We want to stay in the school, but self-organized!
Never try to fool, the people from the school!
We, the inhabitants of the Gerhart-Hauptmann-School in Kreuzberg, want to make again clear that we want to stay in that half of the school building that was promised to us in the agreement of the roof occupation (July 2014).
The administrative court in Berlin confirmed on the 25th of May that we have the right to live in the school!! Therefore, the plans of the district to evict us, have been also blocked by a official German court!
Still the district is continuing its ignorant and racist policies against us. Just after the publication of court decision, the district stated that the living conditions in the building are so dangerous because we would cook over open fire?! We are not cooking over open fire! We do not have enough to eat, so we cannot even think about how we want to prepare our food!
The district is always claiming that we are costly. But in the school there is not even a proper sanitary system to use, the whole winter we were freezing in the building and on top of it the district leaves the electricity on in that part of the building that was blocked for us right after the roof occupation. Outside there is the security force of the district that is treating us like prisoners. Just recently Angela Davis and Gina Dent visited us, they were as well shocked about the district’s prison (https://vimeo.com/127986504 ). Saying we are costly, is just distracting form the costs the district itself produces – its security and very fancy, overpriced lawyers office that is running the last eviction case against us, are overwhelmingly costly!!! The indifference of the district is a factor that is effecting our live conditions in the building, not the other way around! Thanks to all the solidarity we have, even their money cannot finish our movement!
All those populist statements by the district show us and the German public that their problem is not of administrative but of political nature!!
Also, The Diakonie asked us in the beginning of this year to discuss a joint concept for an “International Refugee Center”. It has been our own idea to establish an international refugee center in the school in order to run our own political campaigns and projects (e.g. bike workshop, restaurant, gardening, media and art workshops, legal and social counselling for refugees, office of the movement etc.). The district and the Diakonie have stolen this name from us to promote their own Lager – plans for their school building. The discussions with the Diakonie ended when we were asked to pay 1 Mio € construction costs?! On top, the did not want to give us any guarantee to stay after the constructions in the building are finished. We are shocked. Is this they way political solutions are to be found? The district and all its collaborators must understand that we are open for discussion BUT only at eye-level. We want to work on a political and – according to our standards – realistic solution for our situation in the school. The behavior of the district and the offer of the Diakonie feel like a joke for us!
We want to stay in the building until our demands are fulfilled (1. Abolish Residenzpflicht, 2. Abolish Lager, 3. Stop all Deportations). For our difficult situation now, we demand a proper infrastructure in the building to live under humane conditions. Also we demand that the visitors ban is cancelled. We are fed up of this prison live. We need our friends, family and our movement close to us.
We do not want to waste our time any more with dubious and unrealistic offers and negotiations. We want to find a political and peaceful solution for the school. Therefore, we are planning a public meeting in the neighborhood to discuss a political solution for the school – of course the district is invited as well…Our official invitation for the public meeting will follow soon!…
Berlin 9th of June, 2015
People from the Gerhart-Hauptmann-School/#Ohlauer
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