Tag: Lager Watch

Fatous Prozess am 8. März: Rassistische Gewalt gegen geflüchtete Frauen durch Wachdienste und Polizei beenden!


Der Prozess wird fortgesetzt 15.3. 10 Uhr Amtsgericht
Bamberg
Synagogenplz 1

von Justizwatch

english below

Am 8. Juni 2018 wurde Fatou, eine geflüchtete senegalesische Frau, von einem Wachmann als einzige schwarze Person in einem Netto-Supermarkt in Bamberg kontrolliert. Sofort kritisierte sie die Kontrolle als rassistisch. Der Vorfall löste eine Reihe von Ereignissen aus, die bis zum nächsten Tag andauerten, in denen sie sowohl von privaten Wachleuten als auch später von der Bamberger Polizei misshandelt und eingeschüchtert wurde. Strafrechtliche Konsequenzen richten sich jedoch bislang ausschließlich gegen sie. Am 8. März 2019 muss sich Fatou um 12 Uhr vor dem Amtsgericht Bamberg gegen Vorwürfe wegen Hausfriedensbruchs und versuchter gefährlicher Körperverletzung während der Ereignisse im Netto-Supermarkt verteidigen. Gegen die Wachleute wird bislang trotz Fatous Strafanzeige bei der Staatsanwaltschaft nur halbherzig ermittelt. Die Ermittlungen gegen die Polizist*innen wurden bereits eingestellt.

Kommt am 8. März, am internationalen Frauenkampftag, um 12 Uhr zum Amtsgericht Bamberg, um Fatous Kampf zu unterstützen und die strafrechtliche Verfolgung einer schwarzen geflüchteten Frau kritisch zu beobachten. Rassistische Wachdienst- und Polizeigewalt gegen geflüchtete Frauen beenden!

Adresse: Synagogenplatz 1, 96047 Bamberg

Spendenkonto für Anwaltskosten:
Bayerischer Flüchtlingsrat
Bank für Sozialwirtschaft
IBAN: DE89 7002 0500 0008 8326 02
BIC: BFSWDE33MUE (München)
Verwendungszweck „Bamberg Security“

Fatous Erklärung zu den Ereignissen vom 8. Juni 2018:
„Als einzige schwarze Frau im Supermarkt wurde ich von einem Mitarbeiter des Wachdienstes kontrolliert. Ich weigerte mich, meine Tasche zu öffnen. Daraufhin rief er die Polizei, die mich durchsuchte, ohne etwas zu finden und mich zurück ins Lager brachte. Dort bemerkte ich, dass ich die Butter, die ich bei Netto gekauft hatte, zurückgelassen hatte und kehrte zurück, um sie zu holen. Als ich dort ankam, kamen sofort zwei Wachmänner auf mich zu und schrien: „Raus hier!“ Einer von ihnen ging hinter mir, der andere zog gewaltsam meine Hände nach hinten, so dass es wehtat. Sie brachten mich in einen Bereich hinter dem Laden. Der eine Wachmann drückte mich gegen eine Eisentreppe und verletzte mich am Hals. Als ich meinen Kopf hob, drückte er mich wieder gegen das Geländer. Der andere verletzte mich am Arm. Dann warfen sie mich mit auf den Rücken gefesselten Händen auf den Boden. Schließlich kam die Polizei und nahm mich mit.

Die Polizisten brachten mich zu einem vergitterten Polizeiwagen. Sie fesselten meine Hände und Füße und schoben mich auf den Boden des Autos, dann fuhr das Auto los. Der Polizist hinter mir drückte sein Knie gegen mein Gesicht. Ich schrie und sprach auf Französisch. Er sagte, ich solle Deutsch oder Englisch sprechen, dann schlug er mich ins Gesicht. Als wir bei der Polizeiwache ankamen, brachten sie mich in den Keller. Sie sagten mir, ich solle meinen BH ausziehen. Ich trug ein T-Shirt und eine Jacke. Die Jacke zog ich aus. Dann wurde ich in ein Zimmer mit einem kleinen Bett und einer Toilette geführt. Zwei Frauen kamen, um meinen Körper abzutasten. Vor der Tür standen zwei männliche Polizisten, von denen einer mich schon zuvor verletzt hatte. Er sagte mir, ich solle meine Strumpfhose ausziehen. Die Frauen sagten, es sei alles in Ordnung. Der Polizist antwortete, dass ich meine Strumpfhose trotzdem ausziehen solle. Ich weigerte mich und sagte ihnen, dass Ramadan sei, und wenn ich meine Strumpfhose ausziehen würde, könnte ich nicht mehr beten, und ich hätte das Recht zu beten. Die Frauen sagten, wenn ich mich nicht selbst ausziehe, würden die Männer mich ausziehen.

Kurz darauf warf mich ein Polizist auf das Bett. Er trat mit seinem Fuß auf mein Schulterblatt. Dann zogen sie mich aus. Ich verlor das Bewusstsein, entweder weil sie mir etwas injiziert haben oder weil ich wegen des Ramadans den ganzen Tag nichts gegessen oder getrunken hatte. Als ich aufwachte, hatte ich nur ein Höschen an, und der Raum war voll von männlichen Polizisten und Ärzten. Ein Arzt sagte, dass es mir nicht gut gehe und ich ins Krankenhaus gebracht werden solle. Sie verabreichten mir gegen meinen Willen ein Medikament. Dann wurde ich ins Krankenhaus gebracht. Dort wurde mir ohne meine Zustimmung Blut abgenommen. Dann holte mich die Polizei wieder ab und brachte mich in Handschellen zum Bahnhof. Sie wollten, dass ich etwas unterschreibe. Weil ich mich weigerte, gaben sie mir meine Kleidung nicht zurück. Dann setzte die Polizei mich nur mit einem Handtuch bekleidet, das mir der Arzt gegeben hatte, vor dem Lager ab.“

englisch

On 8th June 2018 Fatou, a Senegalese refugee woman, was controlled by a security guard as the only black person in a Netto supermarket in Bamberg, an action she immediately denounced as racist. This triggered a sequence of events, lasting until the next day during which she was abused and intimidated both by security guards and later by the Bamberg police. Yet the legal consequences are so far targeting her. On 8th March, 2019 at 12 o’clock she has to defend herself at the Bamberg local court against charges on breaking the house peace (Hausfriedensbruch) and attempt of grievous bodily injury (versuchte gefährliche Körperverletzung) during the events in the Netto. Despite Fatou’s report to the prosecutor the guards have only been half-heartedly investigated so far. The investigation against the police officers has already been suspended.

Come to court on Women’s Day, 8th of March 2019 at 12 PM to support of Fatou’s fight and to monitor the legal persecution of a Black refugee woman. Stop racist security guard and police violence and intimidation of refugee women!
Address: Synagogenplatz 1, 96047 Bamberg

Donations for lawyer costs with the message (Verwendungszweck) “Bamberg Security”:
Bayerischer Flüchtlingsrat
Bank für Sozialwirtschaft
IBAN: DE89 7002 0500 0008 8326 02
BIC: BFSWDE33MUE (München)

Fatou’s statement on the events of 8th June, 2018:
“As the only black woman in the supermarket I was controlled by a guard. I defended myself against it and he called the police who searched me and brought me to the camp without finding anything. There I noticed that I had left an item which I had bought at the Netto (butter), and returned to get it. When I arrived there and wanted to talk to the employees about my butter, two securities came up to me and yelled at me ‚Get out!‘ One of them walked behind me and the other one forcibly pulled my hands back so that it hurt. They then forced me into an area behind the store. One of them pressed me against an iron staircase and injured my neck. When I raised my head the security pushed me against the railing again. The other one hurt my arm. Then they threw me on the floor with my hands back and handcuffs on. Then the police came and took me away.

