On the 18th November, a group went to Bezirksparlaments im Rathaus Berlin-Mitte to tell their situation, as it is shortly explained below:
Besuch der BVV und des Bezirksparlaments im Rathaus Berlin-Mitte Am 18. November 2016 besuchte eine Gruppe bestehend aus asylsuchenden Menschen aus dem BTB-betriebenen Lager (Notunterkunft) und der umgebenden Nachbarschaft Weddings die Bezirksverordnetenversammlung (BVV) der Bezirks Mitte, um zu hören, was die Antworten des Bezirks auf die parlamentarisch gestellten Anragen bezüglich der derzeitigen Situation im Turnhallen-Lager an der Osloerstr. 23 seien; Stephan von Dassel (Grüne), der Bürgermeister des Bezirks Mitte, las die Antworten, die sie als Bezirksregierung vom LaGeSo bekamen, vor und die Bewohner*innen wurden schnell laut: Es gab nämlich laut den routingemässigen Besuche und Berichte des LaGeSo keine Besonderheiten zu vermelden – diese Antworten, vorbei an der unmenschlichen Lebensrealität sorgen für Aufschrei der Bewohner*innen, die sich verbal und lautstark einschalteten; indes wurde die BVV für ca. 15min unterbrochen und einige Verordnete gingen mit den Leuten in den Warteraum des Parlaments wo dann teil sehr hitzig diskutiert wurde; einige Zeit später würden die Bewohner*innen wieder in den Saal reingelassen, wo sie sie dann sich am Mikrophon stellten und ihren Alltag schilderten. Dieser Akt wurde
dann zeitnah auf dern Sozial-Media-Seiten der anwesenden Parteien reflektiert:
Einerseits schrieb ein Grüner Poltiker sehr gönnerhaft und selbstverherrlichend, dass seine Regierung die Menschen entgegen der parlamentarischen Regelung selbst reden liess (wobei diese Menschen eh keine Rechte haben, um eine Vertreterperson zu wählen), anderseits schrieb die AfD-Mitte aka “AfD-Lügenpresse”, dass die Leute instrumentalisiert wären und nur Männer gesprochen hätten; blödsinniger Weise stimmte beides nicht, da die Afd-Fraktion (zuammen mit der CDU) vermutlich zu früh den Saal verliess und die sprechenden Frauen “übersah” und vermutlich auch sonst keine Ahnung davon hat, dass Menschen auch für ihr eigenes Menschenrecht kämpfen können, ohne, dass die irgendeiner Dreckspartei anzugehören, die sie eh nicht wählen dürfen.
On 24th of November, the day was sunny, winter temperatures but on time at 10 am started the 12h street blockade organized by the people living in Lager in Osloerstr 23.
Tired of waiting, tired of accepting
silently the situation they are going through in an emergency Lager, they’ve decided to rise their voices and stand up for their rights. As they make clear in the press release, there is a lack of privacy, respect and political responsibility.
At 10am people started gathering in front of the Lager, the whole day there were between 50-100 people permantly, coming and going, friends that called other friends, people that passed by and stayed while asking what was going on. That’s the reality, most of the times, people don’t know that the building next door it’s actually a Lager, where people are living in shameful conditions.
At the Lager in Osloerstr 23, around 150 people are living now, families with children, single men and women, all together in the same space of a sport hall.
Some of the people in the Lager, are living in these conditions for 13 months, what was supposed to be just a temporary location, since its an “emergency” Lager, it has become long term housing solution. LAGESO/LAF started saying they would stay in the camp only 3 months, then 6 months and they are still living there. After all the promises given to transfer them to another heim, a Wohnheim, it looks that they will stay longer in the camp.The company that owes the camp, earns 47€ per night per person, so the Lagers are the big business taken place in Berlin as well as job provider.
As it’s expressed in the press release, there is a lack of privacy, respect and political responsability.
Even if they are going to school to learn German, there is no place to study.
The health situation is also precarious, for example, if one child gets sick very quickly the rest of the children will get sick and so will the adults.
When coming back from school, the children don’t have the right place to study so the cannot learn properly, so they will not be able to integrate in the educational system as fast as they need not to lose more learning years.
There are also kids which are handicapped and would need a special care for their situation, but as the rest they have to live altogether in the same space.
A situation that goes on like this for more than one year for many of the people living there has turned inhuman, they didn’t expect that they would be treated like animals, they are here because they could not stay in their countries.
One of the big complaints of the Lagers is the food, which is real shit. They get the same food day after day, chicken and rice. There is no kitchen that they can use to cook for themselves. They’ve been asking for improvements in this sense for one year, but nothing has happened.
In several occasion it was also mentioned, the bad smell inside the lager, so they invited any person to stay 3 days inside the Lager to check the conditions under which they are living.
They understand that the building was not thought for permanent housing but is just a sports place, so their main demand is to be transfered to proper houses and be treated as humans, since the living conditions under which they are , after one year, are unbearable, not even animals would be treated as they are treated.
Around noon, with the press present, with around 70 people supporting, they explained clearly the situation in the Lager and what are they fighting for.
During they whole street blockade, people brought tea, coffee, biscuits, cookies, to keep warm. Also there was music going on, sometimes we danced or sang, and we kept ourselves busy with soap bubbles, explaining to the pedestrians what was going on, some didn’t know and said they would like to have more information. The mood was cheerful, children were excited, people were happy to make their voice heard.
In the evening people came with some music instruments, who they shared among those present, and a live music started, for the joy of everybody, yes we were having fun, that’s also part of the fighting. It was a long day, but lived as successful, empowering, full of good people.
Here are some pictures in high quality in case, anybody wants better quality stuff for printing
Others in Facebook
And this time, the press did it’s job and reflected what was going on in the right place, the streets, with the people who’s voice needs to be heard, so that their basic human rights are fulfil.
Berliner Zeitung: https://t.co/A3onrpXmXQ
Neues Deutschland: https://t.co/MVblinSvJW
ZDF:: https://t.co/RsLZ8FC0MI
Berlin kurier: https://t.co/mvNfYc41Ro
Ruptly: https://t.co/fJDAkE6qcG