiction to the fact that 20,000 additional US troops have been sent there over the last 6 months and the strategy of "clear, hold and build" in contested areas of the Pashtun southern and eastern parts of the country is not working out as planned.
Amanullah fled Afghanistan after his affair with a commander's wife was noticed. She was the commander's third wife and quite young, 18 years. Amanullah was also young (under aged) and naive. In Afghanistan it is a crime to have a sexual affair outside marriage and the consequences can be physical punishment, life imprisonment or death. After the commander found out about the affair, he killed his wife and started to hunt down Amanullah. The commander was and still is powerful and he will kill Amanullah.

Afghanistan second weakest state in the world
According to Washington-based Brookings Institution and the Centre for Global Development, Afghanistan is rated the second weakest state in the world, lacking the capacity to establish and maintain political institutions, secure their population from violent conflict, control their territories and meet the basic needs of their population (see below for details).

Amnesty International 2009 human rights report on Afghanistan.
Many regional officials and militia commanders continued to perpetrate human rights violations with impunity.

Death penalty: retentionist, Life expectancy: 42.9 years

Millions of people living in southern and eastern Afghanistan, terrorized by the Taliban, other insurgent groups and local militias ostensibly allied with the government, suffered insecurity that further restricted their already limited access to food, health care, and schooling. Indiscriminate attacks, abductions and the targeting of civilians reached unprecedented levels. The Taliban and other anti-government groups significantly expanded their attacks to cover more than a third of the country, including areas once considered relatively safe in the centre and the north. Increased military attacks between anti-government groups and US and NATO troops resulted in more than 2,000 civilian deaths. The government failed to maintain the rule of law or to provide basic services to millions of people even in areas under its control.

Justice system
Judicial and security sectors lacked the personnel, infrastructure, and political will to protect and promote human rights.
Impunity
Even in areas of the country under government control, impunity prevailed at all levels of administration. No effective accountability mechanism had been established and only a handful of those responsible for serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law during three decades of conflict have been brought to justice, mostly in other states under the principle of universal jurisdiction. Many regional officials and militia commanders continued to perpetrate human rights violations with impunity.

I am deeply shocked that a reputable airline would carry passengers against their will in the manner that you have done in the past and I urge you not to carry out any more of these flights, please cancel the flight for Tuesday 15^th of June. ‘Ethnic charter flights’ are seriously harming the reputation of Hamburg International Airlines.

The Home Office is disputing Amanullah's history, they simply refuse to believe a younger guy could have a sexual affair. When Amanullah arrived in the UK it was accepted he was under aged, but his rights as a 16 year old were completely denied. It is totally unacceptable to deport him to Afghanistan where he has no family, since his whole family had to flee to Iran. He has nowhere to go to, no money and a commander who will hunt him down. To send Amanullah back to Afghanistan could be a death sentence. His life will be in serious danger, if he is returned.
Amanullah arrived in the UK in 2003 and has many friends. He has lived in the UK for 7.5 years under limited conditions, but he managed to attend English classes, and is an active member of the community. Many people are writing to his MP in support of him. His solicitor is organising a Judicial Review. We demand that Amanullah is allowed to stay until his case is properly reviewed.

Yours Sincerely,

Name: Address: City: Postcode:

Country: Email:

Rt Hon Theresa May MP

House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA
Tel: 020 7219 5206
Fax: 020 7219 1145

Dear Home Secretary,

I am writing to you with regards to Amanullah Muradi Home Office Reference number M1179902, who is due to be removed on Tuesday 15^st June, on the charter flight from London-Kabul. Amanullah is a 22 year old Afghani from Hazara ethnicity who is in the Oakington detention centre awaiting deportation to Afghanistan coming Tuesday.

Amanullah and his family suffered a lot because of their Hazara ethnicity and Shia faith, especially by the Taliban. Two brother's of Amanullah were killed by a road side bomb in Kandahar, this was just after the West declared war on the Taliban in 2001. Amanullah was pushed by his father to revenge his brother's deaths. A thing Amanullah did not want to do.

Amanullah fled Afghanistan in October 2002 after his affair with a commander's wife was noticed. She was the commander's third wife and quite young, 18 years. Amanullah was also young (under aged) and naive. In Afghanistan it is a crime to have a sexual affair outside marriage and the consequences can be physical punishment, life imprisonment or death. After the commander found out about the affair, he killed his wife and started to hunt down Amanullah.

The Home Office is disputing Amanullah's history, they simply refuse to believe a younger guy could have a sexual affair. When Amanullah arrived and claimed asylum in the UK in 2003 it was accepted he was under aged, but his rights as a 16 year old were denied.

He has lived in the UK for 7.5 years under limited conditions, but he managed to attend English classes, he has made many friends and is an active member of the community. Amanullah's life will be in danger when send back to Afghanistan, also he his whole family had to flee Afghanistan and he has literally nowhere to go.

His solicitor is organising a Judicial Review. We ask that Amanullah is given the opportunity to stay until his case is properly reviewed.

Yours sincerely,

Name:

Address:

City: Postcode: Country:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Karawane Festival in Jena Germany. Fight for Freedom of Movement!

2010-06-09T03:13:00.000-07:00

Break isolation! Residenzpflicht abschaffen! Fight for Freedom of Movement!

konzert of holger burner and irie revoltes

the names of the people who died trying to cross the european borders are caried through the town

a symbolik march in memory of all the unknown deads in the european borders

the opening ceremony in memory of the deads at the european borders
migrants reading with big interest the stories from the noborder camp in Lesvos 09
the welcoming info point in Jena
migrants from the neighborhud of Jena visit the Excibition at the Theater platz.
Saids excibition CLANDESTIN,about the troubles migrants who try to enter europe meet.
------------------------------------

Jena: Karawane People Are Fighters!

------------------------------------------------------
from:http://antifavelbert.wordpress.com/2010/06/07/jena-karawane-people-are-fighters/

Gestern endete mit einer großen Tanzparade das Jena-er „Karawane Festival für die Toten der Festung Europa“... Seit Freitag wurde die Innenstadt der Thüringer Studentenstadt durch politische Aktivisten, entrechtete Einwanderer und sich solidarisch zeigender, interessierte Mitbürger bevölkert. Mit einer Gedenkdemonstration am Freitag Mittag startete das Festival in seine „heiße Phase“ – bei den Temperaturen von 30 Grad im Schatten symbolisch als auch wörtlich gemeint. An dieser Gedenkdemonstration, die vom Pulverturm zum Theaterhaus über den Holzmarkt führte und bei der am Theater ein Monument zur Erinnerung an die Opfer der Festung Europa errrichtet wurde, nahmen bereits an die 500 Menschen teil, die nahezu schweigend bei sphärischen Klängen an all die Tausenden Menschen gedachten, die dank rassistischer Sondergesetze, EU-Repression und faschistischer Gewalt den Tod fanden. Weltmusikkünstler aus verschiedensten afrikanischen Staaten, Klezmer-Musiker, politische Hiphopper und Reggae-Musiker die sich in deutschen Flüchtlingsheimen zusammenfanden, spielten auf den diversen Bühnen und umrahmten politische Diskussionsrunden, Theaterstücke und Infostände. An DIY-Tischen wurde dazu animiert, sich gegen Spende Fair Traide-T-Shirts, -Stofftaschen oder andere Textilien zu bedrucken, sich seine eigenen Andenken sprayen oder Buttons pressen zu lassen. Jeder Cent, jeder Schein eine Spende für die Karawane. Ein Festival wie dieses wird ein Schweinegeld gekostet haben, also hoffen wir, daß möglichst viele Besucher sich solidarisch zeigten und ihr Geld lieber in tolle Projekte wie die Karawane als an die gleichzeitig stattfindende Kirmes investiert haben. Am Samstag fand mit der Maskenparade, deren wichtigster Teil 2 afrikanische originale Totenmasken – eine uralte Tradition zur Ehrung der Verstorbenen – die Demonstration anführte. Bei bestem Wetter und begleitet von zahlreichen Transparenten und Parolen, die die Abschaffung der Residenzpflicht, das dauerhafte Bleiberecht für alle Menschen, die Schließung sämtlicher Lager forderten oder einfach rassistisches Verhalten des Staates anprangerten, nahmen hier an die 1500 bis 2000 Menschen teil. Im Permanentkino an der Uni sowie am Theaterplatz wurden fortwährend politische Doku-Filme gezeigt, verschiedenste Gruppen präsentierten Theaterstücke, so z.B. ein non-verbales Stück der Gruppe „Break the Silence – Oury Jalloh“ oder zur EU-Grenzproblematik. Seinen Höhepunkt erreichte das Festival am Samstag Abend als zuerst Holger Burner (Polit-Rap) sowie Irie Revoltes (Reggae-Ska-Dancehall aus Heidelberg), welche am Pulverturm vor sicherlich 2000 Zuschauern auftraten. Doch mit dem Besuch von Konzerten und dem dortigen Parolengerufe ist es noch lange nicht getan. Erst wenn wir das, was wir rufen, auch im Alltag leben, wenn wir uns für bedingungslose Solidarität einsetzen, können wir die Ketten, die uns fesseln, durchbrechen.

Everywhere you go, you can hear them sing:
Karawane people they are fighters!

Lesvos Solidarity Network-

2010-04-28T01:39:00.000-07:00

Solidarity Message

The world is a dangerous place,
not because of those who do evil,
but because of those who look on and do nothing
(Albert Einstein)

Living on the border line, we daily witness the state’s repression. Fortress Europe is organized -on the consensus of the Greek governments- facing the victims of its actions as a threat. Refugees are either the victims of the conflicts left behind by the colonialization, or the victims of the neocolonial politics of the West World. Once arriving here, refugees have to face the repression on the borders living behind thousands of deaths, detention centers, unexisting asylum systems and massive deportations. Samos’ island recent example, clearly demonstrates the policies chosen by the European governments. In these detention centers people are categorized in “deportables” and “not deportables” by FRONTEX. Afterwards they are transferred at the detention centers in the Greek-Turkish borders, in the region of Evros, where we lose any contact with them. The emotional statements such as “Dante’s Inferno” (Vice Minister’s statement after visiting Pagani’s detention center, Lesvos island, October 2009) are meaningless when followed by repression and exclusion policies.
In this context of “economic recession”, we watch with terror the European governments trying to preserve the neoliberal model by any means. We witness with terror the strengthening of organized racism and its facist branches as an alternative to the neoliberal globalization. We have already experienced this solution in the past. We react now. We either exclude racism now, or we’ll confront with it in the future. It’s a matter that concerns all of us.

The victims of the neoliberal capitalism won’t pay its crisis.

We express our dynamic presence against social injustice.
Abolish FRONTEX and the Dublin II Regulation.
We will fight against any effort of enforcement of repression.