After the police found me in the back room of Netto, they took me to a police car with a lattice. They tied my hands and my feet together and pushed me to the floor of the car and the car started. The policeman behind me pressed his knee against my face. I screamed and spoke in French. He said I should speak German or English and then slapped me in the face. When we arrived at the police station, they took me to the basement. They told me to take off my bra. I was wearing a T-shirt and a small jacket und took off the jacket. I was led in a room with a small bed and a toilet. Two women came to feel my body. In front of the door stood two male policemen, one of whom had injured me before. He told me to take off my tights. The women said it was all right. The policeman replied that I should take off my tights anyway. I refused and told them that it was Ramadan, and if I took off my tights, I could not pray anymore, and I have the right to pray. The women said that if I don’t undress myself, the men will undress me.

Shortly afterwards a male policeman threw me on the bed. The policeman kicked me with his foot on my shoulder blade. Then they undressed me. From there on I lost conscience, either because they injected something in me, or just because of not having eaten or drunk anything the whole day, as it was Ramadan. When I woke up, I had only panties on, and the room was full of male police officers and doctors. A doctor said that I was not doing well and should be taken to the hospital. They gave me some medicine against my will. Then I was taken to the hospital. They took my blood without my consent. Then the police picked me up again and brought me handcuffed to the station. They wanted me to sign something. I refused. Because I refused to sign, they did not return my clothes. Then the police dropped me in front of the camp without my clothes. I was covered only with a towel which the doctor had given me.”

Hauptpunkte der Kritik der Lagerproteste Brienner Straße 16 / Berlin-Wilmersdorf

Seit über einer Woche haben mehr als 80 Menschen, allesamt Familien, die Bewohner*innen der Brienner Straße 16 in Berlin-Wilmersdorf, das Lager aus Protest gegen die unmenschlichen Bedingugen vor Ort verlassen. Sie entschieden sich draußen vor dem Lager zu bleiben, bis sie einen neuen Ort zum Bleiben bekommen.

Die meisten Probleme des Lagers, das vom Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund betrieben wird, sind schon seit fast zwei Jahren immer wieder Thema:

  • Die Security hat keinen Respekt vor den Menschen. Sie schreien Kinder an, sind aggressiv und brutal. Oft setzten sie Gewalt gegen die Bewohner*innen an. Nachts sind sie sehr laut.
  • Das Essen der Kantine ist sehr schlecht, teilweise auch abgelaufen. Kinder mögen es nicht und sind oft krank deswegen. Manche Menschen hatten schon eine Lebensmittelvergiftung, und haben in kurzer Zeit viel Gewicht verloren. Essen von außen darf ins Lager gebracht werden, aber das Essen der Kantine kann nur in der Kantine zu bestimmten Zeiten gegessen werden. Selbst die Security sagt, so ein schlechtes Essen würden sie nicht essen wollen.
  • Die Zimmer dürfen nicht abgeschloßen werden. Die Bewohner*innen haben keinen eigenen Schlüssel. Jede*r kann jeder Zeit rein. Ob Polizei, Sozialarbeiter*innen, Security oder andere Bewohner*innen.
  • Es gibt nur ein paar Stunden pro Tag, wo sich die Leute duschen können. Es gibt für 900 Leute vier Duschräume.
  • Toiletten und Duschen sind oft im schlechtem Zustand.
  • In einem Stockwerk sind die Menschen besonders stark von Bettwanzen betroffen.

 

Nachfolgend einige Statements von verschiedenen Bewohner*innen:

Die Securitys ärgern dich, bis du ein bißchen lauter wirst und dann schlagen sie dich. Es gibt Sachen, die die Security machen muss, weil es seine Arbeit ist, aber er macht es nicht, weil er keine Lust hat. Sie sind immer respektlos und aggressiv, egal ob du ein Mann, eine Frau oder ein Kind bist. Immer wenn es Probleme gibt zwischen der Security und den Leuten, die Leute sind immer schuld. Fast alle Security können kein gutes Deutsch, die meisten beleidigen uns auf ihrer Sprache, oft in Türkisch. Bewohner vom Heim, die Türkisch können, haben uns das erzählt. Nachts ist die Security immer laut, du kannst nichts sagen. Sonst schlagen sie dich, während die anderen Bewohner schlafen. Das passiert oft. Wenn du ein Problem mit einer Security hast, hast du Probleme mit allen. Die hassen dich dann. Viele Kinder haben Angst vor der Security, weil sie oft gesehen haben, wie die Security jemanden schlägt.

 

Lager-Repressionen gehen weiter: Ein Brief aus dem MUF-Lager Wittenberger Str. 16

Update 19. März:

Fragen gestellt – Hausverbot erhalten – in die Obdachlosigkeit geschicktÜber die katastrophalen Vorgänge in der ersten Modularen Unterkunft für Geflüchtete: Wittenberger Str. 16, Marzahn

Am 03. März 2017 wurde die Notunterkunft Pankstraße (Wedding) geschlossen. Alle Bewohner*innen mussten in die Wittenberger Str. 16 (Marzahn) umziehen. „12 Personen stellten Fragen, die Antwort war Hausverbot, die Konsequenz: Obdachlosigkeit für mehr als 10 Tage“ so Julius Martin, Pressesprecher der AG Politik von Wedding.hilft.

 

Warum? Hier die Schilderungen der betroffenen Geflüchteten:

Bei Eintreffen in der neuen Unterkunft herrschte Chaos. Schleppend wurden die ankommenden Geflüchteten in Zimmer verteilt. Eine Gruppe von 12 Geflüchteten fragte bei der Heimleitung des Betreibers Volkssolidarität, Frau Nowicki (früher PeWoBe), nach, ob sie die Zweibett-Zimmer jeweils mit ihren Freunden beziehen könnten. Die Heimleiterin wies die Fragenden mit einem aggressiven “Nein“ ab und zog sich in ihr Büro zurück. Alle weiteren Versuche, mit der Heimleitung über eine spätere Lösung ins Gespräch zu kommen, wurden vehement abgewiesen. Um die Fragenden endgültig abzuwehren, teilte Frau Nowicki schließlich mit, ihre Arbeitszeit sei zu Ende. Die Betroffenen müssten jetzt gehen und dürften auch nicht wiederkommen. Ein mündliches Hausverbot wurde erteilt, eine schriftliche Bestätigung wurde ihnen allerdings verwehrt. Die Heimleitung gab später an, sie habe sich bedroht gefühlt, zu tätlicher Gewalt sei es allerdings nicht gekommen.

Die Geflüchteten wurden an einem Freitagnachmittag in die Obdachlosigkeit verbannt ohne Chance auf Vorsprache bei zuständigen Behörden, ohne schriftliche Bestätigung des „Hausverbots“, ohne Handhabe. In den kommenden Tagen versuchten einzelne Betroffene immer wieder, Obdach zu erhalten und in der MUF Marzahn unterzukommen – ohne Erfolg.
Bis zum darauffolgenden Montag sprachen die Betroffenen wiederholt bei den zuständigen Behörden vor, wurden zwischen LAF (im ICC) und dem Bezirksamt im Rathaus Wedding hin und her verwiesen. Niemand fühlte sich zuständig. Eine tagelange Odyssee nahm ihren Lauf (wie auch Unterstützer*innen von Wedding.hilft bezeugen können). Erst durch die Vermittlung Ehrenamtlicher konnten die Betroffenen Mitte März endlich in die Wittenberger Straße einziehen.

