„… 16.9.17: We`ll Come United! Thousands participated in this particular, perhaps even unique composition in Berlin in a loud and colourful demonstration for freedom of movement and equal rights…. Finally everybody agreed: it was one of our best demonstrations within last years, it was worth the efforts and it encouraged all of us for the further daily resistance, locally and transnationally….“
Our monthly newsletter with the main topic on the We`ll Come United parade. You find the full text version attached, and in the following links a layouted version with several impressive pictures from 16.9.17 in Berlin.
best greetings, hagen
english version:
http://www.antira-kompass.info/sites/default/files/2017-10/63Kompass_Newsletter_Sep17_en.pdfgerman version:
Kompass – AntiRa – Newsletter Nr. 63, October 2017
We`ll Come United-Parade - that was our day +++ Whistle of Legalization - Speech from Osnabrück about the Struggle against Dublin +++ Starting at 1.10.: Info-Tour with Guests from Kongo and Mali +++ 3.10. in Freiburg: The Walls have to go +++ 6.-8.10. in Leipzig: Self-determined and in Solidarity - Conference on Migration, Development, Ecological Crisis +++ Alarm Phone Report: Deterrence no matter what… +++ Sea Watch 1 in the Aegean and Moonbird in further Rescue Operations in the Central Med +++ 4./5.11. in Berlin: How to continue with We`ll Come United +++ Manu Chau Song for the Best Hotel of Europe/City Plaza Athens +++ Reviews: Rome: Demonstration against Evictions; Tunis: Successful Alarm Phone Conference +++ Outlook: Traveling Exhibition „Yallah?! Across the Balkanroute“
Dear Friends!
When the march started, the atmosphere was immediately thrilling. Moreover full sunshine: perfect weather for a parade! We`ll Come United! Thousands participated in this particular, perhaps even unique composition in Berlin in a loud and colourful demonstration for freedom of movement and equal rights.
16th of September, 1 p.m.: In front of the interior minister the long list of killed people by the border regime is rolled out. Speeches about the struggles against the death at sea and against deportations are given. Then the parade starts with 20 trucks: Selforganized refugees against Dublin-deportations, activists from sea rescue organizations, the „Bleibistan“ (Right to stay)-block against the deportations to Afghanistan, the network of Solidarity Cities, the pickup of the Oromos, the CommUnity Carneval, the former inhabitants of City Plaza Athens, the Welcome-initiatives from Berlin and many many more. Around the creatively decorated vans with their respective own programs the atmosphere is enthusiastic, the concept of the theme-trucks worked perfectly out. The „new civil rights movement“ presented itself with strong contents and concrete practices in its whole multiplicity.
Yes, we have not been the 10.000, which we hoped for. Instead about 6000 to 7500 people participated. It remains characteristical, that not a small part of the (old) left still is not appreciating the continuous struggles of migration. At least not enough to move themselves to such a manifestation of daily struggles. And for a lot of (new) active people from welcome-groups our approach might have been too radical and the distance to the capital too far from their local initiatives. We have to evaluate these problems.
With a 5-digit mobilization the political visibility and the attention in medias would have been better. But the dominant spirit of this time is anyway different. Almost 13% for the exposed racists of AfD (the party „Alternative for Germany“ in the general elections) is a bitter result. A socalled Jamaika-coalition (from the conservative, liberal and green party) might be the next government? In which we can expect an even more repressive policy on migration and the marginalization of the vestigial part of refugee-solidarity inside the green party?
The polarization inside the society foreseeable will get worse. Thus for our pole, for the internal structure of the antiracist movement, the successful parade in Berlin was even more important. „In our feeling we have been the 10.000“, several activists described in such a way the phantastic atmosphere. For the most of the involved refugees and migrants it was the biggest demonstration, which they have experienced in Germany. It was empowerment in its best. And an appropriate manifestation to keep vivid - on its 2nd anniversary - the historical break-through on the Balkanroute in our collective memory.
