Report from Bologna & Reggio Emilia - Italy
Self organized struggles against the left center Italian Government
Commission De Mistura: a swindle for migrants!
On friday the 6th several activists of two “centri sociali” made a sit-in protest outside migrants’ detention centre in Bologna during the visit of the Governmental Commission headed by Onu’s representant Stapphan De Mistura. This Commission is composed by members of the parliament, members of local institutions and members of NGO and left-wing associations. It started last july an examination project of Italian CPTs lasting 6 months. The goal of this Commission is to cooperate with Home Office in the process of redefinition of migrants’ detention system. The De Mistura Commission has been blamed by the movements because it is responsible for the attempt to make concentration camps look like humanitarian
centres. The accusation is that it only serves as a mediatic operation to hide Government real intentions.
While the demonstrators were surrounding as a provocative act the members of the Commission with barbed-hire fence, the activists demanded the Commission to resign, since the Government has already announced that CPTs are needful.
Infact, although during the electoral compaign Prodi’s coalition had promised a turning point about immigration policy, with the overcoming of CPTs (“superamento dei CPT”) and the defence of immigrants’ rights, few weeks ago Ministro Amato revealed his real intentions: CPTs won’t be closed but they will be diversified in CEE (expulsion centres for “dangerous immigrants”) and identification centres.
“Beyond yor laws, beyond your borders, closing detention centres!”
Saturday afternoon the No Border Parade started in Bologna outside migrants’ detention centre and moved to the town centre to demonstrate against borders, either material or immaterial. Here, nearly one thousand people said to the local Municipality that they don’t want to live in a town where people are evicted from the empty houses squotted in need of a roof, where barrow men sans papiers are stopped by police and taken to CPT, were everyday people are deported from its airport.
Photo Gallery: http://www.globalproject.info/gal-9439.html
Sanatoria subito! Chiudere i CPT! General regularisation now!
Today, sunday october 8, in Reggio Emilia, migrants from Eastern Europe and Africa gathered together at Caffé Babele (a project organised by Ya Basta) for a day against repression of sans papiers, for unconditioned regularisation, for the untangling of permit to stay and job contract and for the freedom of movement. They met the press and they organised a meeting with a lawyer to analyse the risky effects of Ministro Amato’s proposals about the reform of Bossi-Fini act.
This 3rd transnational date has taken a greater importance in Italy because it took
place during the new left wing Government. Infact despite the promises made during the electoral campaign, it’s following th same steps of Berlusconi’s concerning
immigration and international policy, as everybody can see with the mission in Lebanon, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Freedom of movement, a struggle that never stops.....
......to be continued......
Russia - Moscow
On the 7th of October we did the action against migration control in Moscow. We started on the one of the biggest Moscow streets – Garden ring – and directed our steps towards the Federal migration service that is a part of Ministery of Internal Affairs and in charge of the migration politics in Russia. There were 3 groups of activists – group of the people symbolizing refuges with a surgery masks on they faces and crosses on the mouths and brief life histories written on the paper on they clothes, samba band beating a tattoo of execution, ACAB (clown army) with lashes beating "refuges". We were moving on the street giving out a leaflets and "Crossing borders" newsletters. We met some people from the Caucasus (that are the main subject for discrimination in Russia) and they identified themselves with us as some others passers-by. When we came to the official building drummers shouted a slogan "Nobody is illegal!" and clowns started to blame themselves in awful behaviour and policy etc. At the same time in front of the Federal migration service people hanged a banner "Nobody is illegal". Then a cop went out of the building and he couldn’t understand what’s going on and we went away. We did this action without any permission. Nobody was arrested.
Some photos are here: http://ru.indymedia.org/newswire/display/15482/index.php
Fourth occupation Rotterdam Detentionships
Pictures of the action at:
http://www.indymedia.nl/nl/2006/10/39356.shtml
This morning activists have again climbed on the detetionships and blockaded the entrances by lock-ons.
We want to stop the witchhunt against illigalised people and that this people get a normal life; so closed down all the detention and deportations centers and freedom for all this innocent people! The action began about 06.00am: The main entrance got blockaded by for
activists with help of lock-ons. On the same time two activists walked on the terrain with banners, two others activist climbed on the bridge of the deporationship.