„Dieser Vorfall ist allerdings nur eines vieler Beispiele von Willkür durch Heimleitung und Security“, so Julius Martin. Bewohner*innen berichten, dass sie mit ihren Anliegen nicht zur Heimleitung durchdringen und mithilfe der Security „City Control“ stets abgewiesen würden. Außerdem führe die Security bei jedem Verlassen und Betreten der Unterkunft illegale Taschenkontrollen durch und verhalte sich respektlos. U.a. hätten Security-Mitarbeiter das Fahrradschloss eines Bewohners aufgebrochen, „und das Rad an anderer Stelle einfach hingeworfen. Wir fühlen uns in dieser Unterkunft sehr unwohl und diskriminiert.“

„Heimleitung und Security sind untragbar und müssen dringend abgesetzt werden“, so Julius Martin weiter. „Der Betreiber ‚Volkssolidarität’ und das LAF müssen endlich Verantwortung für die katastrophalen Vorgänge in dieser Unterkunft übernehmen.“

Interviewanfragen und Kontakt zu Betroffenen: politik@wedding-hilft.de

——————

Hier noch mal der Hinweis, warum die deutsche Lagerindustrie und deren Massenlagerung der asylsuchenden Menschen eine passive Sklaverei sind:

Die asylsuchenden Menschen sind entmenschliche und austauschbare Werkzeuge von verschiendenen “Sozialen” Unternehmen wie z.B. Volksolidarität und diverse Security-Unternehmen wie WISAG oder SECURITAS, die aufgrund der Entrechtung der Menschen durch das deutsche Asylrecht, sich das Recht zur Unterdrückung aktiv zum Leitmotiv ihrer Lohnarbeit machen und sich nach aussen als “humanitäre-helfende Personen und Unternehmen” verkaufen. Zwar wird das Asylrecht auf der Bundesebene geregelt, jedoch in solchen Fällen sieht man wie auch die scheinlinke Rot-Rot-Grüne-Landesregierung in Berlin und deren zuständigen Personen wie z.B.  Sozialsenatorin Elke Breitennach (Die Linke-Berlin) nicht reagieren, da asylsuchende Menschen ohnhin keine Wähler*innen sind, sondern ebenfalls als Spielball des Spielball des politischen Spiels dienen.

 


 

Betreff: Flüchtlingsheim, Volkssolidarität, Wittenberger Str.16, 12689 Berlin
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,
am Freitag, 03. März 2017, wurden wir vom Flüchtlingsheim in der Pankstr. 70, in o. gen. Flüchtlingsheim umgesiedelt.
Leider haben wir mit der Heimleitung und der Securitas viele Probleme, daß wir uns hier sehr unwohl und diskreminiert fühlen.
Bei unserer Ankunft wurden uns alle unsere elektrischen Geräte abgenommen. Uns wurde gesagt, diese würden wir am Montag  zurückerhalten, was leider bis heute noch nicht geschehen ist.
Letzte Woche musste ein Mitbewohner ein eigens gekauftes Werkzeug ebenfalls abgeben, so gibt es noch einige Beispiele. In den vorigen Wohnheimen haben wir diese Erfahrungen nicht machen müssen.  Auch ein vernünftiges Gespräch mit dem Personal, ist leider nicht möglich. Schnell heißt es: “Ihr habt keine Rechte” oder “Ihr könnt nichts machen” oder “wenn es euch nicht gefällt, könnt ihr ja gehen”.  Diese Äußerungen sind sehr enttäuschend für uns, für unser sowieso schon schwieriges Leben im Flüchtlingsheim.
Wir hätten gerne eine  andere Heimleitung und anderes Securitas-Personal, damit wir uns etwas wohler fühlen. Vielen Dank für Ihr Hilfe und Unterstützung!!!
Mit freundlichen Grüßen

Die Bewohner des Flüchtlingsheim”

 


 

Im Anhang findet ihr die PDF-Dateien der Pressemitteilungen von Wedding.Hilft (Poltik AG)

17-03-15 – PM – Turnhallenleerzug

17-03-18 – PM – Hausverbot für Nachfragen

 

www.wedding-hilft.de

www.facebook.com/LagerMobiBerlin

Greece: Hunger Strike in Elliniko Camp in Athens

Hunger Strike in Elliniko CampInfomobile Information with, about and for refugees in Greece

On 5th February 2017, most of the adults among the 711 refugees residing in a state-run Camp in the former Athens National Airport (Camp Elliniko II), in the majority coming from Afghanistan, started a hunger strike to protest against their degrading living conditions demanding for their transfer to homes, papers and freedom of movement for all. As reported by one of the refugees, it is very likely that residents of the two other camps in Elliniko (the nearby Olympic baseball and a hockey stadiums) might join in the protest tomorrow.

Among the 1,600 refugees living in the three camps of Elliniko there are some who are there already since one year. Elliniko Camp was opened already back in autoumn 2015, in a period where thousands were arriving to Greece and many stayed homeless in the parks and squares of Athens.
Planned as a temporary solution to ‘clear’ the capitals’ streets from the many homeless and repeatedly announced to be closed as belonging to one of the most infamous camps in Greece, it still stayed open until today, but always portrayed as ‘provisory’ under the UNHCR-category ‘informal site’.

Refugees used to live in the former airport throughout 2016 for months suffering under overcrowdedness, filthy insufficient toilettes and showers, inadequate food and without any information or legal aid. While the population has been reduced visible, the camp still is inadequate to host refugees and living conditions remain poor. Many highly vulnerable people still stay there. There are elderly, pregnant women, single mothers, people with mental health problems, people with chronic and
heavy diseases etc. In the meantime, many refugees are living there since one year.

Amongst others, refugees who started the protest complained about the quality of the food, lack of basic needs as for example milk and diapers for babies and toddlers, no hot water, no laundry, lack of translators for sick persons who have to go to hospital and no coverage of their transportation there. It is matter of survival, they state. They do not care about having more clothes or more food. But: food which doesnt’ make sick. Enough food, in order not to be hungry. Heating in order not to freeze.

“There are only a hand full of persons among us who speak English
and who can translate. They have to accompany anyone who gets sick to
the hospital, as the authorities and NGOs do not provide us with
translators for these purposes nor are there translators found in the
hospitals. We don’t even get the transportation costs re-funded for the
public transport used while accompanying some sick person. Some of us
got fined more than 30 times already for using the public transportation
without tickets. We will have severe problems in our asylum procedure,
to get an ID and passport, if recognized, if we have open fines to pay.
And they will increase successively if unpaid.”

Refugees living in Elliniko are suffering also mentally from the living conditions in the camp and their insecure situation in Greece and Europe.

“There are often fights. No one feels safe. People are in a
miserable state. they don’t know what to do. Many fear to stay forever
in Greece, where even Greek people cannot survive. There are no jobs,
there is no future. We fear European policies, which aim to increase
deportations of Afghans. Some of us have their relatives back in
Afghanistan. They cannot sleep at night, because they left them back in
conflict. There are people staying here who drink and fight. There is no
safety in the camp. There is no survival in Greece and there is no
safety in Afghanistan.”

More than 60% of the refugees in all three Elliniko Sites are women and
children

Amongst the refugee population in the camp are women with their kids awaiting their transfer to another European state where their husbands are. There are small kids with Asthma, like this 4-year-old girl who has to go to hospital almost every single night. People lock the doors to protect the salon from the cold, so no fresh air can enter. Many people smoke inside, others cook. The sewage water from the toilettes smells. So many get problems to breath. There is also a young man who had so
severe psychological problems, that he had to be transferred into the psychiatric clinic for a month. He was paranoid, thinking at any point someone wanted to kill him. He is taking medicaments now, but he is back in the camp, staying among 700 persons with his family. There is this pregnant lady in her 6th month, who often gets pains and has to visit the hospital again and again. She still lives there. Another woman just gave birth in there one month before. She is also still there.

Now, the refugees are trying to rase their voices to the world. They are already self-organised, having elected five representatives and holding plenaries since months. Now they want to provoke change, as they cannot suffer any longer.

