Friday, May 24, 2013

Refugees Liberation bus tour in Niedersachsen 16th -22nd of May 2013

Last week, we visited prison-like refugees camps in Bramsche, Braunschweig, Hildesheim, Peine,  Wolfsburg, Hamburg and Hannover to show solidarity with the people there and to mobilize to the tribunal against federal state of Germany, which will be held in Berlin next month. We, as people who had been forced to leave  our homes because of different reasons, now we fight against discrimination and marginalization here together with our German supporters.

In all these camps we have heard about harassment from the administration staff, or from the security guards . Everywhere we saw the isolation, poor hygienic conditions, insufficient habitat without privacy. Everywhere in these isolation-camps people lack their basic human rights. Because they are not German  they are looking for asylum and protection and to get benefits from the German social system. We have been in the camps to discuss and document these cases of daily harassment and discrimination  We have been there to show our solidarity. And we have been there to talk about resistance. About  refugees, who overcome their fear, and start to organize themselves in order to fight against this isolation, marginalizationoppression, and racism,  and to publish it All over Germany.
Mainstream media does not report, or show it. Everywhere there are people who fight against these shameful conditions. People Who fight daily  racism in the official authorities, like ausländerbehörde, bundesamt or sozialamt. People who fight against daily racism in streets or public transportation. People who fight  in microcosm, by showing disobedience to hausmeister, or lagerleitung, or by breaking the law of residenzpflicht.
We had mobilized for today demonstration and we encouraged people to go to Berlin and participate in the tribunal against federal republic of Germany. To publish, and demonstrate against these shameful conditions, as a condemnation to German authority for these crimes. To bring to mind that the life in the lager is unacceptable and comes along with daily violation of the basic human rights, this leads people to isolation and depression. To bring in mind that Germany  as one of the richest and powerful countries is responsible for  global political and security instability. Through its foreign assignment and its weapons exports, which are producing harm. Germany also supporting repressive regimes in different parts of the world, producing situations force people to flee homes. Paradoxically Germany invests millions of euros in protecting european boarders to stop  migrants and refugees flow.
Here, in this country, people are being controlled, harassed and imprisoned by police because of the colour of their skin. People here in this country are being burned by fully consciousness at police stations. People are being frightened by fascist and racist groups and can not find help by any governmental body. People are being forced by physical and psychological violence to leave this country. People are sitting in deportation prisons just for resisting their deportation. People have to wait for their asylum case to be answered for years while they are living in an inhuman situation. People are being pushed into criminality trough these policies.in this country, people without documents are people without human rights.
We have enough of these shit! Enough of this inhuman policy! Enough of racism!
We call for immediate abolishing of these laws against refugees basic human rights.
We in need for Innovative anti racist intervention.
We are in need for anti racist practical and realistic support!
We are in need for anti racist solidarity with self organized refugees in Germany and everywhere!





Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Lampedusa in Hamburg

Yesterdays atempt by the refugees to set up tents







Thursday, May 16, 2013

Lampedusa in Hamburg II

Public Declaration and Call for serious conversations
To the assembly and the major of Hamburg





Hamburg, 14th of May 2013

In the view of our disastrous situation and of the ignorance towards our plight and our agony, we direct our demand for a face to face dialogue to the deputies of the city of Hamburg in order to find solutions.

First of all some background information which is known but nevertheless ignored.

We are victims of the war in Libya and victims of the European refugee policies. When the NATO started to bomb Libya in 2011 our lives were over. We lost everything we had. We were brought to the Mediterranean coast, put in a boat and sent to sea. We lived in refugee camps in Italia, until Italian government closed all camps early this year and told us to leave the country heading north. We were granted permission to stay according to humanitarian protection. At the same time we are refused our resulting right. Italy failed to implement the documented protection and the other nations of the European Union are not willing to.

Today, we are living on the street in those countries that are fighting wars in the name of human rights. It was not our intention to come to Europe. We were forced to do it. All of us have been working in Libya, on the African continent and have been taking care of our families and communities with our income. The NATO- war destroyed everything. Many people were dying in Libya and the Mediterranean Sea. We survivors in Europe have no more choice. We are here and we will stay. No European country can evade the responsibility. We will not to be played with anymore by the European policy. We demand the facts to be recognized and thus we demand the full recognition of our rights as refugees.

Until now we experienced that there is no will for a solution. On the contrary, it is tried to make us invisible, to singularize us and to put us in impoverishment.
It will be for everybody understandable, that we can’t endure this in silence.

In Hamburg our situation is that for now exactly four weeks we are living on the streets, without access to medical care, without access to the job market, without access to the education system and without any material basics. Our physical and psychological integrity is getting worse day by day. When the city of Hamburg closed  the accommodation for homeless people „Pik As“ exactly one month ago, on 15th of April 2013 and when they took us with busses to the city, when they put us on the street, weren`t the persons responsible knowing that they would cause problems? We were told that the only thing we would get is a ticket back to Italy. We think that the social and economical situation in Italy and other southern European countries is well known and that there is no possibility for livelihood for us. If it would be possible, we wouldn´t be here.