Lesvos Solidarity Network
April 2010

Welcome to Europe Network in April 2010

2010-04-26T09:34:00.000-07:00

NO BORDER LASTS FOREVER!

5 years Frontex – 5 Years Ceuta Melilla

5 years ago in May 2005, Frontex, the European border agency, started its work with a few pilot projects. Today, Frontex is permanently involved in militarized sea- and land-operations against refugees and migrants on the European border as well as in the coordination of charter-deportations. Frontex is the driving force on different levels intensifying the repressive system of migration-control even beyond EU-borders. In their mission, to combat so-called illegal migration, Frontex is willing to accept the death of thousands of refugees in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean. Thus Frontex represents one of the main counterparts in our struggle for freedom of movement.

5 years ago in October 2005 migrants and refugees have been shot to death on their way to Europe – trying to overcome the fences of the Spanish exclaves in Ceuta and Melilla. The collective storm with self-made ladders against Fortress Europe was met by the use of rubber and even live bullets of the Spanish and Moroccan border guards. Thus Ceuta and Melilla visualize and symbolize the brutality of the European border regime against flight and migration.

Undermining the European Border regime! No one is illegal!

Inside and outside Europe, refugees and migrants move from one country to another one, looking for a better future and a secure life, refusing the forced order of capitalist exploitation and modern apartheid. Movements of flight and migration challenge the system of global injustice and undermine its racist hierarchies and differentials.

Regulation of migration and the systematic denial of rights go against the demand for equality, justice and freedom. All human beings have the right to decide on their own where and how they want to live, regardless of their origins or their identities.

WELCOME TO EUROPE!

We are calling to oppose and to resist all forms of migration control.

We are calling for support on entry and access.

We are calling for help in the continuation of migrants' journeys into and through Europe.

We are calling for provision of work and to support migrant workers' struggles.

We are calling for the supply of identity papers, medical care, education and training, of accommodation.

Because no one is illegal.

Reclaiming global social rights for everybody the Welcome-to-Europe-Network supports the daily struggles of migrants and refugees against the European border regime on their way to and through Europe. (see www.w2eu.info)

5 years later we call and mobilize for a summer of events, visualizing the close link between the Frontex operations of today and the death on the EU borders, symbolized in the dying at the fences of Ceuta and Melilla.

5 years later we call to interconnect a series of actions. We begin in may in Warsaw, where the Frontex headquarters are located and an „European day of Boarder Guards“ will be officially celebrated and we finish the chain of actions in October in Melilla in remembrance of the 5th anniversary of the border-killings from 2005:

-- Join the conference and protest in Warsaw on the 23rd and 24th of May, when Frontex cynically celebrates its 5th anniversary with amongst others an exhibition “Surveillance Technology for Border Control”, see more soon at www.noborder.org

-- Join the week of actions against the deportation machinery from 1st to 6th of June, a week of decentralized protests against charter deportations and Frontex, see http://stopdeportation.net/node/41

-- Join the Caravan-Festival in Jena from 4th to 6th of June: „Unite against colonial injustice in memory of the dead victims of Fortress Europe“, see www.karawane-festival.org

-- Join the European Social Forum in Istanbul from 1st to 4th of July with workshops and protests against Frontex and the externalisation of the EU-border regime, see more soon at www.noborder.org

-- Join the swarming noborder activities in Greece from 25th of August until 12th of September 2010, where the biggest sea-operation of Frontex is announced and also their involvement in new screening-centers and in coordinating charter deportations on the islands of Lesvos and Samos, see http://lesvos09.antira.info

-- Join the nobordercamp in Brussels from 24h of September to 3rd of October with actions against the EU-migration-regime in the decision-making-center of EU, see http://nobordersbxl.noblogs.org

-- Join the remembrance in Melilla in the days before the 7th of October in Melilla, with a conference in Oujda, see more soon at www.noborder.org

Welcome to Europe Network in April 2010

WARNING TO TRAVELLERS STRANDED IN CALAIS

2010-04-25T08:53:00.001-07:00

WARNING TO TRAVELLERS STRANDED IN CALAIS

As you are undoubtably aware, safety concerns surrounding the ash plume
from the Icelandic volcano has led to an extenstive disruption to
European flight services.

Large numbers of travellers are currently stranded in Calais desiring to
cross the channel by both ferry and eurotunnel. This, of course, has
been widely reported. However, what is little known, is the response of
the French government, Calais administration, and police to the
situation. Reports have been made of increasing police harrassment of
travellers who have become stranded in Calais.

- If you are unable to provide your ID upon request this may lead to
temporary detention whilst your identity is ascertained. (Do not
leave your passport in your hotel room)

- If you have been unable to find accomodation, be careful camping
around Calais. People who have pitched tents in the dunes and on the
beach have been repeatedly harrassed. In some cases, their tents,
sleeping bags and other property have been taken and/or destroyed and
their drinking water poured into the sand. There have also been
reports of violent behaviour during these police operations. (We
suggest you find as secret a place to camp as possible)

- Police are currently undertaking regular patrols of parks, beaches,
dunes, disused car parks, and the town centre looking for people who
are camping or are parked.

- Three young students who allowed a lone scared & stranded woman to
sleep with them in their van overnight were arrested by police. They
were held for fourteen hours in solitary confinement before being
released without charge.

- As many travellers are on a shoestring budget and have been
unexpectedly stranded, local charities have begun to distribute food
twice a day. However, some travellers have reported that police
presence leads them to fear attending the food distribution point.

This leaflet was produced to draw attention to the current situation in
Calais and the extreme response by the police and government agencies.

--------------

Footballgame from minor refugees in ANOGIA Crete

2010-04-21T05:03:00.000-07:00

they build walls-we build bridges of solidarity.

the footbal team MIKTIKOSMOU (mixedworld) ahd an impressive presence last sunday in Anogia.
the footbal game was played to honour the refugees in the detention center of SAMOS being in hungestrike.

ΓΛΥΚΙΑ ΗΤΤΑ ΣΤΑ ΑΝΩΓΕΙΑ

ΜΕΓΑΛΕΙΩΔΗΣ ΕΜΦΑΝΙΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΜΙΚΤΗΣ ΚΟΣΜΟΥ

Μεγαλειώδη εμφάνιση πραγματοποίησε η ομάδα μας MIKTIKOSMOU την περασμένη Κυριακή στα Ανώγεια. Κόντρα στη δυναμική, ταχύτατη, νεανική ομάδα των ασυνόδευτων παιδιών, ανήλικων προσφύγων από το Αφγανιστάν, κόντρα στο υψόμετρο που επέδρασε καθοριστικά στις κινήσεις των παικτών μας και στον καυτό ήλιο, η ομάδα κατάφερε να ηττηθεί με το τιμητικό 4–2 που δίνει δυνατότητες πρόκρισης στον επαναληπτικό αγώνα και υποσχέσεις για το μέλλον.

Σε κάθε περίπτωση κερδίσαμε σε αγάπη και εκτίμηση και μας δόθηκε η ευκαιρία να εκφράσουμε ανάλογα αισθήματα.

Η ΥΠΟΔΟΧΗ ΚΑΙ Η ΦΙΛΟΞΕΝΙΑ των παιδιών και των εργαζόμενων στον ξενώνα, ΥΠΕΡΟΧΗ. Η συνάντησή μας μετά την απονομή, ΔΥΝΑΤΗ και ΕΓΚΑΡΔΙΑ. Τα τραγούδια και οι χοροί δώσαν και πήραν.

Το ραντεβού που κλείστηκε για την παρουσία των παιδιών στο Φεστιβάλ, ΣΗΜΑΝΤΙΚΟ.

Ο ποδοσφαιρικός αγώνας αφιερώνεται στους απεργούς πείνας

του κέντρου κράτησης μεταναστών της Σάμου

ΧΩΡΑ ΜΟΥ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΟΛΟΣ Ο ΚΟΣΜΟΣ, ΛΑΟΣ ΜΟΥ ΤΟ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΙΝΟ ΕΙΔΟΣ

www.stekichania.gr

2010-04-20T03:04:00.000-07:00

Le quotidien des sans-papiers

Témoignage d’une personne déportée en charter par Frontex

mis en ligne lundi 19 avril 2010 par jesusparis

http://www.hns-info.net/spip.php?article22965

J’ai eu le choc de ma vie quand on a commencé notre voyage de Tinsley à l’aéroport. Nous sommes restés dans le bus de 11h jusqu’à 18h sans pouvoir en sortir. Quand on était dans le bus, on ne pouvait pas bouger ou se mettre debout parce que chaque détenu était escorté de deux gardes. Mais les gardes eux-mêmes changeaient toutes les 30 min alors que nous, détenus, étions comme des poissons dans un bocal. Mes jambes étaient grosses et lourdes comme je ne les avais jamais vues. Chaque heure était un combat pour nous. J’ai commencé à me sentir de plus en plus faible, mon sang ne circulait plus. On n’était pas préparés à ce vol. Partout où je regardais, je voyais une punition mais sans crime.

Il y avait beaucoup de femmes qui étaient tristes et des enfants en bas âges avec elles. Les enfants pleuraient très fort en voyant comme leur parents étaient traités. Il y avait beaucoup de nouveau-nés et des mineurs sans leurs parents sur ce vol, leurs visages étaient tristes. Nous avons décollé de l’aéroport, ce n’était pas celui de Gatwick. Nous avons atterri à Dublin où d’autres gens nous ont rejoints. Les détenus à Dublin arrivaient dans des fourgons pénitenciers et étaient menottés. Beaucoup avait été battus avant d’être montés dans l’avion. Même en Grande Bretagne, un mineur avaient violemment frappés quand il avait crié : « J’ai quitté le Nigéria à trois ans, je n’ai plus personne là-bas ». Un garde est venu et lui a dit de se taire et de se calmer. Les hurlements se sont faits plus forts à mesure que les coups étaient plus violents. J’ai entendu un hurlement ; c’étaient des pleurs. Et puis l’équipe médicale s’est occupée du gars.

Nous sommes partis de Dublin pour l’Espagne, et là ça a été le pire de tout : les femmes comme les hommes étaient menottées et leurs jambes entravées. Les deux gardes se sont aperçus que mes jambes étaient grosses. Le garde qui était à ma gauche m’a demandé si j’avais un problème aux jambes. J’ai répondu que j’avais des varices. Immédiatement, les gardes ont appelé l’équipe médicale qui m’ont que je n’avais rien à faire sur ce vol. Le garde leur a demandé ce qu’il fallait faire. Ils ont dit qu’il fallait que je marche ou que j’ai une place où je pourrais mettre mes jambes en hauteur. Je pouvais à peine soulever mes jambes. Ça me faisait mal et me rendait malade. À chaque fois que je repense à la manière dont on nous a traité, ça m’écœure.

