protocol #11 – forming a ‘lager mobilisation network’ in berlin – OPlatz

this is our 11th protocol to form a “lager mobilisation network” in berlin. again, around 25 people were there – thanks to u all. please add, correct and criticize in the comment section.

Lager mobilisation

protocol #11 – forming a ‘lager mobilisation network’ in berlin

1. introduction of the network for our new freedom fighters
2. reports from our lager visits
3. ideas and dates
4. demo
5. next meeting

1. introduction of the network for our new freedom fighters

our goal is to have a decenteralized lager-mobilisation in berlin and hopefully one day in brandenburg. we already visited some lagers, did some research about the shit living conditions inside and how they are built to make money off of illegalized and isolated human beings we label as “refugees”. right now there are over 23.000 people (official number by lageso) just in berlin in lagers.

the lager-mobilisation-network is an open network with decenteralized working groups against the slavery which taking place inside the lagers – so join like u want and your personal scheduele allows u to participate; plus we do not do anything “illegal”. we are people from all over the world and speak english during our meetings, but german translation is always possible, for other languages hit us up please – or if possible bring your friends with u.

after some re/thinking rounds, practical action and personal connection we developed two guidlines for the coming steps, but these ideas are dynamic and realated to our possibilites and the exprience we gain, a short summary:

i. short and mid-term:

a. we will go and talk with groups who know and can teach about the legal problems and educate ourselves in this direction and then visit again the lagers in small groups and spread this hardly needed information as the people asked us when we were visiting them; in addition to this we take info flyers etc. with us about the legal situations. we also invite (not force…) the so-called refugees living in those lagers we visit to be part of our group.

b. we want also be part of the “neighbourhood/welcoming-initiatives” and bring some alternative ideas and information from the self-organized struggle additional to their great charity work.

–> therefore we need some more people who speak different languages like: arabic, albanian, dari/farsi, serbo-croatian, tigrinya, urdu etc. – every languages is needed.

–> decentral working activists: people who are interessted to take care of the lagers in their around their living places like the districts they are living in and contact the people inside of lagers and participate in “neighbourhood/welcoming-initiatives” there – we (will) start very slow but very focused idea on this.

ii. long-term:

we are searching for rooms all over berlin outside but next to the lagers to build up small communities so people can organize themselves for the time they are forced to live inside of lagers. plus we will accompany them and try to bring alternative content like workshop etc. to those places – if its needed!

–> if u have a room or contact for such rooms (house projects, meeting-rooms), please let us know

–> if u know people for such content/workshops, please connect them to us

2. reports from our lager visits

a. neukölln:

– 5-6 people visited tempeolhof airport
right now there are 1300 people in the airport in tempelhof, there are going to be 6000 people there in a while because they are going to use all the hangars
they also want wo put a hall on the field for another 600 people
visited hangar 4, there were some security problems at entering the lager
people in hangar had no information and wanted more information
many complaints of people in the lager that arab-speaking people get better treatment
they spotted just one shower in the hangar, many people haven’t showered for weeks
many people sleeping on the floor on matresses

problems with the security:

1. one security guy who speaks german-dari/farsi very well wasn´t allowed to translate anymore

2. pregnant woman with pain in the chest: someone went with her to the medipoint in another hangar, but the
doctor said “come back tomorrow” , then there was a discussion with one guy from the group who asked if she could’nt go to the hospital, he then got locked by the doctor in the room,who didn´t want to let him go, so many security guys gathered around him, then they called the police, blamed him for landfriedensbruch etc., then he got banned from the lager.

3. another health problem: one woman had a report from the hospital that she had to really stay there and get medical aid, but she has 7 kids and she didn’t to leave the kids in the lager so she asked about if there’s a possibility that there is taken care for the kids.

info: during the group was in the lager there also was a demonstration against lageso in the lager, many people don’t know why they are there because they got transferred from other cities and literally have no information. generally: people seem to be more hopeless than the last time we visited them.