Finally everybody agreed: it was one of our best demonstrations within last years, it was worth the efforts and it encouraged all of us for the further daily resistance, locally and transnationally. Insofar the „Get-Together-alliance“ (as the organizing network of We`ll Come United) hopefully will continue with next mobilizations, when it will meet again for an evaluation in November.
In solidarity,
the Kompass-Crew
P.S.: The PDF-version includes some impressive photos from the parade, and we also recommend the photo documentation from Umbruch:
And in the next chapter you find - exemplary for the parade - a short description about the Dublin-truck including the respective speech. More reports will follow for sure soon on http://www.welcome-united.org
Information and Dates for October and November 2017
Whistle of Legalization - from the Speech of the Refugees from Osnabrück about their struggle against Dublin - Berlin, 16.9.2017
1000 small yellow whistles - imprinted with „stop deportation" - and a short info-flyer with experiences from Osnabrück have been distributed during the parade in Berlin around the Dublin-truck. Moreover guides have been offered, in which more experiences were presented to prevent Dublin-deporations.
„Deport Dublin, not Refugees“ was the message at the banner on the truck and a huge whistle hung down - against the hex of the fingerprint!
Following some excerpts of the impressive speech of the refugees from Osnabrück in Berlin:
„… We chose with no route the sea and the boats of death. In the middle of the annoyed sea we stick to hope of dignified life in the north. We thought that when we cross the aggressive waters of the mediterranean we will land on the „Promised Land“ which will save everyone life.
We did not know that we would face the monster of the laws, cement and bureaucracy. We burned our fingers bye our fingers to escape the fingerprints ghosts, expulsion and forced deportation.
The fear of police and discharge has become the distinctive feature of our days in Europe „The Promised Land“. We live an illegal life, which we did not think before that we as human beings could be illegal. We live in assembly camps as we are chicken coop, the foxes of the enforced deportation hunt us in by one.
We applied for a new Asylum to the forests, nights and the train stations to hide from the ghosts of the police and deportation. Our lives future became like the jump in the dark.
With the great solidarity from our supports in No Lager Osnabrück we discovered the secret of the whistle. The whistle of self-organization and team action. It became like our symbol of resistance to deportation.
By whistles we managed to stop the foxes enforced deportation from our chicken coop, for more than three months we work in a night shifts to protect our dream of a simple life and decent no more and no less. …“
The whole speech in German here:
From 1.10. in several cities:
Tour of Afrique-Europe-Interact with guests from Congo and Mali
On the occasion of the conference “Self-determined and solidary. Conference on Migration, Development and the Ecological Crisis”, which will take place from 6.10 - 8.10.2017 in Leipzig, Afrique-Europe-Interact invites you to additional events with guests from Congo and Mali:
Victor Nzuzi (farmer and globalisation critic) from the Democratic Republic of Congo, who already participated in the Climate /Anti-racist Camp in 2008 in Hamburg, will hold a talk entitled “Focus on Kongo: between looting, surviving and social struggles for a better life” in the following cities:
Göttingen: 01.10., 18:00 p.m. // Kassel: 02.10., 19:00 p.m. // Meuchefitz: 03.10., 19:30 p.m. // Bremen: 04.10., 19:00 p.m. // Leipzig: 06.-08.10.: Conference “Self-determined and solidary” // Dresden: 09.10.,
Alassane Dicko and partly also Diory Traoré of the Malian section of Afrique-Europe-Interact will hold a talk entitled “On the Militarisation of the Desert. EU Migration Policies in the Sahel” in the following cities:
Bremen: 09.10// Wien: 16.10// München: 17.10 // Freiburg: 18.10
For further information on both events see: www.afrique-europe-interact.net (under ‘Aktuell’)
03.10. in Freiburg: WALLS HAVE TO GO!