On ne m’a pas donné mon dossier médical alors que je l’ai réclamé plein de fois. Encore aujourd’hui j’ai des douleurs. Nous étions effrayés dans l’avion. J’étais effrayé par le nombre de personnes qui ne voulaient pas retourner dans leur pays. J’ai eu des attaques de panique quand j’ai vu comment les gardes frappaient les gens qui résistaient. Même à l’aéroport, beaucoup de gens ont été violentés et en Espagne, la police insultait les gens et les frappait. Quand je suis allé au toilettes, j’ai vu que les détenus qui venaient d’Espagne étaient menottés. Quand j’ai demandé aux flics pourquoi, ils ont essayé de me frapper. La police anglaise les a arrêté à cause de mon état.

Il y avait beaucoup d’enfants qui pleuraient du fait des coups et des hurlements dans l’avion. Toutes ces choses auxquelles je ne m’attendais pas m’ont rappelé ma dernière expérience de torture. Beaucoup de ceux qui venaient de Grande Bretagne criaient qu’ils avaient encore des procédures judiciaires en cours et que leurs femmes et enfants étaient en Grande Bretagne. Beaucoup parlaient aussi de leurs biens.

À ma grande surprise nous n’avons pas atterri dans un aéroport normal mais sur un terrain appelé NACO AIRPORT (aéroport pour les cargos). Et avant que nous ne descendions de l’avion, tous les bagages avaient été balancés sur le terrain sans sécurité et plusieurs bagages avaient disparu.

Announcement from Group for the Human Rights-Solidarity to Refugees Samos

2010-04-15T00:44:00.000-07:00

Announcement

On Monday, 12 of April the refuges detained in Samos Detention Center came on a hunger strike in which participate the great majority (126 hunger strikers in 150 detainees). The reason was the two massive transportations happened in 21 of March and 9 of April (60 refugees transferred in the northen greek borders each time). They react because they afraid that they will be the next that gone be transferred in the northen greek borders in order to be deported, despite the fact that the massive deportations are illegal and consist clear violation of human rights.

The most of them are palaistinians and they gave us a text in which they announce that it’s better for them to commit suicide than be deported. They pretend on their right to be released with formal papers and tickets and not go through any kind of violence. According their denounce, they have been violated to sign papers in an unknown language without any translator. Also, no one have inform them about their rights. Furthermore, the police change their nationalities in order to deport them, and because they cannot proof their nationalities and their problems, so there is no any concrete asylum procedure because in reality.

They also denounce us that on Tuesday, 13 of April in the morning there happened a violent incident. The police-guards bit a refugee and then they send him in the Samos’ hospital.

The Group for the Human Rights- Solidarity to Refugees tried from the beginning to go near the refugees, to discuss their problems and to hear their demands. On Tuesday, 13 of April ten members of our group went in the detention center so to have a contact with the refugees. Suddenly the police commander denied our entrance because “there is no need any more” according their words. We stayed outside the cump trying to communicate with the refugees from outside the fence. The police terrorized us trying to keep us away. The police accused us that the revolt is our blame and they asked our identities.

We are sure that both the increased deportations and the denial of the access to the group is the result of the taught migration policy and of the permanent and improved role of FRONTEX on the island. We know that FRONTEX works 24 hours per day in the airport.

….

Solidarity to the refugees’ struggle. We demand the acceptance of their demands. Deport FRONTEX!

14 April 2010

Group for the Human Rights-Solidarity to Refugees

Samos

requests by 126 refugees in Samos-14 frontex agents in the detention center!

2010-04-14T02:54:00.000-07:00

The requests are signed by 126 refugees, most of them palestinians. They are on a hunger strike since yesterday, monday. There are 150-200 prisoners in total. They have raised 3 big signs. FREEDOM! WE ARE NOT ANIMALS, and the third one something like: we came here to seek for protection, we are not criminals, why are we in jail? Why are there any borders?

There have been two group deportations, and the detainees claim that they will commit suicide because they know that they will be the next group to deport.

In the afternoon in the camp there were 14 frontex agents!

This morning a guy who refused to enter the restaurant and eat because he is on a hunger strike was bit by a cop until he fainted. At first they moved him to the hospital but after a few hours they took him at the police station so that no one can contact him or take any pictures of his wounds.

hunderds in hungerstrike in Samos detention center

2010-04-13T06:42:00.000-07:00

last night hundreds of migrants started hunger strike at samos detention center.

Their banners write "freedom! and "we are not animals".

They accuse frontex officials for changing their nationalities to proceed in deportations.

postcards from lesvos to print and distribute

2010-04-12T00:48:00.001-07:00

Forgot to buy postcards from Lesvos last summer? Some of the images you see in the postcards might look familiar, others where taken a long time a go but on the same spots, at a alike stituation… . Please feel free to print and distribute them in your town, if you like so.

http://lesvos09.antira.info/2010/04/06/souvenir-from-lesvos-2/#more-1542

do refugees have to die to be respected in Greece?

2010-04-11T02:20:00.000-07:00

last goodby for 15 year old afghan Hamidula Natjafi

the 15 years old Hamidula, killed in the center of athens, from a bomb that exploded in his hands, while he and his mother and junger sister where looking in garbage bags, for food rests, was given the last goodbye, from the afghan community in athens and friends.

Hamidulas father requests that the murder of Hamidula are punished , says that it could have been any child taking in his hands this clock-bomb.

The body of the young boy will be transported to Afghanistan on the expences of the greek goverment.The ministery of health has opened a bank account and the money will be used to make an ngo in the name of Hamidula for , like the father said:
children being afected from blind brutality.
also the operations of the 11 year old sister who got badly injured in the eyes and needs many operations to be able to see again, has to be paid.

the vice minister of inner afairs Vougias, was also present and promised the family the solidarity of the goverment.
there was even a possibility that the political asylum of the remaining familiy will be aceepted.
the church has anouced to give shelter and take over the acomodation and food for the family.

http://www.tanea.gr/default.asp?pid=2&ct=1&artId=4568972

all this news are from an artikel in the greek daily newspaper NEA.

sounds of course good when finnaly the greek authorities take over
a responsability for refugees.

my only big question is:
why do migrants have to die to be finnaly seen in greece and respected?

we wish that refugees alive are respected and can finnaly live in peace and freedom of moovement.

but as long as the european borders are closed and military protected
and as long as european goverments see refugees as a danger,
only dead refugees will have a chance for respect.

http://www.archive.org/details/NoBorderBrussels

2010-04-07T08:07:00.000-07:00

Débat « Migrations » journee nationale du Forum Sociale de Belgique

2010-04-06T03:48:00.000-07:00

Débat « Migrations » journee nationale du Forum Sociale de Belgique

SAMEDI 17 avril a 12h30

VUB

salle "Nelson Mandela" bâtiment Q, entrée 13

La journée national du FSB cherche a interpeller la présidence européenne qui sera tenue par la Belgique, on pense que il est nécessaire pour cadrer les enjeux européen des politiques migratoires, de parler, de celles qui servent a construire une « Europe Forteresse » avec des dispositives telles que ; l’agence de surveillance des frontières FRONTEX, la directive Européenne RETOUR (plus connus sur le noms de « directive de la Honte »), l’Externalisation des CAMPS (vers le Maroc, la Libye , etc.), le délit de solidarité, entre autres…

Au delà des réflexions politiques de fond il est nécessaire de proposer des alternatives d’engagements concrètes aux publics présents lors de ce débat, en particulier celle des acteurs de terrains et des groupes citoyens, pour en arriver, tant les personnes invites à prendre la parole que les informations diffusé (flayers, revue d’info, etc.) Aurons comme rôle de réveiller l’implication du publique a ces questions.

Prise de parole lors du débat

Modération du débat

Mathieu Bietlot, membre la commission socio/politique de Bruxelles Laïque et auteur du livre « Horizon fermé » Migrations, démocratie ou barbelés

Cadre juridique et politique

Souhail Chicha, chercheur en théorie du capital, chercheur en économie de la discrimination. Ecole du commerce de SOLVAY

Des acteurs de terrain

Sylvie Copyans, porte parole de l’association SALAM, elle viendra nous parler du travail au quotidien dans la « jungle » de Calais et sur les poursuites juridiques pour le « Délit de solidarité »

Porte parole du CSP59 de Lille. Collectif engage depuis plus de 20 ans dans les luttes en politiques migratoires et acteurs de terrain d’une grande valeur.

Amel Wasfy. Témoignage sur son emprisonnement au centre ferme 127bis de Steenockerzeel alors qu’elle étais en ceinte de 5 mois…

Oscar Flores, coordinateur de la CRER

pour le groupe « Migrations » du Forum Sociale Belge FSB

Infos ; 0474 0885 35

CRER / Tel : 0474 08 85 35

Info : http://regularisation.canalblog.com/

Soutien au N° Triodos : 523 - 0801898 - 74

Afghan refugees in Greece on the Patissia bomb explosion. από clandestinenglish 1 .4. 2010

2010-04-05T13:41:00.000-07:00

1149943

From Pagani in Mitilini

in September 2009 to Athens and no further

Wednesday 31, at 8:00 pm circa 200 Afghan refugees made a silent and peaceful protest in front of the Greek Parliament in Syntagma Square, lighting candles and honouring the 15 year old Afghan refugee’s memory (traditionally) on the third night after his tragic death . This is a translation of the text calling to the protest. The original text has been posted at http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=1149594. As athens indymedia users have reported this critical text was not reported by mass media and mass circulation newspapers.More on the case of the victims of the Patissia bomb explosion: http://libcom.org/news/boy-dies-athens-mystery-bomb-30032010, http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=1149778.