“I am in danger in Afghanistan. I am even in danger in Greece. I was
told to get myself an appointment at the Asylum Service via Skpye, but
Skype isn’t responding.”

A woman holding a speech on the protest today said:

“We left Afghanistan because of the life-threatening situation and
for a future for our children. You closed the borders in front of us.
You locked us up in Greece. Now you are responsible to provide us with
what is needed to survive at least. Our children get sick here, and the
one doctor we have here for a few hours a day doesn’t give them medicine
but tell them to go an drink some water or some juice. We have the right
to have a good doctor, to have medicine. Even a pregnant woman gave
birth here, because the ambulance came so late.”

“There are mice in here. There is so much garbage outside. People
get sick from being here.”

Most adult refugees living in the camp attended the hunger strike today and plan to continue until the authorities, UNHCR and Danish Refugee Council (DRC) who are responsible in the camp listen and react to their demands:

– Open homes! Open the cities! Immediate evacuation of all into
dignified living conditions!

“We need to stay in the city and in our own rooms or flats. We don’t
want to be transferred to just another tent camp or prefab camp at the
margins of society! We want our children to go to school and we want to
go to work and earn our own living by ourselves in order to build up our
lives independently. We want to be free and participate in daily life as
all others do in this country.”

– Give papers and residence to stay to all refugees and allow anyone who
wants to move to another country to relocate legally and to join their
relatives! No discrimination of certain nationalities!

“The relocation program is discriminative. The right of free
movement should be given to all refugees. Many have their mothers,
fathers, brothers or sisters, their children or grandparents abroad.
Everybody has the right to be with his or her families. All people have
the right to live and work, somewhere, where it is possible to survive.
Even Greeks are searching for jobs outside of Greece. They are surviving
by returning to stay with their families. We have no one to help us
here, no one to open his or her house for us or to give us food. If
there is a chance to survive here, to find a job here, then we will
stay. As long as there isn’t, we should be allowed to move on legally.”

– Stop deportations to Turkey! Stop deportations to Greece! Stop
deportations to Afghanistan! Stop deportations to any unsafe countries!
The right to life for all!

“We fight for our rights. We fight for the rights of the others too.
The ones who are on the islands now, should be allowed to come to the
mainland, to seek asylum here, to stay here. Currently, people hardly
arrive to Greece anymore. The Turkish and the Greek Coast Guard,
together with the European Coast Guard fight refugees back on the sea
border. They stop them, from arriving to a place for asylum and
protection. The few who still come should be given a chance to stay.
Some of them who were allowed to move to the mainland arrive to Athens
without a place to stay. They are not permitted in the camps. Others
come to Athens without permit. They even have to return to the island.
We want freedom for all.”

“They want to start returning refugees who have been fingerprinted
here after March 15th of this year, back to Greece. No one can survive
here. We like to be in Greece. There are some nice people here, the
weather is good and the mentality of the Greeks is a little bit like our
own. But there are no jobs and there is no help for us. So how can we
find a home? How can we secure food for our kids? We also liked much
more to be in our homes in Afghanistan. But there is so safety but but
only war.”

“Europe is talking about the deportation of Afghans. Some countries
started already to return our people back even though their lives are in
danger in Afghanistan. Our president has signed a deal with Europe to
get money in exchange for taking refugees back. But our own politicians
keep their families in Europe for their own safety. European governments
advice their own citizens not to visit our country for safety reasons.
If we go back, we will die. Everybodys’ lives matter!”

Reactions to the break out of the Lager at Osloerstr. 23

After the rise up of the people living in the Lager at Osloerstr. 23 two weeks ago (link), a lot of things are happening in a very short time: the company administrating the lager, BTB Bildungszentrum, and LAF (the new LAGeSo) are really afraid about the propagation of these protests, and here we share with you and make public some of the consequences of this first protest. First of all, the supporters of the protest organized by the people living in the Lager are getting bans (Hausverbot) that don’t allow them to visit the families and play with the children, as they have been doing for over a year. The families and the children are very angry with the administration of the Lager, specially with Mark Held, the Heimleiter. Mr. Held is lying all the time to everybody: for example, he says to the people from Lager Mobilisation Group that now they are asking everybody who wants to visit a friend to sign a contract, but when someone not belonging to the group tries to enter, no contract is required. Prohibiting the entrance of the friends of the people living in the Lager only segregates them even more, and goes against the integration principles that are supposed to guide the work of the companies administrating the Lagers.

osloerstr lager protest

Secondly, the company BTB Bildungszentrum is having now emergency meetings: they are afraid of loosing a big business with the administration of the Lager that gives them around 100 000 € of benefits per month (after paying costs, salaries, etc.), and yesterday, on Wednesday the 8th of December, the boss of the company, Frauke Behrens, was visiting the Lager to see what’s going on.

But she was not alone in the Lager: also workers from the state like Noemi Majer (Koordinatorin für Flüchtlingsfragen Integrationsbüro) and Sascha Langenbach (second hand of the president of LAF -the new LAGeSo) where also visiting the Lager with translators, so that they could talk directly with the people living there.

After their visit to the Lager, we were able to talk a little bit with them. This was very productive: for example Mr. Langenbach thought that BTB earns 15 € per person and day. He is wrong: BTB actually earns 47,28 € per person per day, which makes over 1400 € per person every month (!). We can multiply by the 130 people that are living in this Lager to get an idea of the nice business that this Lager is for the company BTB. Another thing that Mr. Langenbach was saying is that he doesn’t understand how this situation, with thousands of people living in NUK (and this are just the numbers of Berlin), is not escalating and propagating to different Lagers. They are aware that this will happen soon, and that’s why they are all afraid.

The people living in the camp just want this horrible Lager in Osloerstr. 23, ran by Mark Held from BTB, to be closed. They are suffering a lot of pressure, their living conditions are more and more stressful, and the only thing they are asking for is having a place were they can stay peacefully, rest after the horrible experiences that they had to live (not only in their country and in their way to Germany, but also here), and start integrating in the society. In this link one can read their concrete demands.
So the questions are: when will this business finish? When will a real process of integration start?

soap bubbles at osloerstr lager

Eviction day at #Bornitzstr102 : the true face of “human rights”, “democracy”, “justice” and “freedom”

Posted originally in abriraqui

Yesterday night, I went to visit my friends at #Bornitzstr102, with another friend, somehow I needed to share with someone what the last 2 weeks have been for people at the Lager.

When trying to get in, yesterday, the security told me, no they cannot receive visits, they are going to be expelled, they have no right to stay here. It was 20h, my eyes wide open, “two days ago, it was the same situation, and I could visit them without problem” I said, “today we’ve been told, they cannot receive any visit”, so for the sake of a job, they were carrying out orders. Finally another person that I know, came to pick me up, he is staying in the Lager, so finally I went in. What happened after, maybe I’ll write it in another moment. Now, I feel this preventing people from receiving visits was a premonition of what was going to happen today.

19.06.2016 at 11am, a friend sent me a what’sup, “the police is here and wants us to go”, I was trying to work, so I didn’t read this message until almost two hours later. When I read it, I thought “Oh fuck!!!!”. I answered and said “I’m coming”, I finished what I was doing, I stood up and went there. There were several police cars, blue lights on, some standing at the entrance, some in the hall, others in the first floor, the floor of the ones resisting, in whole maybe around 15 policemen. I called my friend and said “I’m here, but you need to pick me up, they will let me in to visit you”.

While waiting for him to come down, I had to see how one of the securities, a big guy, that having a shit job, at this moment felt he had power on the refugees, said to one person sitting in the hall, “out, go out, you cannot be here”, the guy just sitting said in just body language, I’m waiting, “you have to leave, you had two leave 2 weeks ago, so now out!!!!”. I asked the security, “is he not a person?, is not any other way to treat people? do you think that is ok?”, he changed his voice, from this “I have the power little piece of shit” voice, to a “this is a visitor I have to calm down before I get in trouble” voice and said calmly “well, he cannot stay here any longer, he has to leave”.

