"Without a doubt, the direct readmissions to Turkey at 4th of April marks a major incident, as part of the brutal attempt to break the dynamics of the refugee movements with every available means. But the daily struggles will decide about the social reality in the near future…"
Find our Kompass-AntiRa-Newsletter for April 2016 in english full text attached and as PDF with layout in english, french and german in the following links. Pls help to spread.
Best regards,
hagen
http://kompass.antira.info/files/2016/04/48Kompass_Newsletter_Apr16_en.pdf
french:
http://kompass.antira.info/files/2016/04/48Kompass_Newsletter_Avr16_fr.pdf
german:
Kompass – AntiRa – Newsletter No. 48, April 2016
Roll Back in the Aegean? +++ Resistance from Chios to Idomeni +++ Thousands reach Sicily +++ From 15 to 18 April ‘No Frontex Days’ in Catania +++ 23 April in Padborg: Cross the Border Denmark +++ Call-out for Trains of Hope +++ Must-read Book: Die Bleibenden (The Stayers) +++ Reviews: overthefortress, NoBorder Action Days Freiburg-Basel +++ Previews: Welcome2stay Summit, ‘Defencing’ at the Slovak-Croatian Border, NoBorder Camp Thessaloniki, No Stress Tour…
Dear Friends,
Fourth of April 2016: the so-called ‘Turkey Deal’ is starting on the fast track. More than 200 refugees are pushed back to Turkey from the Greek islands of Lesvos and Chios, the operation being carried out by Frontex and stage-managed in the mass media as an exemplary action. With disregard for the overt breach of the Geneva Convention, determent at any price. After the closure of the Balkan Route, will we now get to direct mass expulsions? The ultimate roll back in the Aegean?
That is how they would like it and the antiracist movement should be on its guard against reproducing the demonstrative power of the border regime. Without a doubt, the Fourth of April marks a major incident, as well as the brutal attempt to break the dynamics of the refugee movements with every available means. But the daily struggles will decide about the social reality in the near future, that is how it has been in the past few years. Also the greatest successes until now in the struggle for freedom of movement in the summer and fall of 2015, were the result of the tenacity of the social movements of refugees and migrants.
For many years – and also in the ‘record year’ 2015 – October has been the month during which the most people arrived on the Greek islands. That still gives us seven months. So seven months at least during which the solidarity and the common struggle for a different, more open Europe, are needed more than ever, and during which it will become clear whether, and to what extent, the rulers will succeed in permanently stabilizing their new racist regime of migration control.
The EU-Turkey agreement was executed rashly; whether and how long it will remain in force may already be questioned in many ways. It is true that a new break-through along the Balkan borders is not to be expected at this moment and it would immediately be blocked with military force, but the potential resistance of the refugee and migration movements remains permanently strong in hard-won places across Greece. In the camp in Idomeni and during blockades on the highway to Macedonia, in the dozens of new camps on the mainland, as well as during protests on the islands of Lesbos or Chios, during street demonstrations and in newly squatted houses in Athens and Thessaloniki: “Open the borders” is the slogan shouted everywhere by thousands of people, the echo of which will keep Europe moving in the next weeks and months.
In this respect the NoBorder Camp in Thessaloniki from 15 until 24 July (see below) may– as a booster and catalyst – take place at exactly the right moment.
In solidarity,
The Kompass Team
P.S. concerning our newsletter: Kompass is urgently seeking translators, in particular for French. Please contact us.
Information and appointments in April 2016
Roll Back in the Aegean Sea? Resistance from Chios to Idomeni
As written introductory, against the background of the closed Balkan route just like the first push-backs into Turkey there have been involved many daily fights in different cities in Greece. Those large protests of the affected persons come across with an enormous solidarity among the Greeks and everywhere there are international activists on their way to Greece.
Daily short reports from Idomeni and lagers in northern Greece are to be found on: Bordermonitoring.eu:
Here, you can also find the last, failed “March of Hope” from 14 March 2016 on.
Project Moving Europe is present since November 2015, more reports concerning the region on the new website:
Concerning the current situation in Athens as well as on the Greek islands, there are current reports on the website of w2eu-Infomobils:
This is an overview of the repression and criminalization on Lesbos:
This is a report concerning the fights on Chios:
More reports concerning the EU-Turkey-Deal and the situation in the lagers in Athens/Piraeus from Pro Asyl
Refugee Movement Journey
A group of self-organized refugees from Berlin, Munich and other cities (now they have valid travel documents) are on the move in Greece since the 24 April, from Idomeni to Chios. Their travel reports are to be found here:
More reports concerning the situation in the Balkans and Greece:
Trains of hope – Call to Solidarity with struck refugees in Greece …
“For the instant service of free railway of Deutsche Bahn AG Athen – Thessaloniki - Berlin”
The complete Call to sign:
Thousands reach Sicily; 15 to 18 of April: No Frontex Days in Catania
End of March thousands of people have been rescued on boats coming from Libya within a few days in the central Mediterranean by the coast guard. But it is wrong to put the new increase of boats direction Italy in a context with controls and repressions in the Aegean Sea.