Especially the climbers got loads of violent reactions of the guards. With batons the made staying on top of the bridge impossible. This resulted that one of the activsts got on a side of the bridge. Again the guards where trying to cut the climbing gear. This created a life threating
situation. Only after the police said something about it, the guards stopped trying to cut the climbing gear and ropes. The activist had a hard time hanging on the bridge, but stayed on hanging on the bridge till 07.00am!
About that time, he was violently taken away by the police on a boat. The other activist was on the other side on the bridge, 07.10 am the police took him away as well.The firebrigade came about 06.30am. About 07:30, the firebrigade started to cut the fence of the outside gate. This happened with allot of violent pushing and pulling by the police. Its was not simple for the firebrigade;
four activist locked to the gate and as well to each other.
07:35 The fence is so damage that the firebrigade can lift out all the four activist at once. Still locked to each other they get rude pushed in a police fan. 7:45 The last police van leaves with the lasts activists.
In total eight activist got arrest and brought to police station Marconiplein Rotterdam. The activist got loads of applauds of the people inside the deporationboats. Multiable times the activists could hear loads
of noise of the boat.
The climbers got released after doing six hours of time. Their climbing
equipment is confiscated.
Two of the lock-on activist released themselves out of the lock-ons. Two
other activist decided not to let go the lock-on. This resulted as
punishment that they where putt outside. All day it was raining and really
cold. Multiable times the police threatened the activist to put
pepperspray in their eyes.
The lawyer needed to help the activists out. In the night the activist
where taken inside, to a cell without a mattress and only with one
blanket.
The four lock-on activists have been taken in to custody and stayed one
day and one night in jail. Violent arrests, cutting life lines of
climbers, pepperspray, fines or court cases will not stop us!
This is a scream for freedom witch shall not be silenced! Workgroup Stop Deportations
Freiburg, October, 7th, migration day of action, townhall square 12 pm
The meeting point of the migration action-day in Freiburg was the town hall
square, a central point in the inner city. The exhibition “the moving of the
world” by the collective Libertad (Frankfurt – Germany) about refugee camps
in context of time and society was shown there as gathering point.
Furthermore, a boat was settled symbolizing the daily drama of escaping and
moving from Africa to Europe. The opening of the migration action-day was
made by members of Batir Le Togo with a speech, referring specially to the
momentary political and economic situation of African countries. Extracts
from a speech from the Iranian-German writer Navid Kermani referring to the
happenings that took place in Ceuta and Melilla about one year ago were also
played. Beside, the meaning of the migration action-day was also explained
and greetings to all other participating groups and people in Africa, Europe
and America were sent. Then the protest march started its tour through the
inner part of the town with about 250 to 300 participants. With a long
transparent, on which was drawn a barbed wire fence, symbolizing the
European borders, the traffic of the cars and the pedestriants was blocked
for some time. In another speech computer specialists and star sportsmen
were welcomed polemically, while refugees and good-for-nothings were
declared to be deported; the ones managing to reach Europe nevermind, of
course, are allowed to work as illegals, producing cheap goods for the
European consumers. In one more declaration a woman from Syria reported
about her family that has been tried to be deported from Germany, being able
of hiding through solidarity (church asylum), and having now -for some
uncertain time- again a legal status. A Kurdish woman informed about the
derecognition of asylum in Germany, which concerns mainly Kurdish people
from Turkey; she demanded the recognition of the reality of persecution in
Turkey and the stop of the deportations from Europe. The Rasthaus group
(Centre for helping and supporting immigrants in Freiburg) gave also one
more speech talking about the difficulties and central points of the lives
of the illegal immigrants. The speeches were followed by an action against
the so-called “Residenzpflicht”, a German law, that steals from all asylum
seekers the right of free movement. An ironic action about tourism was also
performed: with hundreds of advertisement flyers the pedestriants were
informed about their holiday paradises and the situation of the political
opposition in those countries. The manifestation also left many clear
(paper) traces in the town: about hundreds of foot prints were left on the
ground, with texts like: “A human being remains a human being – nevermind
where it is”, “Every person has the right to have rights”, “legalisation of
Sans-Papiers” etc. In front of a bigger department store an anti-consumerism
action took place: “goods in – people out?!?”. Suitcases out of paper board,
that were decorated with advertisement for cheap products of every day life,
were put on a pile. Finally the march returned to the town hall square,
where there was a last speech referring to the planned deportations of about
200 000 “tolerated” asylum seekers and the conference of the ministers of
inner affairs on November the 15th/16th in Nürnberg, that will decide about
who has the right to stay and who is going to be expulsed. In the end there
was played a 30-minutes- collage with stories about experiences during
escapes and the reasons of escaping. By the variety of the actions many
people passing by were appealed. The Badische Zeitung (regional newspaper)
published on the same day an interview with a member of Batir Le Togo,
co-organisator of the migration action-day, widing the spreading of the
message of this action day.