Call for a peaceful and silent protest
We choose a silent protest, not because we are not hurt by the unjust and tragic loss of our innocent fellow Afghan, who perished just as bad as he might have perished in Afghanistan, if he had not fled the country with his family. If we choose a silent protest, its not beacuse we are not not angry with the state of refugees in Europe in general and especially in Greece. Its not as if we are not angry with the mediaval conditions at concentration camps of refugees and immigrants, which entrap our children and our families; its not as if we are not angry with the daily opppressive treatment in the street, in squares, in our homes, in government services for foreigners, for all of which our only crime is that we are refugees.
We choose a silent protest because we respect our fellow man who died, and we protest against the conditions he lived under with his family as refugees. We respect his family, especially his mother, a woman who experiences the shock of the tragic loss of her son and probably the loss of her daughter’s sight. And finally, we respect the Holy Week and Easter holiday period of our fellow citizens in the country that “hosts” us. All those that the corporate media and the government institutions did not observe by ridiculing all human dignity and by encroaching and violating fundamental human and refugee rights respectively.
Najafi family with the tragic loss of their 15 year-old son and the loss of her 11 year old daughter’s sight in the bomb explosion of March 28 in Patissia adds to the long list of victims of the Greek-European inhuman and repressive policy towards economic and political refugees . There is no doubt that the young Afghan refugee Chamintoulach killed in the bomb explosion at Patissia and his little sister who is in danger of losing her sight were subjected to these due to the lack of the asylum system in the country. And, we believe that there are political responsibilities, and we urge the Government to assume them to prevent such tragedies of innocent people of happening again.
We wonder, how comes that suddenly now all the ministries are show their “interest” for the family, offering gifts and promotions in false (?) promises? Or maybe the government is trying in this way to disguise their zero policy, which is implemented in the daily sweep operations, expulsions, hellish torture and detention of refugees and immigrants everywhere? We also wonder how comes that suddenly for all the media yesterday’s “illegal immigrants [lathrometanastes=clandestine immigrants]” are now “refugees”?
We are refugees of a war that has been exported against us and we demand all the rights we are entitled to in accordance with international treaties on refugees. Those rights are: asylum for all refugees, protection of our lives, shelter for families and for unaccompanied minors, medical care for all etc.
We also demand:
that the government stops playing the philanthroper and assumes its obligations towards refugees and immigrants.
that particualr media stop distrurbing the troubled and shocked family in the hospital and respect their situation.
March 31, 2010, Athens

Deported in a Frontex-Charter. A migrant story.

2010-04-05T01:07:00.000-07:00

A migrant story.

PBBB was in the UK for more than one year detained. He spent around 6 months in prison and six months in detention centres in the UK, in Brook and Tinsgley House detention centres at Gatwick. PBBB was arrested when he was at Heathrow on his way to take a plane to be reunited with his family in Canada. His wife and his two children (one of them PBBB has not yet know) have been granted leave to remain in Canada until in the next 2/3 years their case will be review again.

PBBB had been shot on his legs several times. His business partner killed and his uncle shot and killed too. He was suffering terrible problems for one of this shots and one of his legs was painful and start having terrible physical problems because of this. PBBB stated that at no time, he was seen by a specialized the time he was detained. After losing his case, he had enough. He was saying that it was better for him to come back to Nigeria to a country where he could be shot rather than staying in a detention centre. He felt that G4S were treating him very badly and he kept saying that G4S and detention centres in the UK were breaching human rights in every corner of the detention centres he had been (see article in the Independent on the 04/02/2010). He signed the voluntary return papers and after long waiting, he got his removal flight reference for the 03/02/2010. Even when he was a voluntary return passenger, he was given removal directions with a Frontex Charter Flight that was going to deport back individuals who unlike PBBB did not want to be taken back to Nigeria. A Frontex Charter Flight that went from London, to Dublin and then apparently to Spain too.

This is the story of PBBB. He has kept in touch with friends in the UK and he agreed to write his part of the story of being in a Frontex Charter Flight.

A true story of a charter flight by PBBB

PEOPLE WERE DRAG LIKE A DEAD PERSON.
I had the shock of my life when we started our journey from Tinsely House to Airport. We were in the bus from 11am to 6pm without coming out from the bus. When we were in the bus, we could not move to the right or stand for that 7 hours because every detainees was escort with two security men. All the sit was too tide but those securities keep on having brake every 30 mins by exchanging themselves with other free securities, why we detainees were sitting like fish in the box. My legs were big and heavy like never before. Every hour was a struggle hour for us, as hour went when by. I was getting weak and weaker when my could not circulate any more. When happen to us on charter flight that we weren’t prepared for. Everywhere I looked, there was punishment without crime.

There were many sad women and many of children in their baby carriages. Children were crying bitterly because of how there are parents were treated. Many women with newborn baby, and many under ages were on this charter flight without their parents, sadness on their faces. We took off from other airport but not Gatwick airport. We landed in Dublin succefully. There, many joined our charter flight. The detainees in Dublin were brought into Airport with the prison vans and also with handcuffs on there hands. Many have been beating seriously before brought into the plane. Even in uk, one of under age was beating bitterly when the boy shouted his massage across to then by saying; I left Nigeria at age of 3yrs old and I did not have any relative in Nigeria anymore. Next security to him said; there’s no need to shout so calm down. Suddenly, the shout went up from the crowd when the beating was too much. I heard a shout; it was a loud crying, after the beating medical staff attended to the boy.

We took off from Dublin to Spain, there in Spain was the most worst part of it, where both female and male were round up with handcuffs on both legs and hands. The two securities beside me realize that my both legs were piping hot. The security man on my left hand asked me if I have problem with my legs and I told them that I had dead veins on both legs. Immediately, the security called the attention of medical staff. The medical staff said; actually is not suppose to be on this charter flight back to his country. The security man asked again that what could we do now. Medical staff reply; that I should be allowed to being working around or find a place for me to level my legs. Up till date, I could barely carry my legs. This has caused suffering and upset for me. Every time I remember how we detainees were treated on that charter flight, a haunting emptiness descends over my heart. My medical report was not giving to me, even when I asked them time without numbers before days to our charter flight. All hospitals that I had attended wanted to see my medical records, which I did not have. Right now I live with pains.We were frightened on the plane, I was frightened by large of number of people whom does not willing to go back to their counties. My experienced on that flight gave me panic attacks when some securities started beating whoever tries to un-struck their plans. Even, from the airport many people were abused and also at Spain many detainees were insulted, roughly words were spoke on detainees by there polices and also beating. When I was coming from toilet I saw many detainees, I mean those detainees that joined us in Spain with handcuffs. Tried to ask those police the reason why all these detainees were like this, those polices were trying to beating me when UK police stopped them because of my condition. There are many uncontrolled crying among the children because of the beating and shouting on the plane. All these unexpected attitude reminds me my last torture experienced. From UK many were shouting that they have court pending and others were saying they have wives and children here in UK. While many were saying what about my properties. To my surprised we did not land at any of normal Nigerian airport, the plane landed on one open field called NACO AIRPORT (Cargo Airport) and before we came out of the plane all our luggage’s has been putting on this open field without any security, while many people’s luggage has been missing.

Igoumenitsa-Komenitsa police attacks

2010-03-21T12:18:00.001-07:00

the last days new police attacks against refugees happend in Igoumenitsa /Greece.

on wednsaday a migrant has been beaten bei police in the harbour of Igoumenitsa
see pictures
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=1146452

last wendsday another migrant was on a ferry coming from Italy and was beaten on the boat from security people and italian police.
in the hospital of FILIATA the doctors found out that he has injuries inside his body from the hitting and also concetration of fluids in his abdomen because of the injuries.

15 days ago ,two migrants on the way to the medical center of Igoumenitsa got stopped brutaly by policemen who told them:
there is no medical center for you!

and the police continues to destroy the jungle in Ladoxori ,
like on the 4.3.
living behind them 6 wounded migrants.

the situation in Igoumenitsa is out of control.
the policemen show openly their racist brutality.
but now there are not only the lokals looking at them but also solidar people from around greece.

nothing will remain without an answer from now on!
the demonstration on the 2.3 was only a begining.

we are on the side of the migrants!
deportation for police and nazis!

ANNOUNCEMENT BY 'MOVEMENT FOR THE HUMAN RIGHTS - SOLIDARITY WITH MIGRANTS - SAMOS ISLAND

2010-02-20T14:37:00.000-08:00

During the mourning of Thursday 18th February, 50 migrants were transfered from Samos' Detention Center to Athens in order to be deported. Since then we have lost them because they can not contact anybody or reach any legal assistance. This event gets added to the illegal transfers for deportation of 85 migrants on 12.12.2009 and the 24 Afghans and Iranis on 14.01.2010 without complying with either the basic guarantees of their rights as refugees and prisoners. The refugees do not get informed about the reason there should be transferred neither about the destination of the transfer. They get signed by the Greek authorities with the assistance of FRONTEX arbitrarily the Afghans as Iranis without the knowledge of their own refugees and they try to be expelled to Turkey under the Greek-Turkish readmission protocol.

While FRONTEX gets upgraded, and in cooperation with the Coast Guard Authorities of Samos intensify the effort to 'secure' the borders - east of the island - from the influx of refugees, the number of refugee shipwrecks also rises up (two in the first two months of 2010) and we are counting corpses on the beaches of the island (9 drawned refugees). The missing persons are also a lot, but Mass Media and authorities do not report about because people who search for them are invisible with voices not heard.

Additionally to these, reports from refugees come on top that talk about the Coast Guards - not for first time - and say: "...they have beaten us up, they sweared against us, we still have scars on our bodies, some of us have broken bones, they threatened us with guns and fired on the air, they threw our mobile phones in the sea", on a text of their own which they gave us during our visit in the Detention Center on 05.02.2010.

The immunity of the borders and the anti-refugee policy that the government enforces, the chase from the side of FRONTEX - that can not stop the waves of refugees but open war in the region against unarmed and persecuted people who come even from war areas - rise up and feed the illegal human (slave) trading. The only aim of such actions are accorded to the Non Tolerance Fortress Europe idea.

REFUGEES GET DRAWNED, CHASED, IMPRISONED AND FROM NOW ON THEY GET KIDNAPPED BY FRONTEX AND AUTHORITIES.

We continue AND expect:

--> Effective access to political asylum.

--> Translations by people who can translate in the refugees' languages and n

ot by agents of Frontex.

--> Stop the 'War' in our neighborhood that serves the requirements of EU. --> We do not want the refugee hunters of Frontex. They shall remove.

Police entering the newly openned Hangar in Calais

2010-02-17T11:33:00.000-08:00

at 18 o´clock today , and after refugees enjoyed the hole day being in the noborder hangar ,
talking, dancing,writiing.
while the refugees had gone at 18 o´clock to the food destribution,
police attacked the hangar and took all activists to the police station.

REOUVERTURE DU HANGAR KRONSTADT AUX MIGRANTS A CALAIS

2010-02-17T11:32:00.000-08:00

Calais, Solidarité migrants
    17/01/2010
    POUR DIFFUSION IMMÉDIATE
    calaisolidairty@gmail.com
    Tel: 0033699746155


    REOUVERTURE DU HANGAR KRONSTADT AUX MIGRANTS A CALAIS

    A
    10h aujourd'hui, le réseau No Borders (1) a officiellement réouvert le
    Hangar Kronstadt (2) à Calais à la population migrante. Cela
    fait suite à la première ouverture au public le samedi 6 Février,
    et à l'expulsion  violente de la police le lendemain (3).

