France, Coordination of Anarchist Groups - Resistors
libertarian 2 - VENTIMIGLIA, history of struggle for freedom and
dignity (fr, it, pt) [machine translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
The Riviera as a whole · e · e everyone knows, is the favorite destination for wealthy
tourists in the summer: shiny cars, bellies tanning, solid gold jewelery ... the
bourgeoisie is out and s' exposes. Menton, border town with Italy is no exception. A funny
detail, entering the city: a panel, simple, where you can read the following statement,
"Menton: Pearl of France" classification given by the anarchist geographer Elisee Reclus
and taken to their account, it would seem by the local administration. First of many
contradictions that this small area where the legality and the so-called humanism of our
dear governments are left out in favor of an intolerable situation. ---- Indeed, just walk
a few meters after this famous panel to realize that once again, the politicians promise
of a Europe of free movement of people is a myth, and that Schengen or not (Schengen is
supposed to ensure the free movement of persons in Europe since 1999), a border, it closes
when the governor · e · s so decide.
Ponto san ludovico, an impassable border in the schengen area
This is at the border of Ponto San Ludovico, guarded by French gendarmes · e · s and not
Italian carabinieris · · s, we must walk before reaching the No Borders camp, installed
there since the month June Both tourists and activist · e · s are welcomed · e · s by a
large banner that is registered "No Borders, No Nations, we are not going back," often
chanted slogan during numerous events that animate the life of the Permanent Presidio No
Borders (which could result in permanent camp No Borders).
Initially the camp was spontaneously formed in early June by the refugee · e · s who were
tired of living conditions and overcrowding in the camp run by the Red Cross (over 600
people crammed into a space for a capacity of Home 300 refugee · e · s), located next to
the train station Ventimiglia, Italian side. At that point, the decision was made to
occupy the space near the Italian border. Of course, the Italian police did not intend to
leave this space for self-organization and struggle to settle permanently, and June 12,
she tried to evict the encampment. · E · refugee s not therefore had no other choice but
to take refuge on the rocks near the sea, threatening to jump if the police intervened in
this space. Following this, the militant · e · s · Italian · s not the majority, decided
to come and support the struggle of migrant · e · s and install as sustainably as possible
no borders camp on the border, first on the rocks. Then the camp was expanded, situated
barely 100 meters after entering Italian territory. Since the camp is installed, and it is
not planned to go until the border will not be permanently open to all.
The majority of refugee · s · e · e · s now in camps and the Italian Red Cross in the No
Borders camp are people from Sudan and Eritrea, fleeing war, poverty, persecution and
massacres. Generally passing through Libya or Egypt, they and they manage to reach Italy
via the island of Lampedusa, after several days at sea to borrow ever more dangerous roads
hoping to get into Fortress Europe.
These · e · s refugee who escaped death in their country of origin, suffered to some · e ·
s prison and torture in Libya or elsewhere, find themselves having to cross hundreds of
kilometers separating them from Lampedusa up on the Italian border with the minimum
required, so find themselves blocked · e · s with a "simple" border crossing that every
day, hundreds of non-racialized persons can cross without risk control (making the racist
policies clear ethnic profiling). The confrontation with the reality of a Europe which
boasts of being the homeland of freedoms in an offensive and hypocritical rhetoric is all
the harder for these men and women who seek ultimately to flee the death and aspire to a
decent life.
On site, the situation is this: there are three areas of magnitudes, camp the Italian Red
Cross lying next to the Ventimiglia station (place whereby migrating · e · s arrive or are
deport) The low border between Ventimiglia and Menton which has installed the No Borders
Camp and high border (Pont Saint Luigi) where the premises is located PAF (border police)
in the area. It is, among others, on the edge of the upper boundary we can observe the
illegal practices of the French police.
deportation, racism and repression: welcome in europe
First, migrating · e · s · e · s deported from Nice or elsewhere are parked · e · s in
containers, which can remain for several hours without food or water, preventing the same
to their request for asylum in France (from a lawyer Nice, no officer from OFPRA only came
here for 1 year and a half). We were also able to attend the racist police against refugee
· e · s waiting, treating animals and we have prevented several times to give food to
people waiting. Then the refugee · e · e · s are returned · s at the Italian police and
are then routed · e · s by the Italian Red Cross to the camp of the Ventimiglia station,
the starting point of these people trying to cross the border, the practice called
"ping-pong". This is also the Chin Garavan station we can attend the despicable practices
of police · s · e · e · s French, showing a racism that, though it is well known, is still
as challenging to observe.