You find the pictures on the website:
http:/www.aktionbleiberecht.de
Greece
Today, 7 October 2006, the Chios Refugee Solidarity Committee
participated in the Action Day for Refugees and Immigrants. In our
action, we focused on the so-called "safe prevention" applied by the
port authorities of the Mediterranean countries in the name of border
control, which systematically puts in danger the life of those refugees
who attempt with minimal means to pass from the shores opposite ( e.g.
turkey) to European ground. We were all wearing black clothes and had
our hands tied, trying to show the sore condition of the refugees, while
we were handing out leaflets to inform the local society.
From Thessaloniki
In the 7 October meeting, the Migrants Forum in Thessaloniki has moved
one step ahead towards its organisation and consolidation. The
participation of migrants was smaller (about 25 -30 migrants from
Albania, Nigeria, Afghanistan and Georgia) than that expected by the
persons of the forum who worked hard to organise it and involve
communities, while the heavy rain didn’t allow outdoor activities, both
discussion and cultural happening. The meeting and discussion took place
inside the Labor Center and the participating migrants confirmed their
will to work together and agreed that «their voices, if united, will be
heard farther». The participants from antiracist organisations stated
their decision to support this effort. Eventually, a party took place in
the Migrants’ place with music from Afghanistan, Iran and Albania.
Spain
In Málaga 600 hundred people participated
in the demo and in the festival at the door of Detention Center.Its not a
lot of people but its ok for the situation that we are living in spain
with the "becoming sarkozy" of Zapatero politics on migration and the
media talking every day about invasion.Spetially imoportant was the
participation of members of the migrants asociations in malaga.
At least we got an important step to garantee that all the social
organizations (including United Left Party and the main union - ccoo -
suport the demand of closing the detantion center...
Here you can see some pictures:
http://estrecho.indymedia.org/newswire/display/31146/index.php
Netherlands
The main shopping street of Zaandam (near Amsterdam) was visited by a
delegation of the Detention and Exclusion Service on the 7th of octobre.
The Service proudly presented the two new detention boats for 600 migrants
that are soon to be opened. The public were offered a look at the two
floating prison models in the 2 meter aquarium and at the presentation
boards with maps of the cells. A full colour flyers - “For your and our
safety: it is with appropriate pride that we want to present the new asset
of Zaandam” – was handed out as well as distributed door-to-door (20.000
in total). The council gave so far a confusing and false picture on the
boats talking about criminals and human detention. This lack of
information was the basis of the public action on the international day of
action. The maps were also proving that the builder of the detention boats
in Zaandam also build the Deportation Centre of Rotterdam Airport. This
prison was declared a fire risk by the mayor of Rotterdam. The prison
build with ‘sea containers’ was not sufficiently build with fire resistant
material by the builder. It is this cheap and quick solution of migration
that led to the fire at the Schiphol prison last year when 11 migrants
died.
Lots of people were shocked by the information on the harsh regime in
detention centres for people without papers. Detail is that the Zaandam
council who is lying to their inhabitants is one of the few left wing
councils in the Netherlands. After an one day occupation of the boats
during the building in January and pressure on the council last summer
this public action will help buiding more resistance against this useless
and inhuman vision on migration.
