Here is the call for activists/associations and individuals to come to ventimiglia this week, where many migrants are struck after France has closed its borders to Italy.
The calls attached are in Italian and in (a bad) English.
Ventimglia needs activists to help out with the situation there! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Presidio-Permanente-NO-Borders-Ventimiglia/782827925168723?fref=ts
HERE WE ARE!
Il presidio permanente No Borders di Ventimiglia festeggia il primo mese e guarda avanti
Il presidio permanente No Borders di Ventimiglia festeggia il primo mese e guarda avanti
Il presidio permanente No Borders in questo fine settimana ha festeggiato il suo primo mese di lotta contro tutte le frontiere, ed è proprio con l'energia, la determinazione e la consapevolezza acquisite in queste lunghe giornate che riaffermiamo che da qui non si torna indietro, we are not going back!
Sabato sera una lunga assemblea comune di migranti e solidali è stata l'occasione per confrontarsi con i nuovi arrivati. Inglese, arabo e italiano si sono alternati per ore e ognuno dei partecipanti ha potuto toccare con mano la consistenza delle nostre rivendicazioni.
I migranti non hanno dubbi, molti di loro sono stati respinti al confine o fermati ed espulsi dalla Francia verso l'Italia, e sentono quindi profondamente l'importanza di un luogo di resistenza come il presidio. Qui si lotta insieme, ci si prepara al viaggio, si costruisce un futuro senza confini, dove non saranno le impronte digitali a determinare dove si ha o meno il diritto di costruire la propria vita.
La mattina di domenica ci si dedica per due ore alla pulizia degli scogli. Nel pomeriggio in un momento di organizzazione allargato alle tante e tanti solidali italiani e francesi arrivati al presidio emerge il bisogno di costruire delle iniziative più ampie per le prossime settimane. Tanto la lotta che si sta portando avanti, quanto il dibattito che necessariamente ne deve scaturire, non possono limitarsi alla sola Ventimiglia, ma devono trovare le modalità per diffondersi sui territori e guardare oltre confine.
Il dibattito ha poi concretizzato queste riflessioni lanciando l'organizzazione di due fine settimana di incontri aperti ai tanti e tante che condividono questo percorso di lotta. Per il 18 e 19 luglio si è pensato di organizzare due giorni dedicati alle questioni legali, sia per condividere informazioni precise con migranti e solidali, che per affrontare alcune questioni specifiche con le quali ci confrontiamo quotidianamente.
Il 24, 25 e 26 luglio si è proposto invece di organizzare tre giorni di confronto transnazionale con attivisti delle reti No Borders, associazioni e movimenti italiane e francesi ed operatori sociali dell'accoglienza, alternando momenti di discussione ad azioni che rivendichino la libertà di movimento.
Finito l'incontro organizzativo il presidio prepara il momento di protesta che i migranti avevano proposto nell'assemblea del giorno prima. Si scrive sugli striscioni “Open the borders, we need to pass”, “nous ne sommes pas des criminels” e si va insieme verso la frontiera scandendo gli slogan del presidio e scatenando una battitura che va avanti fino al tramonto.
La sera è dedicata ad un momento di festa grazie alla musica dei Viale Lizzadro e Civico Mondo che infiammano il presidio al ritmo di canti popolari.
Il morale è alto e in alto stanno i nostri cuori. Here we are, we are not going back!
Presidio permanente No Borders
Ventimiglia, 13 Luglio 2015
Ventimiglia, 13 Luglio 2015
The permanent protest camp No Borders this weekend celebrated its first month of struggle against all borders, and it is with the energy, the determination and the knowledge acquired in these long days that we reaffirm that here no going back, we are not going back!
Saturday night a long common assembly of migrants and solidarity was an opportunity to deal with the new arrivals. English, Arabic and Italian took turns for hours and each participant was able to touch the consistency of our claims.
The migrants have no doubt, many of them have been rejected at the border or detained and deported from France to Italy, and feel so deeply the importance of a place of resistance such as the protest camp. Here we fight together, we are preparing to travel, we build a future without borders, where there will be fingerprints to determine where or not they have the right to build their lives.
On Sunday morning, it is forseen to clean the rocks which are used for camping for two hours. In the afternoon, in a moment of organization expanded to many and many sympathetic Italians and French came to the protest emerges the need to build larger initiatives for the coming weeks. So the struggle that is being carried out, as the debate that necessarily must come, can not be limited only to Ventimiglia, but must find ways to spread the territories and look over the border.
The debate eventually led these reflections launching the organization of two weekend meetings open to the many and many who share this path of struggle. For the 18 and 19 July it was decided to organize two days dedicated to legal issues, both to share accurate information with migrants and solidarity, that to address some specific issues with which we are confronted daily.