Indeed, each train coming from Ventimiglia is stopped at the dock by the French police,
who brings everyone racialized train to control the dock, even if the latter · e · s are
in good standing in their title transportation, all under the eye of the user haggard · e
· s and · e · s agent of the SNCF, the latter · e · s not even bothering to explain to
deportees how to reimbursement of their tickets (amounts of up to several hundred euros).
While parallels to "the darkest hours of history" are still in dispute, it is difficult
not to see as some echoes a situation where not so long ago the French State in the
deportation excelled zeal Jun f · · · ve s.
Of course, none of the French police practices are legal, it happens quite regularly that
during raids carried out in Nice or elsewhere, refugee · e · s are denied the right to see
a · e attorney · By the PAF and that their application for asylum is not even taken into
account, the PAF sending them automatically to the Italian border to become prey to
smugglers and carabinieris, although at times some refugee · e · s are being released · e
· s by French police without any specific reason (and without any administrative record
either, for that matter).
All these repressive measures against our migrant comrades · e · s daily and are
uncountable. Whether mass deportations towards the Italian border, the administrative
confinements concentration camps, violence and everyday structural racism, the shit do not
stop at mere 40 kilometers after the Italian border, and deportations may occur also in
Marseille, Paris, Lyon or any other large city in France, hence the vital importance of
the camp no borders, which in particular set up solidarity links between refugee · e · s
as well as with the militant · e · s.
solidarity and self-organization of oppressed · e · s as the only weapon against injustice
On the spot, despite the sharp rise of precariousness, solidarity is organized daily and
effectively. Toilets and showers were built two buildings adjoining the camp were also
requisitioned, one serving as office work and nursing. It is also the space where we find
informative brochures for applicants and asylum seekers, the other serving as storage
space for clothes, blankets and food.
The days begin with a collective household camp conducted by the first · e · s standing
and are linked with the breakfast where coffee and tea are abundant necessary. Then it is
the collective kitchen that is taking place. Performed mix, it allows 200 people on the
camp to eat their fill. During the day, French courses, Italian, English or German is
provided by the militant · e · s who feel ability to animate them. Legal information
needed by refugee · e · s are also data, information which is not given to the camp of the
Italian Red Cross in Ventimiglia. Of course this is quite short courses but are beautiful
moment of conviviality. At times, too, the refugee · e · s give Arabic lessons to militant
· e · s on or geopolitical courses even to try to understand a little the situation of the
countries they have fled and they.
One of the crucial moments of the day is of course the general meeting. Taking place at
various hours, it is mixed and meets on average four or five languages. In fact the AG are
mostly spoken in English and translated into Arabic by the Refugee · e · s that are in
capacity to do so. But the translation is not the only essential element, indeed, a strong
self-discipline is needed to avoid simultaneous discussions and ensure a minimum to be
effective if one wants to make decisions.
These AG are also an opportunity to welcome new and new come · e · s in order to explain
the operation and camp history. It's not only discuss the household or plumbing, it is
also the place where some are taken political decisions and where the word refugee · e · s
can be expressed publicly, although unfortunately there are important decisions and
political things that are taken outside these areas collective decision. The causes of
this problem are numerous, whether the emergency situations, the precariousness of the
place, the pressure suffered by everyone or lack of time to develop concrete tools for
self-management beyond the scope of the informal sector. Despite these organizational
problems, one thing is certain, this camp has a force capable of going beyond the
technical problems and urgency, and its main strength lies in the desire to break down
hierarchies and hand Flat principles of social and economic inequality generated by the
exploitation and injustice of the capitalist system.
On site is also support people who come daily to bring donations of food, clothing, and
daily basis. Associations such as Amnesty International, or AdN Cimade (Nice Democracy
Association) also do a remarkable job tracking, especially on refugee · e · s who are
arrested and deported · e · s since Nice. World doctor about them spend quite regularly to
conduct consultations with migrant · e · s and activist · e · s and of course, a large
network of lawyer · e · s Nice or Paris working with people the camp.