In between they came to pick me up, so I’m not sure if the security threw this guy right away or if he waited.

Once I was inside, as I went up the stairs, I saw how 5-6 policemen were surrounding one of the people and “showing” him the way. He could not move, he could not stop to say bye to some of the people still in one of the rooms, they accompanied him to the door. Already after 10 minutes in the Lager, my body got stiff, anger, impotence, rage were settling inside me. They told me, that some of the people had gone out in the morning, and now they could not go inside to pick up their staff. Another friend with medical problems was in his rooms, the fact of the police throwing him out had affected his diabetes, he got a peak, to the level of being at risk of heart attack, finally they took him to the hospital. Once his situation was under control, he came back (around 2-3h later), he could not enter the Lager. I guess that the thoughts of the workers at the Lager were “we are doing our job, we are good citizens, we follow the rules”. Again and again only one thought has being going on through my brain, “where the hell has humanity gone to, to justify everything on the name of a shit job?” “what the hell has happened with humanity not to consider humans other people, to treat them worse that animals?”, even rats are treated with care not get harmed while refugees, must cope with everything. OMG!!!!!

During the day, I could do nothing but accompany, my first idea was to try to do some “citizen journalism”, to try to make the “outside world” aware of what was going there, but there were no words to express it, what goes inside these jails is too deep, how souls are broken for the sake of business is too scary, to repeat it on an on, and see that there is no reaction it’s too hard. Almost nobody cared in 2 weeks of what was going on at #Bornitzstr102, I must say I’m very very thankful to a bunch of people that have reacted immediately, no questions, just support, to the point they could, we are not heroes, we can do almost nothing, but to feel that you are not alone, is already a lot, at least for me.

So yes, I tried to, every now and then, have my twitter account updated, but as my friend said, now is over. He said that, but he stayed in the same room, watching for the things of his friends, he said, “I will not move when they want me to move”, he also exchanged with another friend “at least we fought a bit, we didn’t stayed cross armed“. In between, we chatted, we laughed, one young entered the room and said “hola, comos esta?”, then I asked “oh, you speak Spanish?” he told me “no, I don’t but my father does”. Ten minutes later, he passed me his phone, to speak to him. It took me by surprise, “now, in Spanish?”, “yes”, and I spent talking 5 minutes in a perfect Spanish with his father still living in Syria. “Cuando vayamos a ver a nuestro hijo, me dices qué quieres de Siria y te lo llevamos”, he told me. That’s the world where we live, in permanent contact, between wars, physical in Syria, psychological in Germany. The young guy tells me, “I don’t have a place to invite my parents, I live in this Lager, can you help me to find a flat?”. I thought about housing situation in Berlin and said, “people that want to live here don’t have it easy, not matter their status, the city is being sold to tourists and rich people”. Maybe is not the best thing to say, but is what it’s happening.

Hours passed in a cold room, with no electricity, in a floor with no water (toilets), just to make sure that if people wanted to stayed they would have to suffer. Punishment for those who resist and rise their voice against injustice. At some point a group of people entered the room, they explained to us that the police had asked for the “Ausweis” of 8-10 people and taken their names to open them a police case, the reason not clear, they will have to wait for the post at Kopenicker Allee to know what are the charges. The goal of opening a police case to people that have stayed peacefully in their heim, is just one, punishment, without the language and not knowing where to go, the police case will turn out to be a fine, to increase the money of public funds, that’s the perfect way of giving a public image of generosity to then steal the money back in a hidden way from the weakest link.

It was late afternoon already, but my friend remained sitting in the same chair, “I don’t have energy for anything”, he even had to stop talking, then he said “My uncle has died today in Syria, is too much in one day”. We talked a bit about Syria, his region, he said “when we came here we were surprised that it was like Syria before the war, is not so different” (in relation to the so called “development”, but in relation to humanity, we agreed, “here people is too cold, they don’t want any contact, they don’t care about people. The only friendly people that have helped us are not from here”. My back started hurting, too many hours sitting, so I stood up for a while, the body was still stiff, but that will last some days, I just needed to deal with my back, it was better if I didn’t leave the room, now the security was angry and maybe they would throw me out if they saw me in that room. I walked up and down the room, I saw they staff in rubbish bags, they didn’t even have time to get some bags to put their things inside, they were not given bed sheets, everything was upside down in the room, as their lives, as our souls.

It was already dark, we light the room with the smartphones, someone brought some food, we sat on the floor, then one said “I’ll do something crazy”, we were eating and suddenly we started hearing the sounds of the forest, cicadas, crickets, the wind in the forest, an owl … we started laughing …. yes we could imagine ourselves in the middle of nowhere, eating some fast food, everything dark, isolated and abandoned.

Tomorrow, for those who didn’t manage to go to Lageso today, their morning will be a queue and uncertainty inside a modern building, then maybe the streets. Sometimes the streets are a more honourable places than Lagers, even if it’s difficult to understand.

Human rights, democracy, justice, freedom are illusions.

Press release about what’s happening at Bornitzstr. 102

bornitzstr-notunterkunft-lichtenberg-berlinby abriraqui

Are private companies, like PeWoBe establishing how to run the Lagers of asylum seekers and refugees? Who are the real decision-makers?

During 7 days, in the Lager at Bornitzstr 102 run by PeWoBE, 122 refugees are trying to avoid an eviction but there is only uncertainty.
No reasons were given to it but they were told to pack and go in 24h.
No official papers are backing up this decision, but PeWoBe is implementing it.
Daily meetings are taking place between the management of the Lager, some refugee speakpersons and supposed representatives of Lageso (officially Lageso ignores the negotiations taking place) to negotiate the current situation. Meanwhile PeWoBe is pushing LAF /Lageso to get people out of the building.

Refugees are asked to go to ICC / LAF – Lageso, where nobody can’t do anything, and just says “you must stay in the same place”.
Several sources assure that since Thursday Lageso cancelled the eviction, however PeWoBe has been threatening refugees with been thrown out.
Unclear negotiations with KopecknickerAlle Lager were taking place, so that they hosted the 122 expelled refugees. Does PeWoBe profit from that?
Officially PeWoBe’s contracts with Lageso were canceled on summer after some shameful mails were leaked to the press. Now PeWobe runs a legal battle not to hand out the management of the Lager while is still getting the money.

Meanwhile for the refugees: not food is distributed among 122 people, electricity is cut from their rooms, locks removed from their doors, some people are being checked and stolen by security.
After the pressured of social workers, supposed Lageso delegation, and management, finally some refugees decided to move out to Spandau Lager.

But is not enough, now PeWoBe is going to do new lists to throw more people out.

After one week some things become clear:

  • Economical interests are above human rights.
  • Private companies are the decision makers of how to run Lagers as well as beneficiaries from the business around refugees.
  • Refugees fighting for their human rights are being threatened,cornered and declared persona non grata.

Will fighting for human rights harm a person’s asylum process and integration in their new country?
Are people merchandise in the hands of politicians or corporations?

They urgently ask the support and attention of local and international medias and activists.

More information at

** http://abriraqui.net/2016/10/11/after-a-weekend-of-tension-and-without-food-whats-next-in-borniztstr102-berlin-refugeeswelcome/
** https://www.oplatz.net/support-in-front-of-lager-in-bornitzstr-berlin
** https://www.oplatz.net/another-day-at-lager-in-bornitzstr-102-waiting-the-police/
** https://www.oplatz.net/122-people-are-pending-eviction-from-lager-bornitzstr-102-run-by-pewobe-refugeeswelcome-berlin/

There is a refugee speakperson, please write to refugeeresistanceberlin AT lists.riseup.net to get the contact.