The 24, 25 and 26 July was proposed instead of organizing a three-day confrontation with transnational network No Borders activists, associations and movements, and French and Italian operators social acceptance, alternating moments of discussion to actions that assert the freedom of movement .
Finished the organizational meeting preparing the camp time to protest that migrants were quoted in the assembly the day before. Is written on the banners "Open the borders, we need to pass", "nous sommes pas des criminels" and go together to the border chanting slogans of defense that goes on until sunset.
Evenings can be spent at a time of celebration to the music Lizzadro Avenue and Civic World that inflame the camp to the rhythm of popular songs.
Morale is high and at the top are our hearts. Here we are, we are not going back!
Permanent protest camp No BordersVentimiglia, 13 July 2015
Alarm Phone weekly report 13-19th of July
*Alarm Phone weekly report 13-19th of July*
On Monday the 13th of July, the Alarm Phone was contacted by a woman who
told us about a vessel that had left Alexandria in Egypt about one week
earlier, carrying approximately 600 people. Her family was on the vessel
and she was unable to connect with them ever since they left Egypt,
leaving her worried. MRCC Rome confirmed that they knew of the vessel.
It had not been rescued but it was supposed to arrive independently in
the Italian port of Taranto. While an ultimate confirmation of their
safe arrival could not be obtained it can be assumed (see:
http://watchthemed.net/index.php/reports/view/170).
On Tuesday the 14th of July, we were informed by Nawal Soufi's
activist collective about an emergency situation in the Central
Mediterranean Sea. They stated that a vessel had left Egypt 7 days
earlier, carrying about 250 people, including women and children. A few
hours later the shift team was able to speak to the passengers directly.
They stated that there were about 300 people on board who had been at
sea for 7 days already and were now without drinking water. MRCC Rome
coordinated a rescue operation in the evening. After disembarkation in
Sicily it emerged that a 10 year old diabetic girl from Syria had died
during the journey. Following media reports and based on her parents’
accounts, those in charge of the vessel had thrown the girl's bag
overboard which contained her insulin. She fell into a coma and then
passed away. Upon arrival, the Italian police arrested three Egyptians
thought to be the smugglers (see:
http://watchthemed.net/index.php/reports/view/171).
Also on Tuesday the 14th, the Alarm Phone shift team was contacted
from passengers on a vessel in the Western Mediterranean Sea, carrying
11 people, including a woman and a baby. We reached out the Spanish
rescue agency Salvamento Maritimo and passed on the obtained
information. Salvamento then contacted us shortly afterwards, stating
that they could not get through to the travellers. We were also unable
to re-establish our communication with them. Later on Salvamento
Maritimo informed us that the Moroccan Navy had intercepted a vessel
with 11 people on board (see:
http://watchthemed.net/index.php/reports/view/172).
On Wednesday the 15th of July, the Alarm Phone received a call from
relatives whose family had left the Moroccan coast in the night. They
were concerned and passed on information about the travellers as well as
a mobile phone number. About 25 men, 4 women and 1 baby had left Morocco
at around 3am. In the evening, Salvamento Maritimo confirmed the rescue
of the vessel and the travellers would be brought to Motril in Spain.
We called our initial contact persons in Morocco and told them about the
good news. They were relieved and thanked us (see:
http://watchthemed.net/index.php/reports/view/173).
Also on Wednesday the 15th , we received a distress call from the
Aegean Sea. The travellers reported that they were on a vessel near
Samos Island/Greece and that their vessel was capsizing. Despite being
very uncooperative for most of the day, the Greek coastguard finally
confirmed a rescue operation in the evening. A few days later, we were
able to get in touch with the person who called us so that their rescue
could be fully confirmed
(http://watchthemed.net/index.php/reports/view/174).
On Friday the 17th of July, the Alarm Phone was contacted by a group of
travellers that was already on land but lost on Symi Island, Greece.
There were 15 people in total, 6 women, one of whom as pregnant, 6 men
and 3 children. Two men, one because of old age and one who got injured
when falling off the vessel, needed immediate medical attention. They
had also run out of food and water and asked for urgent help. Later on
they told us that they had called various rescue numbers, without
success. Although we alerted several authorities to the case, the
travellers were still in distress and at the same place a day later.
Later on, the Symi port authorities said that they found a group of
Syrian travellers who had been transferred to the local police station.
At the police station, they confirmed this but it could not be
conclusively verified that this was the group in question (see:
http://watchthemed.net/index.php/reports/view/175).
On Saturday the 18th of July, the Alarm Phone was contacted by someone
who told us about 8 passengers on a vessel that had left Morocco, trying
to reach Spain. The call reached us in the early morning, at around 4am,
to inform us that he would reach out to us again if the travellers
needed support. Later in the afternoon, our contact person reported that
the vessel had been intercepted by Moroccan authorities and its
passengers were returned to Morocco (see:
http://watchthemed.net/reports/view/176).
