At 11 AM on 13.03.2014, when our demonstration was scheduled to begin in front of the Embassy of Mali in Berlin located on the first floor of a commercial building in Kurfürstendamm 72, there were merely one or two visible German police officers stationed in front of the entrance and only few more were nearby. This was a notable contrast to the majority of registered demonstrations by refugee protests in Berlin. Even as groups of mostly young and outraged demonstrators started to pour in over the course of the next hour, the police neglected to upgrade the security at the entrance. It should have been little surprise to anyone when approximately a third of the 60 protesters went into the building, in an attempt to ask the highest representative of Mali in Germany to issue a public statement on an alleged deal between the two governments: “development aid” in exchange for “deportation aid”. A controversial article published on March 5, 2014, on the news site Malijet.com (http://www.malijet.com/actualite-politique-au-mali/flash-info/95195-immigration_en_allemagne.html) accuses her “Excellency” of being complicit in this state-organized human trafficking. According to the journalist, she pushes her most destitute compatriots into signing a voluntary deportation agreement by offering them a ridiculous sum of 800€ and by threatening that if they refuse the offer, they will have to leave Germany. Continue reading →
The European council and the European ministers of foreign affairs make racist and prohibitive policies against refugees and migrants on a very high level. In reaction to the recent admitted mass drowning in the Mediterranean, they only concluded to arm the forces that control and aggressively prevent people’s movement, such as frontex. They will hold their next summit at the 26th and 27th of June in Brussels.
Different groups of refugee and Migrant movements in Europe plan a protest march from Strasbourg to Brussels. This will begin shortly before the European parliament elections at the end of May. The marching refugee and supporting activists will walk about 450 km within one month. In an action week before the council’s summit, we will raise our protest against the policies of fortress Europe!
A group of people active in and supportive of the Refugee Movement from Oranienplatz have started to mobilize for the march and prepare the action. We would be happy about many different kinds of support:
share contacts with us:
to (international) refugee movements, help to make huge network possible
to people living in lager in Germany, for info events
to people/groups who could helporganize sleeping places along the route
we also need more contacts to trustworthy journalists and your support in raising media attention, accompany the protests with own media
legal support/anti-repression/anti-trauma
organize decentralised actions, let’s have global action times!
contribute to the local actions
think about actions especially to support the massive border crossing (France, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium)
organize transport for refugees in your region to take part in the march/action week/single actions
lend materials: busses/car trailers, big tents, kitchen equipment, sound systems, generator, media equipment, tools…
medical support & child care
produce mobilization material (movie, web propaganda, stickers, banners, poster, songs…)
spread flyers, posters, call; link our blogs (freedomnotfrontex.noblogs.org and asylstrikeberlin.wordpress.com)
we need a huge amount of money to finance 6 weeks of food for some hundred people! we also need money for tickets/public transport, gasoline, transport cars, renting/buying material, mobilization, anti-repression: please support us by donating, applying at foundations, organising soli parties etc!!!
take part in the Protest March! Starting around the 20th of May in Strasbourg
take part in the Action Week in Brussels 20th June – 27th June
For any questions or ideas, proposals or information you can reach us via email: freedomnotfrontex[at]riseup[.]net or meet us almost every Sunday at 3 pm at Cafe Kotti in Berlin/Kreuzberg, just ask at the counter for us.
We are asylum seekers, refugees, undocumented migrants, migrants from many European countries, we are Europeans with a “migration background”, we are all those who have no full priviledge of citizenship, but also citizens who share a common anger against the racist EU migration policy.
We decided to organize a European caravan which will go from the largest number of European countries towards Brussels (Belgium), where the European institutions are settled. Showing that we don’t respect the borders they impose us, holding us prisonners of the states borders and in the lagers, we will exercise our basic right of freedom of movement and adress our demands directly where the decisions come from.
We have a dream:
Freedom of movement and of residence for all asylum seekers
Stop the Dublin trap and the obligatory residence in Lagers throughout Europe
Permanent documents without criteria (not depending on working contracts or individual state prosecution)
Stop the imprisonment and deportation of migrants
Same working conditions for all
Same political, social and cultural rights for all: right to study and to work
Stop the European imperialist policies: no more free trade treaties and NATOwars
Abolish Frontex, Eurosur and other anti-migration policies and measures Continue reading →
18.12. has been the third Global Action Day against racism and for the Rights of Migrants, Refugees and displaced People. Get Inforamtion about this transnational Refugee Uprise: http://globalmigrantsaction.org/
In the morning of 18th the Refugees Activists and Friends from Oranienplatz Protest Camp in Berlin gave an suprising press conference in the eu-house at Brandenburger Tor. At the same time the Brandenburger Tor was blocked for one hour to make everyone listen the demands:
Stopp killing Refugees at the european Borders! Stopp Deportations! Freedom of Movement for everyone!
The Brandenburger Tor in the very center of the city is the symbol of reunification of germany and the former border of east and west germany. Now the germans and tourists and all other privileged citizens can move freely through this and many other borders but refugees are being criminalized and isolated from society when they practice their human right for freedom of movement!
In the evening people met again at Alexanderplatz at Rotes Rathaus (City hall) to demonstrate towards the european house once more.
This day was the opening of the campain of a transnational network of Refugee Movements towards the european parliament elections may 2014 and the european migrations summit june 2014, both in bruxelles.
See you at the european wide Protest March to bruxelles! Freedom not frontex!