    Le
    maire
    de Calais a ordonné l'expulsion du Hangar au motif  que celui-ci
    n'était pas conforme à un usage public. Maintenant le Hangar
    Kronstadt est ouvert comme un espace privé pour les membres
    de SOS soutien O Sans Papiers . Tous les migrants et les militants
du Hangar sont membres officiels.

    Le Hangar est actuellement ouvert aux migrants de 10:00 jusqu'à
18:00. Le Hangar n'est pas  un espace humanitaire, mais  un espace
    de discussions politiques et de débats, d' échanges
    culturels et de divertissement.

    Chautempts
    Marie
    dit: «Alors que les autorités bloquent toutes les propositions
    d'hébergementt, les migrants de Calais sont confrontés à l'un des
    hivers les
    plus froid de l'histoire récente et au harcèlement policier quotidien
    Cette situation indigne est contraire aux valeurs communes de
solidarité humaine .
    Alors, quelque chose doit être fait, et nous nous battons pour la
création
    d'un espace où les migrants puissent venir disposer d'un temps de
répit "

    Au moment de la rédaction de ce communiqué nous ignorons si la
réouverture fera l'objet d'une intervention de la police. Toutefois,
    sur la nouvelle porte d'entrée du Hangar , l'article 1 de la
    Déclaration Universelle des Droits de l'homme (4) a été peint.
Toute intervention violente de la police sera considérée comme une
atteinte à nos droits.

    Tim
    Wallace dit "une autre expulsion violente ne nous découragera pas,
    nous n'allons pas rester là à regarder des êtres humains être
traités comme
    des animaux. 8 années de violence et les migrants sont toujours à
    Calais, car nos
    gouvernements ne veulent pas reconnaître la légitimité de vouloir
    quitter des zones telles que l'Afghanistan, le Darfour, l'Iran

    FIN

    Notes aux éditeurs

    (1) Le réseau No Border est un mouvement mondial d'individus et de
    groupes luttant pour le droit à la liberté de circulation des
    personnes, et non uniquement pour les marchandises de l'Europe
ultraconsommatrice . Depuis
    le camp No Border à Calais en juin , les militants noborders ont eu
une présence constante à Calais sous
    la bannière de Calais migrants Solidarité. ,
    Nous avons été témoins d'actes de violences policières et avons
collectivement résisté à des expulsions. Nous avons organisé la distribution
    d'aide humanitaire, et agit concrètement en faveur des
    droits des migrants.

    (2) Acte de résistance et de solidarité avec les
    sans-papiers de Calais, No Borders a loué le hangar Kronstad pour les
    mois de février et mars, en collaboration avec SOS Soutien O Sans
    Papiers. Le hangar est situé entre le port et le centre de Calais.

    (3) Le samedi soir, environ 100 migrants sont venus au Hangar, avec
l'intention d'entrer. Ils ont été accueillis par deux rangées de CRS
bloquant l'accés à la rue. Criant "Liberté! liberté! ", les migrants et
des militants ont forcé le barrage policier et ont réussi à pénétrer
dans le hangar. Des couvertures, des vêtements de rechange, du thé
chaud... ont été fournis aux migrants.

    Toutefois,
    après
    une nuit en sécurité, 75 CRS ont forcé l'entrée du hangar en cassant au
    passage les portes d'entrée et le comptoir d'accueil. 12 militants
ont été arrêtés, mais relâchés par la suite, tandis qu'un autre était
transporté à l'hôpital.

    (4)
    L'article 1 stipule: "Tous les êtres humains naissent libres et égaux
    en Dignité et en droits. ILS SONT doués de raison et de conscience et
    DOIVENT agir les uns envers les autres» Dans un esprit de fraternité. "

Testimony from the hell of Petrou Ralli

2010-02-12T12:01:00.000-08:00

Translation from the blog of the Anarchist Initiative of Aigaleo (west Athens) on the situation in the women division of the Petrou Ralli prison for migrants – very close to downtown Athens. (http://www.occupiedlondon.org/blog/2010/02/11/187-welcome-to-hell/)

http://anarxikoiaigaleo.squat.gr

(Testimony from the hell of Petrou Ralli by comrades that were detained in the prison wing for migrant women on P. Ralli St. after the occupation of the Keratsini Town Hall in solidarity to the 22 persecuted in the “Resalto” social space on 5th December 2009).

The scene is the same as if it were a high security prison; the difference is that no one has committed any “crime” here. The cameras that are everywhere in the cells, apart from the toilets, are an example of how human dignity is violated in here. The detainees are under 24/7 surveillance, they can’t get a moment of privacy and no personal data protection policy is in effect. Even the cell doors are made of iron bars, from top to bottom, and in order to create a somehow private space the detainees have hung bed sheets. “I cannot bear it that everyone walking up and down the corridor can see me”, an immigrant woman told us. The wings made of cement have electric doors of latest technology, windows (some without pane) that look out on… the rest of the cells and are at a height that you cannot reach in order to see what is happening outside. The cells are equipped with “post-modern” beds made of cement (square ones that remind of benches) with worn-out foam rubber on top, a “soft” blanket that resembles emery cloth (exclusively sponsored by the Greek army) and no pillow whatsoever.

Hygiene conditions are non-existent, which explicitly shows the intention to “decompose” the body and to eliminate any characteristic that reminds detainees that they are human. The medieval-style toilets – which often host cute insects such as cockroaches– are only four and superdirty. The idea in the Petrou Ralli St hell is that cleanness is a fallacy [trans: play on words on a popular Greek saying]… Soaps, shampoo, toothpaste, toilet paper and sanitary towels are considered “small bourgeois residues” and consequently are unnecessary. Instead of a mirror, they use a piece of plastic that reflects like tinfoil the faces of those who live there for up to 6 months (according to the new law): distorted and partial reflections of persons that eventually forget who they are. All adds up in order to forget your very own existence.

Food is transported daily from GADA [trans: police headquarters] and of course it does not contain milk because there is fear that it will go bad during transportation. Everybody is given an instant coffee, a juice and a chocolate croissant. Even children are given the same (from 12-month babies to 10 year-old boys); age and personal needs do not matter. For lunch we were given bean soup, olives and one loaf of bread per cell to be shared by all the detainees, as well as oranges from Arta [trans: Greek city] at preference. The detainees serve themselves in plastic yoghurt-pots. There is no refectory or special room for food to be served, and they are obliged to place their bread on dirty, miserable blankets. Special needs are not taken into consideration, and diseases like diabetes, intestinal dysfunctions, cardiopathies etc do not receive any special alimentary treatment. We heard the detainees complain that they and their children suffered from itching. Cases of dermatological problems, such as mycoses, scabies, allergies and other kinds of dermatitis are frequent; they are mainly due to the sordid mattresses and the horrendous hygiene conditions in the cells and the toilets. They even face serious problems with their teeth, as they are not given enough bottled water and are forced to drink tap water from the toilets.

The women also talked to us about the aggressive behaviour of their underage children. And what is more reasonable for a child that grows up in prison than to develop an “antisocial” and aggressive behaviour. How can it not hate the world, as it is experiencing it from this hell? It has been marked for life by this experience and we better not dare to ask it in puberty why it’s throwing stones. Surely, in any case, the prisons on P.R. St. are an ideal environment for panic crises and psychosomatic conditions. The human being is a part of nature itself, and therefore it cannot survive in an environment made of cement.

Some prisoners have made artistic interventions to their cells in order to make them feel cosier. A Russian detainee has drawn huge cartoons on the walls. My soul is in pain… she misses her baby. She has transformed the cell into a child’s room. Love graven in hearts, and around the beds graven lines that mark days and months that have gone by. Engraved poems, promises, memoirs, names. In other cells the detainees have made an iconostasis; they have hung pictures of Saints everywhere in an effort to keep their hopes and dreams alive. Above their heads Angelina Jolie and Helen Menegaki [trans: Greek television star] next to shampoo labels, anything that can fill the empty walls.

Communication with the outside world is difficult and only those who have the money to buy a phone card have the possibility to make calls. Even the communication between the detainees is difficult as many of them do not speak nor understand Greek. There are no interpreters whatsoever and communication takes place through eye contact and gestures in an effort to exchange information on daily survival. Of course, this means they are deprived of their right to claim their rights or to be informed on their detention status and the date of their release. Complete isolation and loneliness.

Contact with the air, the rain and the sun is simply zero, as there is no yard to go out to. Detainees can only walk in the corridor (1 meter width and 20 meters length) that is outside the cells. They are deprived of a room where they could sit or do physical exercise; as a consequence they can only walk or lie down, in other words they carry around their pestered body. In this decorative background we saw small kids holding dolls, climbing up the iron bars and walking barefoot on filthy water and liquids of unknown origin. Their shoe laces had been taken away from them, thus they cannot even run. Some older children have understood what’s going on and every spark of life in their eyes has disappeared. Who can explain to them how one day they were returning home after school with their mum and suddenly they found themselves behind prison walls?

Court decides deportation of revolting refugees in VENNA

2010-02-11T00:44:00.000-08:00

9th February 2010

36 migrants from Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan were judged with 8 months of imprisoning with suspension and judicial deportation, while another 6 were judged with 4 months with suspension and judical deportation because they revolted before some days in the "welcoming" migrants' center of VENNA in Rodopi . They revolted because of the conditions in the prison , no medical health, no laywers, no clothes not getting in the yard.
The court instead of giving them right and force the responsibles that the conditions improve, decided to expel them immediatly from Greece back to their countries where their life is in danger.
A solidarity group" initiative against detention centers in rodopi and evros"
is meeting in Xanthi to react to this decision and make the refugee situation in the greek detention centers known.
all detention centers schould close immediatly
no one is illegal
immediate freedom for all imprisonned refugees
the fight for life respect und freedom is not illegal.

global pass stories

2010-02-10T03:57:00.000-08:00

http://www.globalpass.de/

refugees tell their stories and we print them in a globalpass.
for people having so much trouble because of not being registered and not having papers to identify themselfs, is a global pass a small strength, a possibility to say : here i am ! read my story, i do exist! even if for the moment, i do not have papers.

the first globalpass action took place during the antiracamp08 in hamburg .

at the actionday against deportations and frontex at the hamburg airport a group of people ,
was distributing to the passengers but also to the people working at the airport, global passes .
since some of the people whos stories were in the global pass where distributing themself
the direct confrontation with the reality of people in danger to be deported, made wonders.

more global passes are produced now and will be on the homepage soon.

but we dream of a world where
no passports at all are needed and everyone enjoys
freedom of movement

no one is illegal

Calais in the medias

2010-02-09T10:01:00.000-08:00

radio
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00qg73p/World_at_One_09_02_2010/

online

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8502991.stm

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article7018328.ece

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/156982/Uproar-as-French-MP-backs-brave-migrants

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1249299/Riot-police-fight-migrants-Sangatte-II.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/7182272/French-police-in-stand-off-with-UK-bound-migrants.html

http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=223148

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iZtG7XXZnS5_Rf05GKw26XqXpD3A

http://www.opendemocracy.net/opensecurity/security_briefings/080210

etc etc etc

CALAIS-what happened this weekend?