Thats our demand with which we call for the demonstration on the 3rd of October in Freiburg! The demo is supposed to be coloured, alive, loud demanding and solidary. We ask you to add your ideas. Make the demonstration rich with numerous cultural inputs. Let's reject rasicm as clear as possible and no matter of what colour. Let's build a Solidarity City with a lot of people. Let's act where it is needed. And, let us not ask for permission! Walls have to go, the external borders and the ones in our heads, the invisible walls which arise via the law between the people and the administrative walls refugees and migrants face daily with the authorities. Let us not leave the 3rd of October to the right
ones and the racists! „With our demonstration on the anniversary of German unification we want to show that we do not agree with a policy rejecting refugees and refusing global responsibility. We demand paces towards a Solidarity City for the town Freiburg which is refusing the separation between people with and without right of residence and to
stand up against the deportation policy of the state government.“
From 6.10. - 8.10. 2017 in Leipzig:
Self-determined and in Solidarity - Conference on Migration, Development and the Ecological Crises
The conference is being prepared by a mixed team of refugees, migrants and people without a refugee or migration background. Some will participate as private individuals, others are active as part of, among others, the following groups and networks: Afrique-Europe-Interact, Corasol (Berlin), Entwicklungspolitisches Netzwerk Sachsen e.V. [Network Sachsen for Development Policies], glokal e.V. – machtkritische Bildung und Beratung [power-critical training and counselling] (Berlin) and Konzeptwerk Neue Ökonomie [Concept Work New Economy] (Leipzig). …
At the latest since in the summer of 2015 for a while refugees drastically reshaped the European border policy, the preoccupation with the causes of flight has somehow become a subject remaining in the limelight in European society, in particular as far as African countries are concerned. This because the EU governments hope in this way to be able to effectively reduce the number of newly-arriving refugees. By means of programmes costing billions, such as the “Marchall Plan with Africa” or the “Compact with Africa” initiative recently decided at the G20 Top in Hamburg, private investments from the rich countries are to be stimulated. Allegedly, only in this way such an impetus to growth, leading in the long term to economic recovery and thus to new jobs in Africa, would be possible. Simultaneously the EU continues to externalize its borders. In doing so the EU does not even recoil from cooperating with dictatorships such as those in Sudan or Eritrea, nor from working together with the Libyan coast guard, even though the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs itself describes the situation in the Libyan camps as sheer horror. Yet not only the preparedness to put up with the worst violations of human rights is scandalous. It is no less dramatic that the envisaged development strategies serve in the first place the profit interests of transnational enterprises, not the well-being of those countries that are effectively concerned. (…)
Our conference goes under the name “Self-determined and in solidarity”.
On the one hand, in order to oppose the attitude which can only understand the development as a copy of the Western capitalistic modernization path; on the other hand, to make it clear that global solidarity is the prerequisite for development processes that are anchored in collectivity and therefore geared to the real interests of the people...
The comprehensive invitation, programme and more can be found at these two websites:
Alarm Phone - Six-Weeks-Report:
‘Deterrence no matter what - Europe escalates its War on Migrants’
‘What we can observe over the past six weeks, the period of time that this report covers, is a full-blown offensive against migrants and civil Search and Rescue actors, in which EU institutions and member states work hand in hand with their authoritarian allies in Libya to shut down the Central Mediterranean migration route. No price seems too high to pay: the increased risk to those who seek to escape via the sea, their return to inhumane camps where they are exposed to torture, rape and extortion, the complete corrosion of international human rights standards and international maritime law, or Europe’s open association with dictatorial forces in Libya that have robbed and murdered travellers at sea and attacked those who sought to rescue them. In the summer of 2017, we can witness how the ‘roll back’ of Europe’s border regime leads to an escalating war on migrants that counts already more than 2,400 known casualties.’
Please find our latest Alarm Phone six-week report on our website:
Sea Watch:
Updates on operations in the Aegean Sea and in the Central Med
Last Monday, the crew of the Sea-Watch 1 saved 27 people from distress at sea in the Aegean Sea. The EU-Turkey-deal is crumbling. In the following days, our reconnaissance airplane #Moonbird alone found seven boots off the Libyan coast. One of them sank at the very moment when it was spotted by the pilots. The number of crossings over the central Mediterranean route may have gone down initially, after the Italian state paid a militia for preventing the departure of refugee vessels according to media reports. However, the past week makes it more than clear that the humanitarian crisis on the Mediterranean is not over and that dirty deals with Turkey or Libya are no permanent solution.
