#rfcamp

We, refugees from various camps in Germany, united our local actions and set off to Berlin. Starting from Würzburg, we covered the distance of 600 km in about a month. Because of our visits to the refugee camps along the route, we were able to expose the isolation of the refugees, and invited them to leave their camps and to join our march. On another route, there was a bus tour. For about three months we have been continuing our resistance with our tents at Oranienplatz in Berlin . Recently, we also occupied a vacant school. To this day, we have carried out many actions. We occupied consulates, carried out hunger strikes and continued our resistance through various means of action, like demonstrations or distributing flyers. During these actions, we became subject to police brutality and many people were arrested. We then organized sponataneous demonstrations to the prisons in which our friends had been arrested. We made demonstrations with 700 participants in Erfurt, 1000 in Leipzig and 7000 in Berlin. The racist / fascist groups sometimes became anxious by our actions and tried to attack us, but they could not stop our reasonable and legitimate actions. We drove them away and continued on the streets. Our freedom march and resistance has had a great impact. Parliament (Commitee of the Interior) was forced to meet with us. During the meeting, the two major parties spoke out against our demands. However there were also MPs who supported us. But with regard to our three main demands, the necessary steps haven´t been taken yet. Only the obligation of residence (“Residenzpflicht”) was abolished in some federal states. We have managed to draw attention to the existing racist measures, such as refugee camps (Lager), the obligation of residence, the deportations, the food vouchers, etc. that make up the capitalist isolation system, and to put them on society´s political agenda. While other people have been preparing for Christmas, New Year and other festivities, we continue our resistance on Oranienplatz. Again, we declare that we intend to fight the laws and policies that violate our freedom and dignity. We want to create a center for the political resistance of the refugees. To achieve this goal, we use the occupied school and Oranienplatz. We call for the recognition of the refugee movement as a political institution. Our resistance movement of the refugees collected a lot of material until now. Movies have been made about our resistance. Every day we ´ve documented what we do and how we fight, producing many flyers and posters for distribution. Now, we work to bring more refugees to join our struggle and to expand the base of our social support. We will continue to visit other camps. We call on all refugees to take to the streets in favour of liberty and dignity and to join our resistance. The struggle against the capitalist isolation system is an important fight for our future. We do not want to live in the refugee camps, in which we were isolated. We do not want to be victims of racist measures. We want to establish a free life on the streets. We want to connect our struggle with all anti-capitalist and anti-fascist forces, with all our comrades in the streets of the world. We do not want to pay the bill for the wars and crises of the capitalist-imperialist system.

On the streets for freedom and dignity! Abolition of compulsory residence! Close all refugee camps! Stop all deportations!

(photo by @kingofthecloud)

Police has towed the privately organized bus and violently dragged away supporters, one of the supporters had to get a check-up at the hospital as she was partly dragged across the street on her head by police. One supporter was arrested temporarily, meanwhile he was set free.

The Police said the acquiescence of the camp no longer is in action, no legal document was shown to prove this. 

The reason for the towing and violent implementing by the police is the christmas tree at the Brandenburg Gate that is officially disclosed on the 2nd of December. There was an "antiracist intercultural treefest" (german link) announced by the refugees and their supporters at the refugeecamp for the same time.

Videos of the towing

Photos (via @enough14)

German blog post of the towing & police violence

It is expected that the registered head of the refugee assembly will have to pay for the towing. The engines of the bus was somehow demolished by the police so it would not be taken to the Brandenburg Gate again. Unlike some news articles claim, the bus is not provided by the city, but a privately organized bus, so it will likely have to be paid for as well.

Please donate to cover these costs

English Pledge for Donations and how pledgebank works

(translation: "I will donate €25 if 40 others will do the same")

It gotten a little quiet around the refugeecamp, this is why a 15-minute-livestream from the Pariser Platz at Brandenburg Gate launched yesterday (by CastorTV). Starting at 3PM every day.

German Documentation of the Refugee Protest March:

German Video from November 10th 2012 : No room for asylum-seekers?

Fotos from the Pro Deutschland (13.11.) and NPD (17.11.) manifestations near the refugee camp at Brandenburg Gate.