Dear all,
Our monthly Newsletter about the antiracist movement in Germany and beyond is available now again in three languages on our website. Find the links below and the english version attached.
Best greetings,
hagen
English version:
http://kompass.antira.info/files/2015/01/35kompass_newsletter_Jan2015_eng.pdf
French version:
http://kompass.antira.info/files/2015/01/35kompass_newsletter_Jan2015_frz.pdf
German version:
http://kompass.antira.info/files/2015/01/35kompass_newsletter_Jan2015.pdf
Kompass – AntiRa – Newsletter Nr. 35 - January 2015
7 January in Dessau - Oury Jalloh Demonstration +++ 20 January in Munich – Action Day concerning NSU Process – “Keupstrasse is everywhere” +++ 31 January in Hamburg - "Never mind the papers" Demonstration +++ 4 to 8 February in Berlin – Transnational Action Days opposing the War against Migrants +++ Continuation of the Campaign against the sharpening up of Asylum Laws +++ Campaign against the Asylum Seekers’ Social Benefits Act +++ Hard times and right-wing mobilisations in Berlin +++ Perspectives: 18 March in Frankfurt for Blockupy, as of 24 March in Tunis for the World Social Forum ...
Dear Friends!
Not only factually – as it had been last year – but also as far as the mass media were concerned, the theme of the turn of the year was the arrival and reception of refugees. No news broadcast went without this theme and this in the area of tension between new boat tragedies and (reactions against) Pegida. We already formulated some assessments on the subject in the December newsletter and combined a stock-taking review of 2014 with a first perspective on the chances and challenges for 2015.
A few additional remarks on the start of the year: According to the Italian Ministry of the Interior “167,462 refugees reached Italy by sea from 1 January up to 17 December 2014. This is an average of 477 a day." This remains unparalleled for the central Mediterranean and until half-December the Italian authorities provided rescue operations up to far into the Libyan territorial waters . Thereupon “one of the top managers of Frontex, Klaus Rösler, demanded on 9 December 2014, from the international community and in particular from the Italian government, no longer to rescue boat people outside the Italian 30-mile coastal area when they broadcast Mayday calls. He referred rhetorically to the responsibility of the Libyan coast guard who - as is well-known - has not existed for months due to new military conflicts. In other words: on 9 December 2014 Klaus Rösler, from the highest position of an EU Agency, made an appeal to leave people to die massively”, see
http://ffm-online.org/2014/12/15/ertrinkenlassen-der-aufhaltsame-aufstieg-von-frontex-roesler/
Against this background an updated Frontex Campaign, to denunciate and force back the lethal policy of deterrence which is expedited by the German Frontex chief, would seem urgently required and, in view of the prevailing critical public opinion, also possible. It is an absolute mockery when in early January 2015 Frontex, of all organisations, blames the professional refugee helpers for a “new degree of cruelty", because on several bigger refugee boats the crew left the ship in order to avoid their own criminalisation. Even though without a doubt unscrupulous business men are at work in the expensive migration trade across the Mediterranean, yet we will continue to put it clearly: the thousand-fold death at sea is a product of the EU border regime. This “European disgrace”, including the entire trade with risky sea crossings, could be history by tomorrow, if refugees and migrants were allowed to buy ordinary boat and plane tickets and thus to travel as safely and cheaply as tourists. The barbaric visa and border regime should and could be abolished immediately!