We try every day to experience a model of organization that goes beyond humanitarianism
and hierarchical structures we impose the model of authoritarian society, so obviously,
this does not happen smoothly or problem, but it is tempting 'constantly move in this
direction that we find our true strength.
Of course, the Italian State and its police does not intend to let this fight grow like
that, and because of the media and political invisibility of the local situation ,
repression may befall migrants · e · s as the militant · e · s.
On August 11, Italian police suppressed a demonstration held at Pont Saint Luigi in
support of refugee · e · s trying to cross the mass border, and that same day, the police
complaint against 18 militant · e · s, among them / them, 6 are foglio di via their data,
which means to them / their administrative ban to stay in the territory of Ventimiglia
under threat of prosecution (legacy of fascist legislation introduced by the regime of
Mussolini ), under the pretext that they and only they represent a danger to the state
because of their activism (and for some of their past on other militant struggles). Since
then, two other comrades were banned from the territory, which was followed by a car,
arrested and taken to the police station of Ventimiglia and another living in Dolceacqua,
very close town of Ventimiglia, depriving him of due to freedom of movement in the region
or he lives.
These logical course also be found on the French side, the police did not hesitate to stop
and clubbing comrades. For example, in just two weeks two activists were arrested as fact
these were conducting a surveillance of illegal police practices to senior border (Pont
Saint Luigi), the grounds for the indictment to be summarizing Police holy trinity
outrage, rebellion and violence agent. One of them was remanded in custody for 10 days for
the sole reason that he had a militant past. He is currently under judicial review,
compelled to point twice weekly to a police station and 700 kilometers from the border and
has also received a presence ban in Alpes Maritimes. They constantly pass shortly on trial
at the Nice court.
This repression has the sole purpose of breaking the direct solidarity which is currently
being set up between the militant · e · s support to refugee · e · s and the latter · s ·
e and kill these resistance embryos in the egg. Over time, it is certain that police
intimidation practices that are going to increase, and in a context where European states
are as one answer to this situation that the border closure, it is certain that repression
only going to intensify in the weeks or months ahead.
Local cops prefer to largely address the militant · e · s · e · s present to support and
refuge · e · s as smugglers. For example, in one month, only two couriers were arrested by
the police while the militant · e · s and Refugee · e · s undergo daily these pressures,
proving that even behind the so-called official discourse of war against the smugglers,
the reality is that the collusion between the local mafia and police forces is real and
never challenged (some · e · s comrades who witnessed the smugglers talking with Italian
cops · no · s and enter the Red Cross camp unmolested).
imperialism and exploitation, even reverse of the medal capitalist
This situation on the French-Italian border is only the consequence of a more
comprehensive policy. Although states are seeking to differentiate the refugee · e · s and
undocumented suffer the same causes and even consequences. The same causes because the
war, exploitation of foreign workers · e · s and neo-colonialism have the same
consequences in the end, that is, mass displacement, forced to flee · e · a situation that
and they have not chosen.
In fact, when the English state decides to pass a law banning illegal employment of
migrants · e · s, it is a way of stigmatizing the proletarians and create false leaders
the real problems. Namely that this situation is not exceptional in Europe, the Bossi Fini
law in Italy to ban such migrant · e · s to work without a contract, knowing that unlike
France, there is not a labor code protects workers against the employers, regardless of
their legal or social status. In France, it also made many years that the judiciary is to
become a deportation machine. This is due to a strict tightening of conditions for access
to adjustments, and this, whether migrants · e · s economic or refugee · e · s policy.
Elsewhere in Europe, the Spanish government continues to rage against migrant · e · s
trying to pass the colonial enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla; the situation on the Hungarian
border holding of open war against refugee · e · s and there are still so many examples in
Europe and in the world of this military buildup of border areas (the Mexican-unienne
border states is a good example). And false answers are not more satisfactory either. When
the German government, for example, decides to host mass of exiled · e · s, one can doubt
without falling into cynicism, it is significant that Merkel decides to host as many
refugee · e · s when, in parallel, sociological studies tend to prove that the German
population is aging and that the country may need to quickly hand quite cheap labor
increasingly focusing his speech on the Christians of Syria. This does not detract from
the remarkable attitude against German · e · s and beautiful images that can be seen for
several weeks with hundreds of protester · e · s waiting at train stations to accommodate
refugees · e · s.