Support in front of lager in Bornitzstr. Berlin

Refugee Protest Bornitzstr.Update by abriraqui

122 people in #Bornitzstr. Lager are not receiving food since Thursday.

Today a group of volunteers went to the Lager to give warm food outside here a short video taken:

Giving food at Bornitzstr102 Lager – Berlin from abriraqui

 

Update Monday, 10.10.2016

At Bornitzt Lager people were asked to go to Lageso, but in between employers in the Lager have told the people they would throw their stuff outside, so they’ve stayed inside their rooms. They’ve also threatend them with taking the beds and blankets ways from them.

All these plus the fact they are receiving no food. Any support in site, would be great 🙂

 

Update Tuesday, 11.11.2016

After a weekend of tension and without food. What’s next in #Borniztstr102?

 

Monday came and with it, the stress of the possibility of being thrown out of the Lager, the place where many have lived for more than one year or at least several months. The eviction could happen at any moment.

At 7 o’clock the workers of the lager, started waking everybody up, they had to remove their stuff from their rooms, they even said they had to bring out the beds and blankets. Only astonishment came from the side of the people living in the lager, why should be treated like that?, they are just asking that decisions are communicated in advance, so that they can organize things, they just want to understand why in 24h they have to leave for no reason, just one reason, none were given until now.

The more close to a reason was when someone said, “well Lageso realised that is not really legal to have you so crowded, so now they want to apply the law, for their own safety”. As I heard this I really wondered if someone could really accept that as an argument, all lagers are not at any point fulfilling human conditions, crowed, with no good hygienic conditions, food is shit (literally), many times there is no medical support, social workers who are not really doing their job, no places for study, without talking about how they are many times treated with disdain, ignored, etc, etc. but the German government is paying lots of money to these companies so that all needs should be covered, but everything is just a bunch of business interests in all sides, except in the refugee side.

One of the facts of what is going on at Bornitzstr 102 is that PeWoBe has been asked to leave this management of the Lager and another company should take care, PeWoBe looks like does not want to give up, so now is a duel between companies. Maybe is good to remember the PeWobe scandal, I’ll just cite DW article from August 2016:

“Far beyond gallows humor
Now that the internal correspondence full of macabre remarks has merged, professionalism is the last thing that comes to mind in connection with PeWoBe. Via email, several senior employees discussed what they should do with a 5,000 euro ($5,600) donation.

A sandbox was out of the question because the residents “would quickly turn it into an ashtray or a local toilet,” wrote Peggy M, director of one of the shelters. Instead, she suggested getting a “child guillotine.”

Berlin minister Mario Czaja canceled the company’s contract
Oher employees sent her photos of guillotines and decapitated heads. Beheadings are so messy, another female colleague warned: “There’s always splatter.” They also discuss a crematorium for which they would award an environmental certificate because the waste heat “is used for a cause.”

“We’re so good,” the employee concluded, adding that the “maximally pigmented” refugees could do the cleaning up.

The email correspondence was leaked to the city of Berlin, and over the weekend, the media began to pick it up.”

And this company got the contract because of direct contacts with Berlin’s Department for Health and Social Affairs, that is called corruption, a word that in Germany is still not too used, but which is also full of.

So, although most of the people in the morning were decided to go to Lageso/Laf, to check what was going on and what were the possibilities, once they were out, some people that stayed ended up calling because the workers were starting to move their things out ( — you know “it’s their job”, they get paid to do anything the boss says –), so everybody back to the rooms to resist this way of being thrown out, like animals.

So most of the people stayed, but a group of people went to Lageso to talk and see what options were possible.
In between I got some more information of what was happening, they removed the locks from the doors and they cut the electricity of certain rooms. Of course still no food for those “in the list”, it does not matter if there would be enough or not, is just a question of punishment.

The rest of the day, was more or less “calm”, this calm tension of uncertainty, of feeling not worth even an explanation, knowing that somewhere there is legal battle to keep the business of a NUK, and that there is no political action to prevent this situation.

Inside, we were able to chat, have a cup of tea, and see some photos of how beautiful is Syria, talk about friends, family, differences in Europe, we are able to laugh, and enjoy despite the situation. Moment like this are better than gold.

At the end of the day, a couple of buses parked outside the Lager, and took some people to Spandau.

 

Update, Thursday, 13.10.2016

One week of harassment at #Bornitzstr102 Lager #Berlin

 

Now is one whole week, since the people at Bornitzstr 102 Lager have suffered daily harassment from the workers and management of PeWoBe company. The ways have been multiple, from the basics of not giving them food, to waking up early in the morning saying they had to leave and that there things would be thrown to the streets. Menacing with removing beds and blankets, to actually remove locks from doors, cut of light in rooms. Also large amount of meetings have been hold with management, Lageso delegation (officially they don’t recognize pressure or negotiations have been going on), there was only one mission, to transmit people living in the Lager, that the only option was to leave the Lager, to transfer to another Lager (by the way in much worse conditions and far away from the city center).

What is said “there is no other option”, it has to do with the fact that PeWoBe is in the middle of a legal fight with Lageso, to keep the management of the Lager, although the racist mails exchange between the bosses was made public a couple of months ago. So the decisions rely on the private interests of companies, while Lageso/LAF and the Job Center, institutions in charge of the well being of the refugees, just deny any possibility of action on behalf of refugees.

Whole week long refugees, have gone to Lageso and to Job Center to ask for an explanation of what is happening. Today, one person who went to Job Center, received as an answer “you have to stay until the end of the month where you are since your costs have already been paid“, to this, the person asked, “yes, but PeWoBe is throwing me out“. In a moment of reaction, Job Center, tries to call Bornitzstr Lager, impossible to reach, none of the phones were working, no even the fax, so communication with the Lager was not possible. To that Job Center said, “you have to deal yourself with PeWoBe“. Also today, some other people went to Lageso, and also ask “what’s going on?”, the response was also, we don’t know, the only option is to transfer to another Lager, to which people opposed, since for the moment, only KopenicerAllees seems to be the only option, a crowded Lager with around 1000 people.

Meanwhile, inside the Lager, the harassment continued, this time, the women room was the target. Security from the Lager (6 men), a social worker and someone from the management, went inside the women’s room and wanted to force them to leave the Lager. As one women started screaming, the rest of the people in nearby rooms, run and gathered around the security. The question was “why do you want to force these women to leave?”, not being able to continue with the force eviction, the workers had the great idea of calling the police, so that the police threw people out. Police came, asked what was happening, if there was a fight or a quarrel or a strong discussion. None of that was taking place. Workers had to admit that there was nothing happening, an astonished police asked “then why do you call?”, workers answered “we want that you throw this people out”.

Police got annoyed and said “to move out people that have done nothing, is not our business, that you have to deal it with Lageso, Job Center …”, then they started taking the names of the workers that had by far exceeded their competences. And also the police asked the women, what had happened.

Also in the morning, the 4th and 5th floor have been opened, and families have been moved to the upper floors. In between new people are entering the Lager (it happens daily), with staying permission of 6 months, so, what are the criteria followed?.

As times passes it gets more clear, that everything is a mess, what is happening around Bornitzstr Lager is unclear, irregular, suspicious, there is no clear mandate from Lageso / Job Center of how the situation should be approached, and everything wants to be silenced.

In the background goes violation of human rights, corruption, business with human lives, indifference.