2014 in the area of Aegaen over 11.000 Boatpeople landed on Lesbos, another record number. In the Maroccan enclaves Ceuta and Melilla the year 2014 finished like it has started: more mass runs on the fences, see herefor the chronic at the end of the report:
https://beatingborders.wordpress.com/2014/12/31/as-2014-ends-more-migrants-overcome-the-obstacles-to-arrive-in-europe/
The external border of the EU was and will be hard-fighted especially in the southern part. The transnational action days from 4 to 8 February 2015 in Berlin (see below) are a first chance to take up this struggles from here and continue together. The inner German and transnational potential of antiracist movements looks more diverse and stronger than before but it there is still a lack of obliging higher level structures, which are able to develop a concrete strategy to push through. This is something we really need within the next month to kindle new dynamics for the struggle against the outer and also the inner borders. To give an example of the last one: the campaign against the tightening of asylum laws (see report below), which suggest more resistance against the widen of the custody pending deportation regime. It was written in the newsletter of December that it was a big effort of the movement in 2014 to stop the practice of custody pending deportation as an instrument for criminalization and blackmailing of refugees. This big step within the struggle of the inner borders we can't give up again. The danger exists that the hardliners from the Departments of the Interior will walk so to speak in lee of the Pegida-debate and say yes to the cabinets draft containing the tightening. The motive could be a mixture of a putative delimination and so called “quitening down” of the right mob. There are less month to cross this plannings, with the help of the ongoing critical public and the potential of our movement we have a good chance. Let's take it!
In this sense we wish a happy new year.
The Kompass-Crew
P.S.: With post script comes the link to a worth reading “Christmas greeting of the 1989s” - 25 years after wall fall - PEGIDA – Nie wieda! (“Pegida – never again”) Look http://www.taz.de/!151748/
Dates and Campaign in January 2015
7 January in Dessau
On 7 January 2015 it will be the 10th anniversary of death of Oury Jalloh, from the appeal:
"Oury Jalloh has been murdered on 7 January 2005 by police in Dessau-Roßlau, bestial and collectivly. After arresting him for nothing and brutal violence Oury has been fixed on his hands and foot to a firesave matress, poured with several litres of accelerant and burnt alive, all these happened in cell number 5 of the police departnement in Wolfgangstraße. On 4 September 2014 the German Federal Supreme Court give his blessing to the murderers and closes the row of complicity and cover-ups. …”
The whole appeal and more material:
http://initiativeouryjalloh.wordpress.com/
http://thevoiceforum.org/node/3797
10 years of impunity after the German police murdered our brother Oury Jalloh - Youtube Video: The lighter Flame
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2MBB8jA3XU
January 20th in Munich
Keupstrasse is everywhere – For a society without racism
From the call:
“Now it´s official: From January 12th the Higher Regional Court Munich will work on the complex ´the nail bomb attack on Keupstrasse`. On January 20th 2015 starts the interrogation of persons concerned. The longtime called day X is now fixed: We go to Munich on tuesday, January 20th 2015.
The initiative “Keupstrasse ist überall” and the action alliance “NSU-Komplex auflösen” call out for an action day in front of the Higher Regional Court in Munich. From lots of cities in Germany there will be people coming to the trial of Keupstrasse in the NSU court case to show solidarity to all relatives and persons affected by NSU´s serial of murder and attack.
The complete call:
http://keupstrasse-ist-ueberall.de/aufruf-fuer-eine-gesellschaft-ohne-rassismus-20-01-2015-muenchen/
January 31th in Hamburg
*New alliance against racism founded*
*Never mind the papers – Right to the city for everybody!*
Since almost two years Lampedusa group fights for the right of residence in Hamburg. Also other refugee groups from Lager Horst and Schnackenburgsallee amongst others organized themselves to fight for the improvement of their living conditions. The alliance Right to the city – never mind the papers! a union of refugee and supporter groups – also in the face of the elections in Hamburg – with actions and a big demonstration on 31.1.15 (13pm at Landungsbrücken Hamburg) to call attention to the current problems and demands:
Affordable living space for everybody! Work permit for everybody!
Abolish the deportation system!
More info:
http://nevermindthepapers.noblogs.org/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Recht-auf-Stadt-never-mind-the-papers/373524372808420?ref=ts&fref=ts
5th - 8th of feburary 2015 in Berlin - transnational action days
We organize four action and workshop days in february 2015 in Berlin. During these days we plan to make a mourn and memorial demonstration due to the anniversary of the massacre in Ceuta on February 6th 2014.
No more war against migrants!