2010-02-08T10:35:00.000-08:00

No borders and SoS sans papiers announced last week that they had legally rented an empty hangar in Calais for the purpose of creating an activist and migrant space.

The major of Calais was said to be fuming at this intervention. In their PR obsessed immigration politics, the French ordered the immediate closure of the space through an illegal eviction, as they believed it would go against their gain of repression and driving sans papiers out of town.

Up until Saturday migrants had not been informed of the space and the police had kept a closely guarded watch on the hangar saying that no migrants were allowed into the space and would be arrested if they did so.

On Saturday evening we told migrants about the new space and invited them to come if they wish to do so.

Following food distribution about 100 migrants from Afghanistan, Iran, Kurdistan, Eretrea, and Ethiopia went to the hangar. The police sealed off all the roads leading to the hangar with cars and men. Shouting “freedom! Freedom! Freedom!” migrants and activists confronted the police blockade and managed to push through lines on both sides of the hangar allowing all the migrants to run inside the hangar.

The elite Robocop crs police re-inforcements immediately arrived and surrounding the hangar.

The sous-prefecture also arrived and ordered all migrants to leave immediately. They said no.

Although it looked likely, no immediate forced raid came although the blockade remained throughout the night.

Tea, blankets, sleeping bags, basic mattresses were provided and a safe, secure, although chilly night was had by all.

In the morning the police played it cool with a strategy to starve the migrants out. Throughout the morning a slow trickle of migrants left the hangar, crossed the police lines to go and collect food donations from Salam. They were then blocked from returning.

As the numbers began to dwindle, more and more police arrived. The remaining migrants were told to leave or be arrested. All left. Some activists and members of the associations went with them to make sure they were not assaulted again.

After the migrants had left, riot police threatened to smash their way in to the building after completely surrounding it, and blocking the view of the media by using two large vehicles.

The activists agreed to negotiate with the police, but when they began negotiations they were immediately assaulted and the riot police smashed the door to the hangar. All the activists who were inside the building were then arrested and the building was illegally evicted.

One British activist received 10 stitches in hospital. Many of the migrants including children received bruises from batons.

Most migrants went into hiding as things calmed down, although activists witnessed more arrests later that day on their way to the food distribution.

Since there is now no place for the migrants to sleep, they are once again suffering from the effects of the cold and wet conditions of living on the streets.

The centre has now been welded shut.

A legal challenge is now in the pipe line.

Calais Migrant Solidarity are today regrouping and deciding what to do next.

THINGS TO DO:

Go to the demonstration in London tomorrow held by No Borders London and Brighton

9^th Februrary, 12:30pm French Consulate, Cromwell, SW7 2EN

Stock pile donations of clothes, blankets, sleeping bags, tents etc

Donate money (details on CMS website)

http://lille.indymedia.org/article19073.html

http://calaismigrantsolidarity.wordpress.com/#update

Press release of Sunday 7th February:

MIGRANT CENTRE EVICTED BY FRENCH RIOT POLICE IN CALAIS

Under instruction from the town authorities, the elite French CRS riot
police today forcibly evicted the new Calais migrant centre – called
Kronstadt Hangar - by smashing down the front doors, less than 24
hours after migrants and No Borders activists pushed through police
lines to occupy the building, which has been legally rented by No
Borders and SoS Soutien aux Sans Papiers.

Marie Chautemps said: “The Kronstadt Hangar was opened as a
direct intervention into a winter of repression that the migrants in
Calais have faced since their ‘jungle’ communities were destroyed in a
cruel PR stunt, back in September.”

She continued that: “With the authorities blocking any attempts to
create a place for migrants to shelter from constant police harassment
or from the bitterly cold winter, the Kronstadt Hangar intervention was
made in the name of common human respect as well as resistance to an
increasingly fascist EU border policy.”

On Saturday evening, about 100 migrants came to the warehouse with the
intention of entering. They were met by two separate lines of French
police on either side of the hangar. Shouting “freedom! freedom!”, the
migrants and No Borders activists pushed through the police lines and
successfully occupied the hangar. Donations of blankets,
extra-clothes, basic mattresses and hot tea were provided for the
migrants.

However, after a safe and secure night, 75 CRS police arrived on
Sunday afternoon and forcibly evicted the new space by smashing down
the front glass doors. 12 activists were arrested, but later released,
while one was taken to hospital.

The police proceeded to trash the hangar and all the possessions
inside, and have welded the entrance shut, so that it is now currently
impossible for anyone to re-enter the warehouse.

In a press release issued earlier today, SoS Soutien aux Sans Papiers
highlighted the joint agency between the French and UK governements,
in operations such as these. Just as there is increased
collaboration between the governments on both sides of the channel, so there
is an increase in resistance to the repressive policies of Szarkozy, implemented
with the approval of the British government. Alex Parks said “The
authorities in
Calais have been trying to remove migrants from Calais for years
without success, because they are
in denial about the terminal reality of the un-equal world we live in.
This is not over, solidarity and resistance for the right to freedom
of movement will continue in Calais.”

CALAIS noborder hangar surrounded by police

2010-02-07T14:03:00.000-08:00

http://twitter.com/calaisolidarity
http://calaismigrantsolidarity.wordpress.com/#update
http://london.noborders.org.uk/
*Sunday 7th February

About 12.30 French time today everyone was in the No Borders/Kronstadt warehouse, chilling out, when police came to surround the building. People were told they can leave the building, but couldn’t return for lunch. Police say this is an ‘Order from the council’.

The response from the 100 or so people in the building was ‘fine, then we won’t leave’. A phone call to someone in the building described the situation as “everyone seemed to understand our political stance. Eventually some people tried to leave, and discovered that all the surrounding roads had been blocked by police. Then riots cops charged us several times, hitting out with batons. A friend got whacked on the mouth while lying on the floor – we managed to find a way out and are on our way to hospital now. One of the undercover cops, calling himself Msr Buzin, said that anyone can leave, but can’t return for to eat. They are effectively starving people out of the building”

There are still about 100 people inside, mainly Pashtun. Local French journalists are around, but no British press.

*Saturday 6th February

Police have surrounded the new No Borders centre in Calais and are demanding that no migrants are allowed to sleep overnight.

A warehouse in Calais, rented by No Borders, opened today to offer to migrants a dry, partially heated space with cooking, toilet and washing facilities.

At approximately 5pm, a small police presence attempted to block access by the migrants. This was not successful and a large number broke through shouting “Freedom, No Borders, No Nations”.

At 6pm, most of the migrants left to attend the twice daily NGO food distribution. During this period, the police took the opportunity to blockade all three access roads to the No Borders centre.

At 7pm, a large number of migrants and other activists collected outside the blockades on two fronts. Aided by people from within the police lines, both groups successfully breached the blockades and entered the centre. A large contingent of CRS police has arrived but currently remain in their vans on a nearby street.

The police are demanding that no migrant, excepting children, are allowed to sleep in the centre overnight. No Borders is very clear, Noone is illegal, Freedom to move, Freedom to stay. The No Borders centre welcomes migrants to stay overnight if they choose..

“It’s great here. Around 75-100 people in here. Everyone helping out running the place.”

Search for Missing Family : Refugees United

2010-02-06T02:50:00.000-08:00

Refugees United is a platform to register and search for family you have lost contact with.

No third party is involved.

http://www.refunite.org/

Migrants in the Venna “detention centre” (prison) revolt

2010-02-05T11:58:00.000-08:00

http://www.clandestina.org/indexa_e.html

on 5 February 2010

Migrants in the Venna “detention centre” (prison) revolt – the truth behind the government’s migrant-friendly mask!

While tension is building up in Athens, due to the upcoming fascist demonstration at Propylea (main University of Athens building) this Saturday, migrants face repression and inhuman treatment at all levels. Needless to say that the government’s new migration bill focuses on legal migrants and their children, who have no right to Greek citizenship or nationality and thus have no civil rights, although they might be born and have lived in the country all their life. The grey zone of “illegal” migration is swept under the rug, and no solution whatsoever has been given to the disgraceful welcome/hospitality/and all other euphemistic-adjective centres for migrants.

In the early hours of Tuesday (2.1.2010) the approximately 130 detainees held in the Venna “detention centre” for migrants, in the prefecture of Rodopi (very close to the North-Eastern borders of the country) revolted. They protested against their continuous and illegal detention, plus the horrendous living conditions in their prison. Some of them have been imprisoned for over 3 months. The uprising went on the following day. They set fire and some injured themselves as a sign of protest. The prefect of Rodopi, the head of the local police and the fire brigade went on site. The media reported that approximately 30 were released. However, a post on indymedia reads that 43 migrants were taken yesterday to the prosecutor, facing charges of mutiny and public property damage. An open assembly has been called for today in Komotini, in order to take action.

video from london with joung afghan talking about his experience from calais

2010-01-28T00:14:00.000-08:00

Saturday 23rd January 2010, two hundred people take the streets of London in protest at ever more draconian immigration controls and surveillance culture.

This 16 minute video contains speeches and footage from the march.
OUT OF CONTROL
http://www.blip.tv/file/3136790

fotoseries from mitilini summer 2009- nr1.such painters not welcome!

2010-01-14T04:04:00.000-08:00

everymorning the frontex boat was returning from their night tour in the border between turkey and greece.they parked in the harbour of mitilini and spend their days sitting in the sunshine , and their nights, radar-hunting refugees .
in august 2009 a demonstration of refugees that could not travel and solidar people , passt by the frontex boat.
the prompt reaction of the sunbathing men was to put immediatly the motor on and live the harbour instantly.
copyright david schommer
this days even the conservative press in town had a karikatur saying:
the painters of the aegean see
I will paint the first hand and you the second!!...

the cheapest and most dangerous dingys used by refugees to travel to greece have the name BESTWAY..........

video from new years eve in front of the hamburg prison

2010-01-08T10:40:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hadQJzQBqU

Solidarity feast. Athens Sunday 10 january Victoria square

2010-01-07T11:15:00.000-08:00

Solidarity feast

immigrants, refugees, people with or without “papers”
in these streets, neighbourhoods and squares,
where every day the struggle for survival clashes
with the “sweeping operations” and the exploitation,
the dignity with the racism and the xenophobia,
the solidarity with the humiliations, the tortures and the terrorism
we are getting together one more time, to share
a few moments of hope, joy and liberty
food, music, dance

Sunday the 10th of January 2010, 13:00 h, Victoria square

immigrants, refugees, people in solidarity

http://filoxenoi.wordpress.com/2009/12/31/

Deaths at the greek borders oktober09-january2010

2010-01-06T02:39:00.000-08:00

Deaths at the greek borders oktober09-january2010

this is only a report about the deaths that have been known.......

only if people survive and talk about it

or if the bodies are found , the death is getting reported.