Securities trying to evict women using force #Bornitzstr102 #Berlin from abriraqui

Private security from PeWoBe are trying to evict by force the women staying in Borniztstr Lager. After hearing woman’s scream the other refugees came to the room, to prevent the eviction and throw the security out of the room

 

Update, Thursday 13.10.2016

Between embarrassment and disgust of what’s going on at #Bornitzstr102 Lager #Berlin

 

In the evening, I decided to go out and take a bit of fresh air, so I went to visit my friends at  #Bornitzstr102 Lager. Is not too far, and what they are going through there deserves some company and everybody to know. That people are invisible in a country just because is not their country, to be threatened permanently, to feel voiceless because there is no-one around , is something that basic makes me feel embarrassed. How can we turn our heads and look to another place, how can it be ignored the abuse on refugees, on extreme their fragile circumstances, for the sake of money, of profit, how can a country as Germany be so hypocritical and talk about a welcoming culture, when almost one million people are suffering on their daily basis.

This week I’m reporting what’s going on at #Bornitzstr102 but is just one of thousand cases. But maybe looking closer at it, it can be understood what means the psychological abuse at what refugees are submitted. As said I went to visit, to chat, to know what was happening since in the morning several incidents had taken place, the main one related on how the security men from the Lager went to throw out the women of the women’s room.  Also in the morning took place another incident, where security went inside of another room, and started throwing the things out of the room, but the people inside said they wouldn’t move, the security tried to provoke the people, with no luck, nobody reacted, so they stayed. It’s clear they are trying by all means, that people let themselves go a bit, to then accuse them of violence. When said by all the people I’ve talked to, there has been no violent incident between people living inside the Lager, at least the year+ they’ve been there.

Another meeting was about to take place, it starts to become quite hilarious the fact that the meetings are done between people that have no competence to change the current situation in the Lager, that is translators coming from Lageso, refugees and some person belonging to PeWoBe. They can talk as long as they want, the situation won’t be clarified, negotiations will not take place, is just to give the people the run around, tire them, lie to them, create confusion and fear.

The attitude of Lageso translators, is embarrassing,  people who’s task is supposed to be only, to transmit messages, not to build them and manipulate them.

First they simulate that they hear people’s complaints, that is, people who got a paper from Lageso on Monday saying they could stay in Bornitzstr 102 for the next two months, two days later, they find themselves in the list of people to be transfered to another Lager. So PeWoBe accepts any new registration (that means get the money for one person) and then throws out the person, so where is the money ending? and the person? where are the person’s rights? being on the list means not getting food, although not even people who are not in the list get the food, since due to having to go to courses or the school, they don’t have their food when they come back, which means that most of the people are only getting 2 meals instead of 3 (saving money, where is the money ending?) where are the rights of the people to get what they already have assigned?
Other person stands up and says “we are just money for you“, as he shows a 1€ coin, then there is a general complain about the heating, the Lager is cold, in between the translator says, well they are going to cut the electricity of the first floor, so you have to leave. Then another person takes the turn and says but I’m not in Lageso, I’m in the job center. Of course, no answer. A girl, one of the ones that were to thrown out in the morning, stands up and says, “My mum is old, she cannot walk too much, how can she go to a Lager where the toilets are 10 minutes from the room? how can she go to a place where she has to walk 15 minutes to the first bus stop?“. No answer. The next one says, but I have my school 10 minutes from here, how I move to a place where it takes me more than an hour to come here? No answer. (a side note, many of them have got a school to learn German or do an Ausbildung after 4-5 months fighting it.) Another turn says, we don’t want to go to KopenickerAllee because there are nazis around and we know they are attacking refugees. No answer. One key point in not wanting to move, is that some people get the complete amount of money from Lageso (~360€) ,that is the food is not deduced, this enables families to survive in some other country, without it, it would mean starvation for women and children back at home.

Some other interventions went on. But after getting no answers. The translators just kept repeating, as a mantra, you have to leave, you have to leave, you have to leave. Leave to where and why?, if it was clear Lageso would not be sending people day after day to this Lager, if it was clear they would be able to issue a document specifying the transfer, if would not say to people that they are lying when they are telling that they are getting no food. As people continued asking, protesting and saying they won’t move from Bornitzstr102, the translaters attacked again by saying, if you don’t leave, it will affect you asylum process, it can mean that you will not be accepted to stay in Germany. Then it came to me the disgust, no comments. Another hand was raised, No that’s not true, what happens here has nothing to do with our asylum processes. Then the translator had to rephrase what she wanted to say. But will this trigger  the fear of being punished just because they are just asking what is the reason of the transfer, why to certain people, why are people being cross out with no reason and others added with also no reason?

At the end of the session which seemed to be some kind of boss, that didn’t introduce himself, address to the people, and cynically, he said that he wanted that everything evolved with no violence, that they wanted a calm dialogue, and that for todays things would remain like that but tomorrow they will continue, probably he meant, they would continue harassing people.

 

Meeting at Bornitzstr102 with lageso translators, and PeWoBe staff from abriraqui

Another day at Lager in Bornitzstr 102. Waiting the police

Refugee Protest in Bornitzstr. Notunterkunft

Refugee Protest – Lager in Bornitzstr. 102 Berlin

from abriraqui

In the post from yesterday I was saying that maybe today (07.10.2016) in the morning they police would come and proceed with the eviction.

It didn’t happen, but it does not mean anything. Early morning the employers from PeWoBe knocked at the door of people’s room asking them to move, to go out of their rooms, they said “No, we are not moving”. After some time, the day movement started and people went outside, into the garden or to the front door, they were not going any where. They will stay.

Today no visits are allowed inside the Lager, no friends, no press, nobody can go inside. So I stayed outside and met my friend from the day before, and then continued chatting with people that was around. There is an inmense need to talk, to be heard, to express how the feel about how they are treated, all of them agreed, “they treat us like animals“. The strategy of threating people, just causes one effect, they get angry and get empowered to resist, to talk loud.

One guy came to me and said, “I know you”, I answered “mmm maybe”, he started talking, they’ve seen enough shit in their lives already (this was a young guy, early twenties), 8 cousins of him got kill by one bomb in one day, what’s going to scare them?, they won’t move, that’s the common feeling. He continues “they are all bastards, they’ve threatened us with Haus Verbot, who cares!! I won’t move”, he also explains, “we are 122 people we can block a street if we have to stay outside”. After a while we remembered where we had met,  he is friend of another guy that I met in another Lager, small world and nice to see the connections.

A lot of movement was going on, people coming and going,  some women, the bosses of PeWoBe also were coming in, people really dislike them, they say again “they think we are animals”, but as many pointed out, “we are engineers, teachers, nurses,etc… we came here only because of the war”.

One of them tells me, he had lived in Turkey several years, he speaks Turkish, so he got a job in a Turkish restaurant, he works, he earns his own money, he does not depend on Lageso’s money, but he can’t get a room or a house, and in the Lager they don’t even keep the dinner for him, even knowing that he comes from work late.

Many are already in the Job center, that is they’ve been recognised as refugees, but nothing changes, another case, he has permission to find a room fro over 3 years, he was not able to get it, “what can be done? why do they tell lies to us?” he asks.

Inside the building people are talking, discussing what to do next, resist and try to stay or accept the transfer. The following video shows that atmosphere inside.

The day is rainy, cold, disquieting. Basically there are no supporters, but there is some press, a couple of media. Let’s see if something can be done.

Notunterkunft Bornitzstr.102 BerlinIn between, Markus brought us some tea outside, it was sooooo nice of him, and it did us so good, after some hours, the cold gets really inside, the fingers start get rigid, from the feet comes the direct cold of the ground, so to drink something hot was great!

Now I’m leaving again to go there, later I’ll continue.