intensify the fight here and now for the free movement of people and destruction of borders
Wait while the ruling · e · s that constantly climbing operated · e · s · e · them one
against the other s? Nothing, and absolute manner. What can we do then? It is essential in
such a crisis of capitalism to reinforce the links between tou · te · s · e · operated the
s. And if the examples of solidarity that begin to come at this time in Europe is a strong
signal (several events bringing together tens of thousands of supporters to refugee · e ·
s recently held in England, Germany and Denmark together under the slogan "Refugees
Welcome"), we can not content ourselves with demonstrations whose sole purpose is the
reception of refugee · e · s arrival on French territory, English, German, Swedish or
other European countries.
What we need to achieve is an offensive movement, linking the realities of undocumented
workers with refugee · e · s, and the proletarians as a whole with or without the right
papers unite in order obtain mass adjustments and change its foundations racist laws that
have only accumulated in recent years. Be uncompromising · e · s with respect to
organizations who seek to divide us and to intervene as soon as necessary to fill the gap
currently existing policy (for proof, Nice, an event to support refugee · e · his was
organized by ... the head of the local secretary of the PS). Finally, ensure that the
slogan "No Borders No Nations" is not an ideological stance, but a concrete reality.
For this reason, the situation should not become Ventimiglia that of Calais with thousands
of people remain stranded at the border survival in inhuman conditions. The speech by
Manuel Valls about it is not reassuring. As the conclusion of the meeting of Ministers of
the European internal is clear on this: to resolve the problem of migrant · e · s, we must
close borders and recruiting more cops. While this gives a little like walking on the
head, I think it is clear that things will go in that direction if a radical reaction does
not come quickly. For this it is essential that grows fast enough, and that international
order, an anti-racist and class solidarity with the comrades retained · e · s on the
Franco-Italian border and more widely in Europe.
What does this mean in practice? From a purely pragmatic point of view, it is of course
possible to make cash donations (all donation information are findable on the facebook
page Presidio Permanente No Borders Ventimiglia or blog www.borders20miglia.noblogs.org ),
but what is most needed in the No Borders Camp is a network of solidarity and direct
action to make visible the situation there, because even though for the bourgeois media,
what happens to the Franco-Italian border is less impressive than what we can observe in
Calais or Paris, the fact remains that we are facing an insurmountable barrier in Europe,
and if nothing is done to intensify the strength of this camp, it is certain that with the
winter and the fact that the border may end sealed, it will soon probably thousands of
migrant · e · s who will find themselves unable to cross this obstacle.
As anarchists, we must push on us in our local realities that a racist discourse of class
solidarity materializes.
Whether through local support committee Ventimiglia camp and tou · te · e · s migrating ·
s · e · s blocked within Fortress Europe or its doors, or any Another tool, it is
essential not to let the opportunity to do · s · politician of every stripe to recover the
solidarity movement currently emanate spontaneously. It is also to question our own
practices, our relationship to colonialism and the structural racism that we can also be
the bearer · is · s, we activist · e · s · European antiracist does · s · e · s with good
papers. Paternalism can watch · e each of us and it is also essential to conduct a
theoretical and practical about how to fit into these struggles without taking control or
risk popping these essential areas of self-organization and self-determination of our
comrades operated · e · s. Let us not be afraid of questioning and be ready · e · s to
change our theoretical and practical towards a common revolutionary practice because
imperialism and colonialism are not a speech, they are realities concrete experienced by
hundreds of thousands of refugees · e · s which are, obviously, many things to teach us
with respect to these topics. Let attenti · f · ve · s to different call may come from the
camp No Borders Ventimiglia, work daily to strengthen the links between this struggle,
that of Calais, that of refugee · e · s Chapel and other refugee camps · e · s of paris,
the undocumented anywhere else and be reactive · ve · s.
At Ventimiglia as elsewhere, borders are the weapon of capitalism to better divide us. · E
· s operated from here and elsewhere, we will not let ourselves do.
No borders, no nations
We are not going back!
Liason Toulouse
http://www.c-g-a.org/motion/ventimiglia-histoire-dune-lutte-pour-la-liberte-et-la-dignite