27.10.2009 in Lesvos 8 migrants from Afghanistan have drawn when their wooden motorboat crashed on a rock only few meters away from the Korakas beach in Lesvos.Five children two women and a man drawned.

Saturday 7.11.2009

6 dead palästinian childrens bodies aged 2-12 where found in the beach of Bodrum(türkey).The dingy in which 19 palästinian migrants where travelling to Kos island in Greece has turned over 500 meters before reaching greece.

Friday 11.12.2009

2 dead migrants after boats sinking near the island of Leros.Fischermen found 25 migrants on a rcok and the dead bodies of two others.

Dezember -january 2010

10 dead migrants in EVROS

from the 31 dezember2009 till the 5 january 2010 ten bodies of migrants have been reported in beaches between Alexandrouoplis and Rodopi in the northen Greece.

The first dead body was found in a beach of Alexandroupolis in the 31.12.09.

On the 2.1.2010 the limeniko (greek harbour police) has found two dead bodies in the beach of Kiani Akti (golden beach) von Makri in Alexandroupoli.the bodies of a woman and a man.

The same day two dead men where found in the areas Ptroton and Imero von Rodopi.

On the 4.1.2010 two dead bodies of a very young woman and a man where found near Alexandroupolis.

On the 5.1.2010 two more womens bodies and one man where found.

The bigest reported accident in the Agais happend on the 10.12.2007 near Izmir with 70 dead and many missing migrnats....

since 1994,

492 deaths of migrants without papers have been registerd in greece having drawn in the Agais, 823 migrants are reported missing, a number of 1315 known deaths of fortress europe.

In the same time 82 people are reported killed in the mines of Evros in northern greece.

All infos from news onhttp://www.clandestina.org/indexa_e.html

i saw a heart following you on the mountains

2010-01-02T09:50:00.000-08:00

all of you running away from war and nofuture
and who have to take the rocky ways
and pay the most expensive ticketprises
to make the most unsecure travels
on the way to a better life in freedom and peace.

while we, with the passports in our pockets
come and go
whenever and wherever we want.

one wish: AZADI ! FREEDOM ! and 25/26/27.january2010 trial in Vincennes

2009-12-31T03:36:00.000-08:00

to all people we met in Pagani this year,
to all the people starting their journeys now
to all the people who are since years on their way .
to all people looking for a safer life
and peacefull days
and get confronted with the euopean union and the police brutalities
one big wish!
that the coming year bring us all with big steps closer to our aim:
freedom of movement is everybodys right!

we are here and we will fight!
happy new year!

-----------------------------------

January 25th, 26th and 27th:
trial of the revolt that set the detention
centre of Vincennes on fire

The revolt, which led to the fire that destroyed the largest prison for
foreigners in France, is a concrete and historical response to the
existence of detention centres and to the whole of the policy of control
of the migratory flows.

On January 25th, 26th and 27th, ten persons will be tried for this revolt
by the Tribunal de Grande Instance of Paris (a court which tries
misdemeanours).
Our solidarity has to be at the height of the stake: the acquittal of the
accused and beyond that, freedom of movement and installation.
The largest detention centre in France burnt on June 22nd 2008.
>From June 2008 to June 2009, some ten former detainees have been arrested
and imprisoned - most of them for nearly one year - in preventive jail.
They are charged with "damage", "voluntary destruction of the buildings of
the Vincennes administrative detention centre", and/or "aggression in band
against a police officer, without causing an incapacity of work for more
than eight days".
Movements of protest of the locked up sans-papiers have taken place
ceaselessly during the six months before the fire. Hunger strikes,
beginnings of fires, refusing to be counted, and individual or collective
oppositions followed each other during this period. Outside,
demonstrations and actions exposed the very existence of these centres and
support the revolts.
On June 21st 2008, Salem Souli died in his room after he had asked in vain
for medical care. The next day the detainees organized a march in his
memory, which was violently repressed. A collective revolt followed and
the detention centre was reduced to ashes.

A TRIAL FOR THE EXAMPLE
To prevent this type of revolt from spreading, the State must strike hard,
it has to find culprits. Ten persons were arrested to serve as examples.
We do not care whether they are "culprit" or "innocent". By the punishment
of these persons, the State wishes to make disappear revolts, denials of
submission, and acts of resistance from the part of those who are, or will
be in the future, between the walls of these centres.
The Vincennes revolt is not isolated. Wherever are detention centres,
revolts will spring up, fires will start, flights, hunger strikes,
mutinies, and destructions will take place. It has been so in France
(centres were burnt in Nantes, Bordeaux, and Toulouse), and in many
European countries (Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Great Britain) or in
countries to which border control is outsourced such as Turkey and Libya.
The fire at the Vincennes detention centre is not only a symbol: as an
immediate consequence of the disappearance of its capacity for 280 people,
rounding up and deportations greatly decreased in the Paris region during
the following period. Concretely, arrests were avoided by the thousands.
This act of the detainees has put out of order for a while the deportation
machine.

JAILS FOR FOREIGNERS: THEY LOCK UP, DEPORT, DISSUADE IMIGRATION

The detention centres are a step between the arrest and the deportation.
They are used to lock up the passengers for the time necessary to gather
what is needed for a deportation, namely a passport or a pass issued by a
consulate, and a plane or ship reservation.
The more a State wants to deport, the more it builds detention centres.
Their numbers increases ceaselessly everywhere. In Europe, the trend is to
make locking up longer, which not only allows deporting more people, but
also dissuades immigration.
These locking up places are actually punishment places. As such, they are
more and more built on a model of prison: monitoring by video, small
units, isolation cellsŠ For example, the largest detention centre in
France now being built in France at Le Mesnil-Amelot (with capacity for
240 persons) that will open in a few weeks is designed according to this
model. In the Netherlands, where suicides and "unexplained" deaths are
frequent in the centres, detention lasts 18 months and may start again
immediately after freeing, in very small individual cells, sometimes in
prison-boats, with scarce access to air.

THE UNDOCUMENTATED FOREIGNERS: BOTH A HIGHLY ADAPTABLE MANPOWER ...
Detention centres are a part of the "migratory flows management" policy,
which in turn is elaborated according the criteria of the "chosen
immigration" which means according to the needs of manpower in the
European countries. That bosses of the rich countries use migrant workers
to increase their profits is nothing new. Be it within a legal framework,
such as interim jobs or the former "OMI contract" (which allowed to fit
the right of presence in the country to the seasonal working time), or in
illegal work, the foreigners most often find jobs in the toughest sectors
(the building industry, restaurants, cleaning, seasonal worksŠ) These
sectors ask for a flexible manpower, one which adapts to the immediate
needs of production.
On top of the absence of rights due to their status, for instance in case
of an accident, the permanent threat of arrest and deportation obviously
enables the bosses to underpay them, indeed not to pay them at all (it is
not infrequent). This equalizing at the lowest level of salaries and
working conditions enables the bourgeoisie to enhance the exploitation of
all. The repeated strikes of sans-papiers show how much the French bosses
and the State need this manpower, but they also show that the sans-papiers
can check them and get regularizations when they organize collectively.

...AND AN IDEAL SCAPEGOAT

The migratory policy, of which the detention centres are a gear, is also
used to stigmatize the undocumented foreigners. The State makes of them
the scapegoat for the hardships of the population of France. The
spectacular use of deportations by the State takes its part in showing how
great a "danger" the irregular immigration would be for France and Europe,
and at the same time the efficiency of a State, which protects its
citizens from this danger.
The State uses artefacts such as the above mentioned "threat of
underground immigration", "rascals in the suburbs", "veiled women", or
such as the campaign for the national identity to wake up the worst
chauvinist and racist feelings, and to try and create a consent for the
power and the world it produces.
BORDERS EVERYWHERE

The detention centres are indispensable for the implementation of a
European policy to control the migratory flows, which, while it claims to
abolish the borders within the Schengen space, reinforces them outside,
notably with Frontex.
And so the control is outsourced at the outer doors of Europe, in
agreement with countries such as Libya, Mauritania, Turkey or Ukraine, to
which funds are given to lock up foreigners who are deemed unwanted, even
before they make it to Europe.
At the same time, within the Schengen territory, borders are scattered,
become movable, and thus are everywhere: every identity check can lead to
a deportation. For the border is not only a line limiting he territory, it
is above all a point of checking, of pressure and, of sorting out. So the
street, the communication lines, the administrative buildings, the banks,
the interim work offices already function as borders.
The detention centres are pieces of the deadly borders of the Schengen
Europe, as are all camps for migrants, They are places where one waits,
locked up, sometimes without limit and without trial, where one dies for
lack of care, where one kills oneself rather than be deported. Borders
must be abolished!

For all these reasons, and because there is no "good" management of the
migratory flows, because everybody must be able to decide where he wants
to live, we are in solidarity with the accused of the revolt and the arson
of the Vincennes detention centre!

ACQUIT ALL THE ACCUSED
FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT AND INSTALLATION
CLOSE THE DETENTION CENTRES
NO PAPERS AT ALL

ACTION WEEK JANUARY 16TH TO 24TH 2010
Collectif de solidarité avec les inculpés de Vincennes
liberte-sans-retenue@riseup.net

A ministry like no other...