These days there will be workshops with different aspects of the EU war against migration, at the EU outer borders and the internal politics. This is an opportunity to make way for the creation of a transnational action platform for migrants, refugees and initiatives with the CISPM – International Coalition of Paperless, Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers. Delegations from eight different countries (Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, Spain) and Tunesia are expected...
Continuation of the campaign against racist tightening laws
It has been made different attempts during the second half of the year 2014 to mobilize against essential tighenting ups in asylum-, migrationlaw and the European Union right to free movement and to stop them. This includes for example the classification of different Balkan States as so-called safe country of origins but also the reform of the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act as well as the massive extension of grounds for detention during the asylum procedure. In fact most of these tighenting ups are done. But especially the important question of an extension of grounds for detention is just through the cabinet and also needs to go through the federal parliament and ist supposed to take effect in summer. Different EU-guidelines needs to be transferred into german law and CSU just annonced another tightening up of the asylum law. Given that, we want to coninue our campaign against these racist tightening ups and hope for active participation.
More information: http://migrationsgesetze.info/
Campaign against the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act
Since November 2014 there is a campaign run by Medibüro, Medinetz and medical refugee supports who is against the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act, have a look: http://stopasylblg.de/
“On the occasion of the amendment at federal level we demanded its abolition and additional besides leaflets we put some background information on the webpage.”
Further questions to kampagne@stopasylblg.de
Hard times and right-minded mobilisation in Berlin
Sista Mimi's Death and arrests in the occupied school
During an unannounced fire protection inspection at 5am on the 10th of December there have been arrested two inhabitants of the school in Ohlauer Straße in Berlin. In the following night Sista Mimi died. She fought for human rights for two years (Video Interview: https://www.betterplace.org/en/projects/24683-make-sista-mimi-s-last-wish-come-true/news/107476), at last in the occupied school in Kreuzberg. The next morning another inhabitant of the school was arrested – during his mourning wither others in front of the school! The three arrested persons are still in custody:http://oplatz.net/2014/12/30/free-our-friends-call-for-donations-and-demo-on-31-12-2014-2245-u-turmstr-jva-moabit/
Around 400 – 500 persons visited JVA in Moabit in the silvester night. Sista Mimi is going to be buried in dignity in Kenia.
More than 200 people had a hand in collecting the needed 7000 Euros within less than four days. Now
it goes on collecting money for the daughter in Kenia to study:
https://www.betterplace.org/en/projects/24683-make-sista-mimi-s-last-wish-come-true/news/107697).
Right-minded Mobilitations against refugee camps
Since more than two months now Nazis and right-minded people demonstrate using the motto “we dont want refugee camps” weekly around Berlin.
Inter alia every monday in Marzahn there are demonstrations. They are organised by notorious Nazis who describe themselves as citizens' movement but in fact they are nothing more than a branch of Pegida and so on. The 5th of January the citizens' movement want to go onto the streets, now under the name “Patrioten e.V.” which is made up of groups like “German Defence League”, “Pro Deutschland”, “Die Freiheit” and supporters of AFD&NPD. Besides Marzahn and Buch, where usually about 300 to 1000 right-minded persons gather, the so-called citizens' movement also demonstratein Köpenick, Hohenschönhausen, Lichtenberg, Hellersdorf and Oranienburg.
There are again and again Counterdemonstration, organised by refugees welcome, Berlin gegen Nazis, cometogether, and different other alliances and even the Berlin Senat calls to protest …
http://www.berlin-gegen-nazis.de/aktuelles/gemeinsam-gegen-rassistische-hetze-und-soziale-ausgrenzung
Outlook for the next months:
18.3.2015 in Frankfurt
Demonstration and blockades during the opening ceremony of the European Central Bank in Frankfurt
http://blockupy.org/4342/aufruf-18-maerz-2015-transnationale-aktionen-gegen-die-ezb-eroeffnungsfeier-lets-take-over-the-party/
From 24.3.2015 in Tunis
Worldsocialforum in Tunis, before that carawan of refugees and migrants from Paris and Bamako to Tunis …
http://openfsm.net/projects/fsm2015wsf-prepint/project-home
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