Month: April 2015

Wreck of Migrant Vessel Headed to Italy Leaves Up to 400 Dead

greece

By clandestina

Source: http://www.wsj.com

ROME—Survivors of the wreck of a migrant boat headed to Italy from Libya said that as many as 400 people had died in the wreck, according to Save the Children and the International Organization for Migration.

According to some among the 150 survivors from that boat, who were interviewed by migrant assistance groups including the IOM and Save the Children, the wreck happened in the past few days, 24 hours after the boat left the Libyan coast, and involved migrants coming from sub-Saharan Africa. “Many young men, probably minor,” were among the victims, Save the Children said, citing the refugees.

Save the Children and the IOM said they weren’t able to pinpoint the exact day of the shipwreck.

That death toll from that vessel would mark one of the largest losses of migrants’ lives at sea yet, bringing the number of people who have died attempting to cross the Mediterranean so far this year to a new record.

Before the latest wreck, there had been more than 500 deaths since January of migrants seeking to come to Italy from the African coast, up from 47 in the same period of 2014, according to IOM figures.

The Italian coast guard couldn’t provide …read more

From:: Clandestine

Thoughts and thanks from the distance: Refugees who lived in PIKPA, talk about the importance of an open welcoming space

Lesbos

By momo

In early March 2015, the mayor of Lesvos Spiros Galinos called on the ‘Village of all together’ to move out all the refugees accommodated in PIKPA. He wanted to renovate PIKPA for a tennis tournament that would take place in May. He seriously proposed the prison of Moria as an alternative that could be turned into an open centre. This is where the refugees could live!

The ‘Village of all together’ responded by saying that a prison would not be an alternative option, even if the fences were to be removed. They demand to be offered a different place, otherwise they would be forced to remain in PIKPA.

Us from w2eu and as part of the ‘Village of all together’ outside of Mytilene want to contribute to the discussion by offering a little story from PIKPA as well as comments from people who made PIKPA their home for some time.

PIKPA was an empty and run-down former holiday camp for children, located near the airport of Mytilene. Since November 2012, in accordance with the mayor at the time, it could be used by the group ‘Village of all together’. The story of this unique and self-organised …read more

From:: Lesvos

Video on Refugee Tour and Press Release by Flüchtlingsbewegung Sachsen-Anhalt Manifestation on 16.04.2015

Berlin

By palme43 Refugees Manifestation for the Legalization of Tolerated Refugees and to Stop Administrative Abuse! With Refugees as Guest Speakers from Schwäebish Gmünd Video: Schwäebish Gmünd Refugee Activists Tour and Discussions on Civil Disobedience against Imprisonment and Movement Restriction (RESIDENZPFLICHT) Date: 16.04.2015 … Continue reading → …read more

From:: Berlin

On the Ongoing Hunger Strike of Migrants in Paranesti Camp in Greece

greece

By clandestina

message

By the Autonomous Balkan Informbureau / April 2015

„We are on hunger strike. Close Paranesti camp. Bring liberty to obtain documents on our names. Being free is the natural right of a human being. We have to go on hunger strike for our request to the greek government. Being free is our human right that should belong to us. To go un hunger strike is to strike out on our freedom. Death is to continue strike. Or death or freedom.“

Declaration of the hunger-striking migrants1

While in Greece the final phase of the hunger strike of left-wing revolutionary (17 November), anarchist (Revolutionary Struggle and Network of Imprisoned Fighters), and nihilist (Conspiracy of the Fire Cells) prisoners is ongoing2, getting a lot of attention in Germany especially from fans of the fire cells, another important struggle goes unnoticed in mainstream as well as movement media. On 23 March 23 migrants incarcerated in the camp3 of Paranesti near Drama in Northern Greece went on hunger strike. Their demands are: closing down of the camp of Paranesti, release and papers. Their hunger strike continues to this day (as of 04.04.2015) and represents thus the hitherto …read more

From:: Clandestine

WE BREAK THE FEAR | WE GO OUT IN THE STREETS

greece

By clandestina

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Assembly of immigrants and solidarians of ASOEE

You will get to know this country for real only if you don’t get drown somewhere in Aegean or if you manage somehow to cross the fence in Evros. From the detention centers in Amygdaleza; Korinthos; Paranesti to Patision; Amerikis sq.; Acharnon, the daily life for all those who have the wrong color or the wrong papers is suffocating. Or to put it better; unbearable.

Photos from the demonstration on 4.4.2015


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5

In the center of the city you feel like you cant do anything. Without papers it s impossible for you to work. But even when you do find a job that would be “black”; without insurance. And the boss would do whatever s/he wants and you would be forced to go through that otherwise s/he would call the cops. Without papers you can’t move as you please, visit your family and your friends. Without papers, when you get sick, you are not …read more

From:: Clandestine

Message from the immigrants detained in Paranesti

greece

By clandestina

Hello everybody,
I am on behalf of other prisoner in pranesti Drama Camp express our deep appreciation to the people who came to pranesti Camp and start demonstration and describe their supporting to us today afternoon at 4/4/2015. I can dare say that with the supporting of you people we can continue our strikes against imprisonment or detention . as a young teenager I cannot tolerate being in jail for this long time. we want the supporting of you and our demand is to be free . and as human being this is the right of each persons to freely live in every community. once again thanks alot for your supporting . we are with you and we hope that you send our demand to the high ranking officials . about closing of the Pranesti Drama Camp as soon as possible. because we have lots of problems here in the Camp like: food , health and other facility .

best regard : […………]* from [….]* ……

…read more

From:: Clandestine

Welke aap uit welke mouw?

Amsterdam

By roeben

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Van der Laan (links) bezoekt de Havenstraat in 2014


door supporters van Wij Zijn Hier

Een interessant interview met burgemeester Van der Laan van Amsterdam in het blad ‘Wordt Vervolgd‘ van Amnesty International (1). Problematisch ook, omdat er zoveel niet klopt van wat hij zegt.

We kennen Wij Zijn Hier van binnen en van buiten, al twee en een half jaar. We voelen de noodzaak om de uitspraken van de burgemeester te nuanceren en corrigeren. We blikken terug naar eerdere situaties, zoals de Havenstraat, waar de burgemeester over spreekt. Tragisch genoeg is deze informatie in de huidige situatie van dreigende ontruimingen nog steeds volledig relevant. Er is inmiddels zoveel gebeurd met de groep Wij Zijn Hier, dat valt helaas niet in een korte tekst toe te lichten.

Allereerst de zin over de combinatie Havenstraat en terugkeer: ‘Daar waren we eerlijk in‚ en dat was ook een van de voorwaarden van Den Haag om het experiment toe te staan.’

Dit is ronduit schokkend om te lezen. Later wordt er gesproken over een aap die uit de mouw kwam.: mensen wilden niet terug. Daar hebben mensen nooit een geheim van gemaakt en ze hebben altijd uitgelegd waarom dat is, omdat het gevaar voor hun leven zou …read more

From:: Amsterdam