2009-12-28T07:51:00.000-08:00

A ministry like no other...
A year ago, in an article entitled "Refugees at the Labour Exchange" we talked about the struggle of undocumented migrants in Paris who had occupied since May 2, 2008 the Labour Exchange near the Republic Square. On June 24, 2009, the strong-arms of the CGT brutally expelled 1,300 occupants. Last week we were able to visit the new place of occupation, in Baudelique Street in the 18th arrondissement. There is a considerable movement, probably the largest we have seen so far in Europe. This magnificent adventure continues and is growing even in a general indifference which is frightening. We urge everyone to go to meet them and support them in every way possible. Here is an interview with Orhan Dilber, a Turkish trade union activist who spent years in the jails of the military junta after the 1980 coup. Refugee in France, he is now a spokesman for the Collective of undocumented Turkish and Kurdish involved in this occupation.
This collective was formed from the occupation in July 2009 of an abandoned large building belonging to the Caisse Primaire d'Assurance Maladie (CPAM),located 14 Baudelique Street, called the "Ministry for the global regularization of all undocumented migrants”. We participated in the occupation. Since, our group is one of ten collectives located behind the Ministry.
Before the occupation, there was no structure or group of Turks and Kurds alike. In the 90s, there was a group of undocumented Turkish, at the time of the Church of St. Bernard, but it was temporary. It must be said that Turks and Kurds have different characteristics compared with other groups. The majority of undocumented migrants from Turkey are Turkish-speaking and not French speaking as most undocumented migrants from former French colonies are.
I am not myself without papers, but my friends needed a French speaking spokesperson. Of course they manage, they all have jobs, but when there are debates within the community or election of delegates, we must have our discussions in Turkish, our common language.
Currently the Turkish and Kurdish group includes 1,300 people. When I saw the great movement behind the occupation in Baudelique Street - the largest movement in France - I questioned the undocumented Turkish and Kurdish. There are over 3,000 people who occupy this five floors 4,300 m2 place. There are meeting rooms, training rooms. We are proud and happy to be among the founders of this Ministry. Who are these undocumented Turkish and Kurdish? Have they been in France a long time, is there still people arriving from Turkey?
Some comrades have been here for over 20 years, have had no papers for dozens of years. The majority have been here for about 10 years, but others have been in France for less than a year. What explains the fact that there was no group before is that most of these people came to France for political reasons. For the Kurds, it is the national crackdown which prompted them to seek asylum, and France is still the country with the most asylum seekers. For the Turks, they are activists who have had problems with the state and the Turks in general have also sought political asylum. During the 80s and 90s it was fairly easy to obtain, but now it is no longer the case because the OFPRA (French Office for Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons) decided two months ago to include Turkey (with Serbia and Armenia) among the safe countries whose citizens cannot get asylum. But we already saw for over a year that most asylum applications were rejected.
We realized that the situation changed and you must now seek regularization through work. Anyway, they all work. This is the system in France which makes them work illegally. France does not welcome these
people with indulgence and generosity. It leaves undocumented asylum seekers to themselves. In other countries, there are detention camps for asylum seekers and you stay until the end of the process. Either you can stay or you can leave again. Here, when you apply for political asylum, you are told, "you have to go to the prefecture, you make your request there, here is a certificate (before it was for one year, now it's three months). You have no right to work, but you can move freely, and it is renewable.” What does this mean? Go work on the black. This means, go find your compatriots in the Turkish community who have been here long, sub-contractors who work for large companies providing discounted labour through undocumented workers. When they come to apply for asylum, the Turks and Kurds are immediately in contact with these networks in order to work. Since they work in their community, comrades have been here for 20 years and do not speak French. They remain isolated.
It can’t have been simple to create such a group. These are people who came for political reasons, but there have been many disputes between forces on the left, many tensions between Turks and Kurds ... Basically it's been pretty good?
Yes, this is exceptional. I had this experience already in Turkey where I was a trade-unionist. I saw that the different political or ideological positions disappear when you are on strike. A problem such as lack of paper brings people together. Here in our community, there are militants of the Kurdish cause and Turkish nationalists who would be enemies if they were in Turkey. They are all facing xenophobe politics which reject everyone together in the same way as the Malians and others. The system makes no difference to their origin. Here at the Ministry, there are over 25 nationalities from five continents. Of course, the majority are Africans, but there are Hispanics, Asians, Russians, Ukrainians, etc. In the group we have never had any problems.
At the Labour Exchange, there were weekly events, many actions, training, and language courses ... What happens at Baudelique Street?
Here's even better than at the Labour Exchange. Activities are much richer because we have so much space. The particularity of this occupation is that occupation has the longest duration. If you consider it started just after the Labour Exchange one, it's been almost two years. We were used occupy churches for several months. This occupation is very massive with more than 3,000 people, all the time. Usually when we speak of an occupation, it is about occupying and not moving. Here we continue to mobilize every week together, but also while travelling. Every Wednesday we organize an event on the grand boulevards of Paris and then we are heavily involved in other events, for example in solidarity with those who challenge the privatization, or at the rally in front of the MEDEF...
Many volunteers provide language courses, or social assistance to help people get medical help, or make representations at the Social security... Lawyers come to help with files for legalisation.
Now, among us, there are dyers. For example, a group gathers the pieces of bikes, which are a bit everywhere in Paris, and make new bikes out of them, a little strange, but which work anyway, and which are distributed to those in need. These people didn’t have a workshop anymore because they had been evicted by the police. Then they asked to be housed here. There is plenty of room. They started making bikes; they have not yet participated in demos with the bikes, but they think they will do it soon.
Apprentices in filmmaking give training, they show the undocumented, especially women, how to handle a camera, how to make a movie. The possibilities are enormous. That's what nourishes and enriches the movement. We live, however, certain isolation, because every time we go out in the streets of Paris and the media talk, they never specify that we are the group that created the "Ministry" in the Baudelique Street. We are accustomed to being manipulated by the press. It is a little similar with the unions and associations. We are invisible.
At the Labour Exchange there were major conflicts with the CGT. Then it was the CGT cleaning industry section which helped launch the occupation of the CPAM large building. I heard that five unions support the movement. But then this is not a very active support?
The support is weak. Sud/Solidaires have been with us since the beginning, the cleaning section of the CGT and the CNT are present, but not all the unions of course. The CGT has a firm and clear position. They are not for the overall regulation of all undocumented. Now they are in a movement of strike pickets1 and call for the regularization of these 5500 strikers there and that's all.
What happens with the building? I read that the top management of the CPAM wanted like to kick you out of this place, but within the CPAM there were protests from employees who felt that it was not right to expel undocumented workers.
Immediately at the beginning of the occupation, we contacted employees of the CPAM and held a meeting with union representatives at Baudelique Street. They gave us their support, saying they would prevent the evacuation of this place because they are in solidarity with the undocumented. It is a kind of guarantee, and as we got past the month of September we are safe until March. There is already a decision to evacuate, but it cannot be applied because of the winter truce on evictions.
You think it will be difficult to stay beyond March?
This will depend on the balance of power. This place is special because it was vacant, empty. If we occupied a place in use, we could not stay longer than a few weeks. Now there are picket lines, which make occupations for one or two weeks, but after they are evicted. This occupation is very special because it gives us the opportunity to organize a movement to develop something else. These are elements that make our movement become stronger. The press and the left are not used to this...
I have the impression that the big unions and political organizations always want to control and organize movements like that, but here they see that the undocumented are quite capable of organizing themselves. It’s exactly like that. I note that the French left wants to do everything for others, but in acting themselves, sacrificing for the undocumented. But they cannot accept that undocumented migrants are beginning to organize. That is why collectives of undocumented migrants are not known, recognized, visible. The GISTI, Cimade, the League of Human Rights, and the humanitarian organizations are yet here for us. At the beginning, the LHR did not come, but they have since Aubry started speaking of the undocumented before the elections
.
Does it progress on the level of regularisations? Djibril, a spokesman at the Labour Exchange said there had been there a hundred people regularised. Has it continued?
After the evacuation of the Labour Exchange, for over more than a month, the occupants who had been expelled were camping on the Boulevard du Temple. Negotiations were held with the Prefecture of Police which said that if we stopped this occupation in the street, they would examine 300 cases. But there haven’t been 300 regularisations, perhaps half. Police said it felt fooled because we left the boulevard but we went somewhere else and we continue to claim the overall regularization of all undocumented migrants. Apart from that, there have been no regularizations. As we kept on demonstrating before his door, we were received twice by the Cabinet of Eric Besson. We must first finish with these 300 cases they have
1 Today, more than 5.000 sans papiers are on strike in the Paris area, supported by the CGT. This strike touches 1800 firms and temporary agencies.
promised. Then we want all prefectures to recognize the collective undocumented as interlocutors for monitoring files. Of course the government insists on the implementation of the "case by case" policy instead of an overall unconditional regularisation of all undocumented migrants.
What interests us is first to break the ice, because collectives are not recognised. After so many years of mobilisations, we must leave traces, obtain official recognition.
At the same time, it also is about acknowledging the problem of "isolated workers", because the CGT only defends workers in workplaces where there are several undocumented migrants, in larger companies ... At the Labour Exchange and Baudelique Street there are more people working alone or in small businesses. They are not considered as workers. The problem is there. At the heart of our movement are illegal workers. During the heat wave, I remember that the Health Minister said that if the elderly were not being looked after by us, the losses would have been double. There were already 15,000 dead in ten days. It was not only the care for the elderly, but also the people sick, the children ... France needs the undocumented labour. You get money when you have children in order to increase the population, but what are we supposed to do? Working and having children? They need nannies...
For the continuation of your movement, there is a date soon which will be important, I think...
Since the creation of the Ministry, although this has not been very visible to French people, the undocumented in other regions have seen that it works. So there were meetings with the groups from other cities. We have decided to hold a big demonstration of undocumented on January 9th in Paris, starting from the Baudelique Street. We are of course demanding an overall regularisation, but we know that it will not happen at once. Moreover, when we are regularized, what does that mean? We will always be workers, former undocumented, but exploited strangers. There will always be problems. So a structured organization is very important, because even after the regularisation we will need solidarity, an organization in order to obtain our rights at work, decent wages, safe conditions at work, etc.
At the same time we develop relationships with unions. We are no longer strangers isolated away from the class struggle in France, but we're in it. With the movement of the undocumented we prepare for the future too. I think the future of undocumented is also the future of French workers. We always forget it. The French think they are here just out of generosity, solidarity, they see themselves as supporters, but why do you support us? Is it for charity? No, this is for you. When there are undocumented workers working illegally, it means that insurance companies are increasingly empty, there is no pension fund. They will tell you that you have to work until age 70, even later, as they fail to pay pensions because they do not collect the contributions from all undocumented. And all this makes wages go down. There are privatizations, sub-contractors, so it's not just the problem of undocumented, but that of all workers, of the French workers, who must be here with us, not to support us, but to fight for them.
December 15, 2009
Nicholas Bell, Forum Civique Européen, St-Hippolyte, F-04300 Limans
nicholas.bell@gmx.net

noborders sticker

2009-12-16T10:37:00.000-08:00

noborder09 lesvos postcards part 2

2009-12-11T02:34:00.000-08:00

noborder lesvos09 postcards -a diary without days -part1.

2009-12-10T12:04:00.000-08:00

for solidarity every day!

Noborders day of action in Kopenhagen 14.12.09

2009-12-09T08:37:00.000-08:00

2009-12-06T13:23:00.000-08:00

for ALEXIS killed on the 6.12.08

2009-12-03T11:05:00.000-08:00

in Athens from a riot policeman.
and for all migrant women and children and men who died in the greek borders and those who managed to enter alive but are faciing the racism of the state.

Freedom of moovement!
is everybodys right
respect too.