Back again, I’ll continue with what has been a long day. While being outside and drinking our tea, more stories and thoughts were said. Some of them were threaten in their countries by official army, daesh, etc, there was no way to stay, behind they had to leave a whole life, family, friends, jobs that made them happy. One day they just had to start to way to Europe, under a promise of the “German dream”, after the way walking, traveling by sea, continue walking through the Balkan route until reaching Germany. And now what? All placed in crowded Lagers, under bad hygienic conditions, given bad food, suffering the pressure of the manager, receiving little help from social workers (except very special cases, that end up resigning due to differences with the company running the Lager), not able to get a job, to get a house even if they are recognised as refugees, to study. In this Lager, what was the German classroom, that had a library has become a room for 12 people, and the German lesson inside the Lager were canceled.

As Markus says “we come from a physical war to a psychological war”. That is what Europe is doing a psychological war on refugees.

Another guy joins the conversation, he starts explaining the living conditions in Kopenicker Alle Lager. His face is so white that I have the feeling he can faint, he is nervous, very stressed because of what is going on, of how they are treated as animals. He starts describing the Lager where they are supposed to be transfered to, in each room there are 12 people, there are no keys in the room, nor in the lockers, “I don’t care about money or things like handy, computers, etc .. but I need a safe place to keep all my diplomas. I’m a computer engineer”, the toilets are outside the Lager, when they were there to visit, he needed to go to the toilet, there were 13 people queuing in the cold and rain. He continued, “inside is like being in a jail, is like Guantanamo. We are not animals, we want human rights not animal rights. That place is so dirty, it has not been clean since World War I”, he also explained that the Lager is in the middle of nowhere, it took 30 minutes to walk to the first bus stop, then another half hour to get to the Sbahn that after 3 station will leave you in the East of Berlin, which means that if you have to cross the city for any paperwork, attend classes it will take another hour at least to get to the final place.

Refugee Protest in Bornitzstr. 102 Berlin Session

In another corner, while we were talking, woman from Lageso conving people to leaveIn another corner, while we were talking, the woman from Lageso (a group of people from Lageso have spent the whole day in the Lager trying to convince people to move to Kopenicker Alle Lager)  comes outside and people start asking why are they treating them like that, what have they done, why are they lying to them, there are two floor in the current Lager being renovated and finish, why don’t they just move them to the upper floors, why are people being transfered while other people are getting registered… a big amount of questions are in everybody’s mind. There is only one answer, you will have to move, you can do it voluntarily or by force. There is no reasoning behind, no arguments, no explanations, I guess they think why should they explain themselves to this animals, the logics of power and business, the big business that refugees are in Germany right now.

I feel sad to see and not understand why people, good people are treated like this, is the same story that repeats itself Lager after Lager, there is nothing new in any of what I heard, is just new the people that tell it. On the other had I’m happy to have got in contact with the people in this Lager, maybe to have found new friends,  today was a long day but a nice day, at the end of the day it was clear the the transfer would not be done nor today nor during the weekend, probably on Monday they will try again.

Sometimes people ask, but if we go what can we do? resisting means not moving, so “no action” is taking place, I will always say, just come and sit and chat with people that are resisting, let  them know that there are people who care about what happens to them, that they are human and we always can provide human warmth, accompanying is also very political.

122 people are pending eviction from Lager Bornitzstr. 102 run by PeWoBe #refugeesWelcome #Berlin

 

Refugee Protest in Bornitzstr. Berlinfrom abriraqui

Today at around 16h I received a call. Someone had notified Lager Mobilisation Group, that 122 people living in the Lager (a camp) at Bornitzstr 102 (Lichtenberg – Berlin) were going to be evicted from this Lager and transfer to another Lager at Köpenicker Allee 164. No reasons were argued, they would be just thrown out.

The day was Grey, rainy, unpleasant, cold. I live close by and I had a couple of hours, I prepared my phone, took an extra-charger, checked my Internet speed connection and then went to check what was going on.

As I was arriving at the lager, I saw a couple of police vans and a bus with the doors open, as waiting for people to get in.

police at lagerpolice at lager

The contact was a Syrian refugee, once I was at the door I called him. He came with a couple of friends, almost without introducing ourselves, they started telling me what was happening. There was unrest in their words, they talked almost non-stop, their faces were worried. It took me some minutes to react and try to put some order in my thoughts of what to do. My only thought, what can I do, I’m not a lawyer, I’m not in any making-decision position, so I can only try one thing to make the situation visible. So I took my note book, a pencil and my phone.

Everything started yesterday (05.10.2016) , 122 people were told to pack their things, since they would be transfered to a much better lager. They assured them that if they didn’t like it they could come back. The information given was almost none, the reasons of the transfer, unknown. On one side they were told that they could close part of the building and that then they were starting moving part of them. This contradicts the fact that today, 3 new families arrived to the Lager. The refugees asked for a paper that explained, that proof that it was an official decision and not an arbitrary decision made by the company running the lager, PeWoBe. An aside before continuing, PeWoBe had several times appeared in the press because of the denigrating behaviour they had towards refugees in the lagers. This coincides with what our friend also was telling us, about how the social workers that were good people and cared for them and helped them were fired, 2 had been fired in the last months, and there are rumors that the one left has been also fired, although he could not confirm it.

They continued telling me, that a couple of them had gone to check this new, fantastic new lager, where they were going to be transfered, to check if really it was that nice. The visit was terrifying, the lager at Köpenicker Allee 164, was crowded, more than 800 people are already living there, the toilets are outside the building, which means to freeze in winter, literally they told me, “It was shit!”. So once this small group returned, they decided that they would resist and they would not leave on the buses. Among the 122 people are mainly single men and women, although a couple of families will also be evicted and a pregnant woman with her child. All nationalities are mixed, they are from Syria, Iran, Albania, Afghanistan, Pakistan and some Africans. “We are numbers, for them we are just numbers”, that’s how they described the situation, since nobody clarified anything.

We were outside, but I asked them if I could go inside with them and see the situation. “No problem, just follow me”. Once we entered the building, there were several policemen.

policemen insideI’m not sure what were they doing there, we didn’t stop, just went in. Later they told me, that they had been talking with the policemen to explain, that the thing was that they didn’t know why were they moving them, that the other Lager was much worse and that they would not move. This friend said that the police was shocked with this, since they had also been told that it was to go to a better place, but that in any case, they were just doing their job ( — side comment — I guess that one’s mind and sense of justice doesn’t work on working hours).

Once inside,  everything is heartbreaking, aseptic walls, corridors, in one floor you could already see, rubbish bags full with personal belonging all over the place mixed with strollers and children’s toys.

They took me, what I guess is normally the dining room. It was full of people, maybe 50-60 people. “This peoplgroup of people at lagere are part of the people that have been thrown out, but we will resist, we won’t go“. “Can we start a protest right now?” they asked me, followed by “Can they evict us by force, can they use the force, is it legal?“. I tried to explain that what is legal is not necessarily what they do, we are seeing daily how the authorities skip legality with total impunity. People in this room where coming and going. “Today they didn’t give us food. We didn’t have anything to eat”, that is part of the threats that the management have been menacing them, what other things could they do, we don’t know, but one thing is clear people working at this Lager have threaten refugees, if they don’t leave the lager without complain.

The friend I was talking with said, he had been living there for 1 year and 2 months, most of them had been staying there long, there had not been conflicts, at most some small discussions. Five months ago, the management of the Lager said, they would do some renovations in floors 4th and 5th, to improve their living conditions, for this reason they were squashed in floors 2nd and 3rd. In every room there are between 6-8 people. They accepted this situation since they thought it would be temporary, now they realised it was a lie.  Many of them have already the status of refugee, but they are still in lagers under control of private companies, even if they are already under Job Center.

 

 

I had to go, so I left them, exchanging numbers to keep in touch and saying that I would explain what was going on, with the hope, that we, as people, can help each other and prevent their transfer to another lager.

Tomorrow Friday 07.10.2016, early in the morning police is expected to take them to the other lager, but maybe we can do something about it, right?

 

 

 

 

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