4th & 5th November 2017 in Berlin
Invitation to the evaluation meeting We'll Come United! and perspective of Get-Together
On 4th and 5th of November, we will meet in Berlin for the evaluation of our We'll Come United-Carnival and to talk about the perspective of our network Get-Together. You are cordially invited to prepare this meeting by finding positions in your local groups and the groups of the wagons.
Evaluation:
How were We’ll Come United! 16.9. & the decentralized action days (from 2.09.) for you? What went well and what could have been better? Mobilization (in the camps, posters, flyers), trip by train or bus, design and program 16.09. of the wagon, decentralized action days (02.-16.09.), We'll Come United 16.09 in the day itself? How did you perceive 16.09. and the decentralized action days? What feedback did you get from friends? What would you do differently in the future?
Perspective:
At our last meeting we have already talked about the fact that we want to continue with Get-Together after the 16.09. as a network/platform and also to plan actions.
How can you imagine that we will continue together in the future? Do we want to plan a next action together? What could that be? What does the Get-Together network mean to you personally? What does the Get-Together Network mean to you politically? Is a shared exchange of local struggles and practices useful in the network? At what intervals do we want to meet? …
In order for us to be able to have an empowering and constructive evaluation and to talk about the perspective, it is necessary that you take the time to prepare positions locally and in the groups of the wagons.
4. & 5. November in Mehringhof, meeting room (2nd backyard, 2nd floor) Gneisenaustr. 2a 10961 Berlin, Germany
Saturday, November 4: Evaluation 1 pm - 7 pm.
Sunday, November 5: Perspective 10 am: breakfast, 10:30 am opening, 4 pm end
Manu Chau for City Plaza
"The Best Hotel in Europe" needs your support!
Last Friday Ti.po.ta (Manu Chau & Klelia Renesi) published their new Song in solidarity with City Plaza which profits are going to the "Best Hotel in Europe". On the one hand we want to share it with you and on the other we want to use the chance to raise awareness for the campaign "Swarming Solidarity" again.
Do you hear me calling- Ti.Po.tA
City Plaza still needs your donations. So please keep on donating and spread it to all the networks, comrades and friends of yours.
"Swarming Solidarity"
Reviews:
Rome: Demonstration against Evictions of houses squatted by Refugees
29.8.2017: An impressive demonstration marched through the streets of Rome in answer to last weeks’ evictions. Refugees and Italians marching side by side for the right to a house, dignity and for an open and supportive city. The institutions are postponing a negotiating table and the refugees remain in a permanent sit-in near to Piazza Venezia.
Transnational Alarm Phone - Conference in Tunis
On the 22nd and 23rd of September 2017, about 300 people came together to participate in the Alarm Phone conference ‘Migration Movements around the Mediterranean: Realities and Challenges’. Self-organised migrant groups, solidarity activists, humanitarian sea rescuers, representatives of NGOs and larger organisations, as well as politicians and journalists from (North) Africa, Europe, and elsewhere discussed how to contest migrant death and suffering. Many participants from North Africa, including Sub-Saharan migrants who reside there as well as the Tunisian mothers whose children disappeared after getting onto boats to Europe, reported on how EU deterrence and border externalisation policies have caused great grievances to them, and those who represent the humanitarian search and rescue actors in the Mediterranean explained how the EU’s delegitimisation campaign seeks to turn rescuers into criminals. Over the course of two days, new networks and alliances were formed, and for those who could not participate, the Facebook page of the event offers some insights: https://www.facebook.com/migrationconferencetunis/?ref=br_rs
Outlook:
Traveling exhibition "Yallah!? Across the Balkan route“
"... This exhibition aims to document the "long summer of migration" 2015 and the opening of a corridor through Southeast Europe as a relevant and historic event and make it accessible to a wider audience. Two years on, the exhibition re-focuses on refugees as the protagonists and shows their perspectives on migration and Europe in numerous audio and video recordings as well as works of art....The exhibition in your city? The exhibition is designed as a traveling exhibition and meant to be shown in several cities. We are looking for local organizers. If you are interested please contact: ausstellung@yallah-balkanroute.eu