So we put the question again in the room, what should be achieved, if we get a document of humanitarian protection but at the same time every possibility to survive is denied? What could somebody do, whose basics are all taken away? Should we go begging or should we become criminals? It is a very dangerous situation, we were pushed into. The forced living on the streets causes large damage on us and even the whole city, because it inevitably generates problems and conflicts in the neighborhoods and districts. Hamburg is a very rich city and the wealth is not at last taken from our continent. We are not coming as beggars we come in full knowledge of the relationships that brought us here against our will. No one can escape of the responsibility and just ignore us. The problems need a solution and our rights need to be recognized.  The first step and our first demand to the political representatives of the city is a roof over our heads. The access to the job market links to this, so that we can provide ourselves. Access to health care and education should also be self-evident.

We haven´t survived the war against Libya to be now dying on the street. We seriously call all parties and institutions to immediately get in direct contact with us, to find solutions. Our homelessness allows no delay.

Representing the group of refugees from Libya:

Affo Tchassei: 0176-717 402 36
Anane Kofi Mark: 0152-170 045 94
Asuquo Udo: 0152 146 725 37

Supported by The Caravan for the rights of refugees and migrants- Hamburg

Ralf Lourenco: 0176-303 66 55 9





Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Join the public trial observation of Salomon Wantchoucou

Call for public trial observation of Salomon Wantchoucou

On Monday, 3rd of June 2013 

Verwaltungsgericht Halle , Sitzungssaal 1.063, Thüringer Straße 16, 06112 Halle (Saale)

Meeting Point: Verwaltungsgericht Halle  14:00 Uhr Prozessbeginn 14.00 Uhr

Background:
Mr. Salomon Wantchoucou would appear at the Administrative Court against the Wittenberg local government for depriving him of his legal resident permit . The Local government had taken the decision to deny the legal resident permit because Mr. Salomon Wantchoucou had not cooperated with the authorities.
Bases of the Legal Proceeding:

Mr. Salomon Wantchoucou had given his best to identify himself. From the beginning he gave correct information about who he is and where he came from (Cotonou Rep of Benin) but the District Officials has refused to accept his true identity.

The Claim of non-cooperation by the district authority is only a strategy to deny him his right and to persecute him for his role in exposing the living situation of refugees in the local government.

Mr. salomon Wantchoucou is a member of The Voice refugee Forum, The Caravan for the right of refugees and migrants and a founding member of "Flüchtlingsinitiative Wittenberg" now called "Flüchtlingsbewegung Sachsen anhalt" and has since the past four years brought the abuses of the local government towards refugees to public awareness.

Mr. Salomon Wantchoucou fled Benin Republic based on an assassination attempt on him as a criticizer of the corrupt government of President Mathieu Kerekou and has been political active as well in Germany. Based on his critics against bad government and the bad living situation of refugees, he has always been faced with various forms of threat and intimidation from the local government. Also from Cotonou, Benin



Mr. salomon Wantchoucou had all along cooperated with the District to identify himself by the invitation to the Benin republic deportation hearing in Berlin as well as to the Nigerian Embassy. He had equally presented his Birth Registration Certificate from Cotonou, Benin to the responsible authorities of Wittenberg. 

We hereby demand Justice and the Right to Stay for Mr. Salomon Wantchoucou

Activists and Friends are invited to observe this hearing.

We call out for public trial observation and solidarity.




11 years in repression is now enough!

Thursday, May 02, 2013

Lampedusa in Hamburg

"We're here and we don't go back"



We are the Refugees coming from Italy with international protection but no rights. We survived the NATO bombings and the civil war in Libya, to be homeless in Italy.

Thousands of us are now in Germany in the same conditions: no housing, no access to social help, no access to the job market. We demand a political solution: "We are here and we don't go back!". We want the right to make a living here in Germany.

If we had found possible conditions in Italy we would stay there. There was no possibility to handle anymore. Italian government in the beginning of 2013 closed the programs of reception - the so-called Emergency North Africa - throwing the people basically on the street. 400-500 euro were given to each refugee with the suggestion to go away. Where? To northern Europe.

The problem is now on a european level being Germany one of the most powerful states, decision maker for the migrations and asylum policies in Europe. The Dublin System - with the rule that the Refugees "belong" to the first country in Europe they arrive - is aimed to deny the right of the Refugees to choose where they want to live. The same ideology that's behind the Residenzpflicht.

We join the struggle the Refugees in Germany are bringing forwards since almost 20 years within the german asylum system. The fight is one.

We demand our rights as recognized refugees:
- the Dublin system must be ended
- housing, social and medical care
- working permit and access to education

Here in Hamburg we were accomodated in a camp for homeless people during the winter period.
This camp was closed beginning of April and we were pushed to the streets again. Our actual situation is catastrophic.

We don't want to live in the streets and forced to street prostitution, drug dealing or other criminal acts.
We unite, call for solidarity and demand our rights!

Contact:
Asuquo Udo: 0152 146 725 37
Affo Tchassei: 0176-717 402 36
Anane Kofi Mark: 0152-170 045 94