Because the social composition of refugees and migrations is totally different: People in the Aegean Sea are mostly from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq whereas people coming from Libya are originally from Nigeria, Gambia and other sub-Saharian countries.
Both flight movements are confronted with the same system of military control.
“No Frontex” action days take place in Catania in Sicily from the 15 to 18 April. Thats also the first anniversary of the more than 1200 drowned people in April 2015 as a consequence of the Frontex politics.
There is the English call:
Demonstrations, workshops, events and meetings concerning Frontex, missed persons, situation in Sicily and Italy are planned … Provisional Program in English:
23 April in Padborg: Cross the Border Denmark
“Cross the border” is an action of civil disobedience organized by Flygtningeaktionen, Welcome To Denmark andReaktion.
“We will meet at the train station in Padborg at 2 pm. Further information about the course of the action will be shared then. There will be buses from Copenhagen and Århus. From Padborg train station we will walk to the border as a group and cross it without showing identity documents. Thereby we will transform the border zone into an open space where the refugees of the world will be welcomed and will receive the aid they deserve...”
Read the complete call for action at
Book recommendation “The remaining” (Die Bleibenden)
“The remaining. How refugees have been changing Germany since 20 years”. Today everybody in Germany talks about refugees, but almost no one talks about their struggles. The book is a little attempt at countering this, at not letting the history of those struggles be forgotten and at remembering their importance for the present and future. Includes 12 worth reading portraits of refugee activists as well as interesting assessments of past and present.
This is the publisher´s website, including references to events relating to the book:
Reviews
overthefortress:
In late March about 200 activists started from Italy to support the demand for open borders in Idomeni and Thessaloniki with protests and demonstrations. On 3rd April the same coalition called for action at the Brenner, directed especially against Austria´s restrictive politics of walling-off.
Call and documentation here:
Short film about the confrontation with Austrian police at the Brenner:
No Border Action days Freiburg-Basel
Photos and reports about the activities between Freiburg and Basel on 2nd April 2016:
Outlook
Welcome2stay Summit from 10 to 12 June 2016 in Leipzig
„Call for Contribution
Last year the incredible happened: hundredth thousands of people trespassed various borders on their own and reached Germany. As it became evident that the government is not in the position to handle this situation in an effective manner, about ten thousand maybe even millions of volunteers created structures of solidarity and understanding. They started to organize festivals and tried to act against all kinds of hate speech. The result was a wide transnational process beyond all kinds of institutions. New questions were raised about equal distribution, social affiliation and rights.
In contrast there was also a strongly emerging racism which perceived the new situation not as a collective challenge but in a competition of the unjustly distribution of social fortune. This kind of racism is in the spotlight of the media that becomes apparent in the actions of right wing parties and deployments, arson and physical attacks. Further it shows itself in the return of national borders, the inhuman conditions in refugee camps and the deprivation of rights when it comes to the asylum packages. Due to the outrage of the nationalists there was not much attention given to the numerous solidarity projects, initiatives and achievements. The goal of the summit in Leipzig is supposed to change that!
Its main interest lies in giving attention to the highly interconnected and efficiently working humanitarian and independent “movement of the many”. It should be given a voice which cannot be ignored anymore and becomes part of public discourse again.
Furthermore there should be the next step taken to transform the “Welcome Culture” to a “Stay Culture” according to the needs of the various participants.
Therefore we invite all participants from refugee groups, Antira connections, volunteers, activists, networkers, but also activists from institutions and organizations that fight for equal rights for everyone.
We invite all of you to be part of the summit and its planning and organization.
Further information can be found here:
Defencing at the Slovenian-Croatian Border
The defencing at the Slovenian-Croatian border is expected to take place in the end of June or beginning of July. At first the three-day festival was planned for the end of May. On a transnational meeting in Ljubljana it is going to be decided on which date – either end of June or beginning of July – it should be postponed and how the actual organization is supposed to look like.
Noborder Camp Thessaloniki:
The date for the NoBorder Camp in Thessaloniki is confirmed: It will be from the 15 to 24 July.
Preparations are already in progress.
The Call for Contribution and further information can be found here: http://noborder2016.espivblogs.net
A statewide preparation meeting for the NoBorder Camp in Thessaloniki is being held on the 23/24 April 2016 in Göttingen.
End of June until October 2016: No Stress Tour
The NO STRESS Tour project tries to assemble refugees through various athletic, cultural and political activities to give them the opportunity to discuss the bad conditions in their camps and give them the chance to fight for their rights.
The tour takes place between June and October 2016. There are already living quarters/camps in Berlin and Bielefeld but the goal is to extend the tour into other cities and regions.
Contact: CISPM Berlin