b. seelow

one person who is living there came to the meeting today

translation porblem: there are needed translators, because there is no one who gives people information about the paper works
also there is translation needed for visiting doctors so that they can explain their problems, it’s very important that there is a possibility to explain the problems to doctors
some people still pay for translators themselves to help them with translation work

condition-problem:
around 5 people have illness where they scratch their head
sheets aren’t changed, the air is bad
there is no kitchen for people to cook, but there is also no money to buy food from restaurant or something
there is 2 washing machines for 150 people
since one week nothing changed
we will get in contact with “internationaler bund” who is managing the lager

c. wedding

we had a meeting at sunday to build a local group
we got in contact with new people in wedding who want to build up a wedding group
until now there are few people who speak languages like arabic, farsi etc. in the wedding group

lagers:

there is a new lager next u-station osloer straße for 200 people (emergency lager), we also visited it
“führungszeugnis/police register” is needed to help in the lager
after the meeting we got in contact with some people from the lager
what they said:
a lot of arabic speaking people working there
people who speak arab get faster access to stuff (clothes, food)
people from iraq: it’s not arab people who get better treatment, but only syrian people
it’s always changing regarding the news and who is in favor of the german government right now

one guy had many problems with lageso and was in a very chaotic situation, then he complained and got beaten by security
we spread some flyers about the asylum process
also we told about the upcoming demonstrations
people seemed to like the idea of demonstration because they are sick of everything

people wanted to know when they would get out of the hall
everyday people working at the lager are collecting the names and reporting them to lageso, then there are busses coming and taking them to registration
most of the people are really new and unregistered

there will be a “crisis meeting” concerning the new lager near osloer straße, there will be members of the bezirk and the betreiber, some people of us are trying to go there too

a new lager is also planned for young people near plötzensee
there will be an information event of people living near the lager, some people from the group will go there

another second new lager just for young people in wedding, around 180 persons, locations is still unclear

rooms in wedding:
there are about 3 rooms, we are in contact to get, to have some room where people can meet and get outside of the lager

there is a legal help groups in wedding, we will get in contact with them

local group meeting again at 17 uhr on sunday in i-pad in exerzierstraße 26 – from 5-8pm

spandau:

lager for 1.000 people
toilets are broken
visit next week for more information

“flÜchtlingsrat-berlin meeting”
we went one meeting of the flüchtlingsrat, there are people from other neighbourhood group meeting,
many charity groups also know the problems
but there is a lot of talking and as a result there is press releases from flüchtlingsrat
just one person living himself in a lager was there, there was no translation, the meeting is german

3.ideas and dates

visit from 1 guy:
active in cspm – international network for undocumented people
its in 6 countries in europe and 2 countries in africa and another group active in africa

organizing big events where many people meet together from many countries, not only germany

international issue

their next project: organize a big car, with podium for the music, organize really good artists not only from berlin but from the world, visiting one lager per month

1 guy from the o-platz group wants to do a self-empowerment workshop

some critic:

discussing is important because there is the possibility to bring new ideas into the group
lagers are in berlin for a very long time, we don’t need to go there and visit again because everyone can and could have information before
three general problems where we could do something:
people want to get out of the lager – how can we bring the people who are in the lager out?
people need help, because they have stress – what can we do about the stress in the lager?
problem of the translation in the lagers – how can we get translation to the lager?
regarding demonstration: there is media needed, we have to think about how getting the media, or if not the demonstration will be useless
“no border no nation camp reloaded”
– they have an open space where they meet together and cook together and there are lawyers giving legal informations
– we are connecting with them

answer:
people from political organzied groups should get connected with the group, so people get in contact

re-answer:
we need a clear agenda, what we want to do and how, what are the steps
a clear agenda is needed – what are the goals?
it´s important to tell the people all the legal changes in aslyum process in all the languages who are existing
no solidarity in the german society

there is a form in arabic and farsi that people can fill in and give to the doctors(maybe helpful in zelow)

media group from oplatz www.oplatz.net
weekly newsletter, to inform people, can be printed, so we can distribute them in the lager
idea: monthly workshops , information that they take place should also be spreaded

there are a lot of information from the oplatz group to share
they have an email adress and phone number- if we want to share information with them, people living in lagers can share their information with them

4. demo

“schulstreik” on thursday
people want to help mobilizing for the self-organized demo
ask about this mobiizing: bündnis für bedingsloses bleiberecht

meeting on wednesday on 18 pm – they also want to helpt at mobilizing and get connected

kib- meeting at the 28th.

5. next meeting

please read our previous protocols too, we dont want to repeat ourselves every time from zero:

https://www.oplatz.net/2015/11/16/protocol-10-forming-a-lager-mobilisation-network-in-berlin/

“if u are interessted to join and help us instead of talking blabla or “attend another meeting with no practical result”, please come to our next meeting and get active – put it!”

next tuesday/dienstag
24th november 2015
7pm / 19 uhr
at migrationsrats office – www.migrationsrat.de

adress:
oranienstr. 34
10999 berlin-kreuzberg

right backyard, 2nd floor, there is an elevator
please ring the bell, if the door is closed
next to u-station kottbusser tor

berlin, 17. november 2015 – www.oplatz.net

we are one