Refugee Struggle Congress 2013 in Munich
Wanneer: 01/03/2013 - 12:56 t/m 03/03/2013 - 12:56
Invitation of the independent action committee of protesting refugees for the Refugee Struggle Congress in Munich 1-3 March 2013
A HUMAN BEING REFLECTS, UNDERSTANDS WHAT ROBS HIM/HER OF HIS/HER FREEDOM AND THAT IS THE FUNDAMENTAL STARTINGPOINT OF HIS/HER RESISTANCE.
Struggle! Unity! Resistance!
www.refugeecongress.wordpress.com
Call for convention and cooperation for the congress of protesting refugees in Europe, from 1-3 march, 2013, in Munich
Since March 19, 2012, we, the refugees, have been involved in a struggle for obtaining the most elementary human rights, such as freedom and equality, because we will no longer accept to be treated as “foreigners” and human beings of third degree, but instead as every other citizen. This era of our struggle started with a small tent in Würzburg and grew to a huge movement that has been spreading all over Europe.
This large strike has been accompanied by ups and downs which characterize the complex developments of the protest. Tragic incidents like Mohammad Rahsepar´s suicide on January 28, 2012, the beginning of the strike, the subsequent political activities like the February 13 rally, the launching of the hunger strike in Würzburg, the kick-off of the tent action project on July 10, and its expansion to eleven other cities in five federal states until September and, last but not least, the protest march to Berlin and the large strike in Berlin.
The protest of the refugees and the illegalized has borne fruits in various ways at the European level during that time, and produced important changes in several countries. Since May, strikes have been launched in Denmark, Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece, France, the Netherlands, and Austria. The police tore down the protest camps in the latter two cases, so that refugees will have to continue their protest in other places. The solidarity and mutual support among those struggling in Germany, the Netherlands, and Austria represent the continuing visible points of this resistance.
During this long time of arguments and struggle with a foreigner-hostile and refugee-hostile system, we have made many different and new experiences. The exchange with the illegalized on strike in the Netherlands and the strike and protest march in Austria have led us to the conclusion that a collective critical analysis and brainstorming for new ideas for the future of the refugee protests will be indispensable.
The main goal will be to create independent refugee councils, which will be completely organized by the refugees themselves. They will act as solidarity collectives in every geographic corner, develop strategies of their resistance and thus reclaim their own destiny. For that purpose we are organizing this national congress.
Therefore, we are thus inviting all refugees, illegalized, immigrants and people with a migration background, activists, students, journalists, and human rights activists to participate and cooperate in this congress.
Refugees, illegalized, and immigrants have decided to take another big step for their self-organized independence, and for a collective of resistance for those who “are not from here”, for those in the lowest stratum of the European society, those who have been negated by the system with all its abundant possibilities and all its force, trying to deny them their social and human rights.
Having had numerous conversations among the organizing committee of the striking refugees and other activist refugees we have chosen the first weekend of March (1-3 March, 2013) as the date of the congress. We are inviting all activists and groups to join us, no matter if that is by simply attending the congress or by supporting us partially or wholly during its preparation. The project is currently supported by many different groups, however, your participation in it is necessary and your activities will definitely contribute to a better quality of its realization.
The independent action committee of protesting refugees, January 2013
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Callout for refugees:
On the 19th of March 2012, some refugees in Germany started a protest against the laws which isolated them as "non citizens" until their death. Thus, a new era of resistance started in the first protest tent in Würzburg. This fight, which began with only ten demands, including basic human needs, had spread to 11 cities in Germany.
On the 8th of September 2012, after six months of street protests, the striking refugees decided to do a protest march ("Protest March from Würzburg to Berlin") with three demands: abolishment of the residence obligation, abolishment of the refugee camps and abolishment of the deportation law. Arriving in Berlin they continued with their protests. Today, almost a year after the protests began, we "non-citizens" are still fighting in three European countries, Germany, the Netherlands and Austria, for our basic human rights which are based on freedom and equality.
We, who have walked thousands of kilometres and broken many geographical borders, are now in a place where we can see a picture of a Europe with
out borders. This is, sadly, an unrealistic picture, given our experience with the limitations that apply only to those people who are not from here. Once they find out where we come from, they declare us "illegals" and "non-citizens", forcing us to live a life that bears no resemblance to the life of a "normal
citizen". It is a life full of fear of deportation, of a spiritual death and the loss of life's best years. The tag of "non-citizen" throws our lives into shadows. The result is a growing gap between those who try to flee back-breaking living conditions and the citizens, who are trying to make some concessions. A visible gap is then created by the same European countries, by exporting war, insecurity, exploitation and oppression to other geographical areas, the very places from which we are fleeing. Europe, which has placed us in the lowest level of society as "non-citizens", then turns around and graciously offers paths to citizenship, which amount to little more than a lottery.
We "non-citizens", whose similar life circumstances supply the best reason to fight together, do believe that only together, with our cooperation, solidarity and the common objective, we can overcome the gap between "non-citizens" and citizens. Side by side we can continue our fight at all places with the belief, that the right of residence and the rights of citizens are fundamental rights and not the generosity of the countries here. A struggle, which
"non-citizens" like us are currently fighting in three EU-countries, for a right, which should be valid for every refugee no matter where she/he is. In all refugee camps and fenced places, all refugees who believe in this right, should unite and form councils – within their homes or "Landkreise" (districts). This is a first step of a fight in which the refugees are the main actors and which will mark our step from "non-citizens" to citizens.
For the first time the "non-citizens", who are organizing themselves independently and autonomously since one year, will hold a congress in Europe on the fights of refugees, on the fights which gave us solidarity and will continue in this sense. This congress is a possibility to come together, aware of our rights, to discuss the common fight of "non-citizens" in theory and practice. This is why we invite you "non-citizen" and refugee, who is aware of the necessity of change of these circumstances by the means of solidarity and autonomously organized protests, to be part of the congress held from March 1st–3rd 2013.
Always ahead...
Action circle of independently striking refugees
CONTACT:
refugeecongress@gmail.com
Houmer 0152 162 48107 (English, Farsi)
Ashkan 0176 798 379 11 (English, Farsi)
www.refugeecongress.wordpress.com
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Not all speakers will talk in English which implies that two interpreters (from the speakers language into English) will be on the stage who will consecutively interpret.
Simultaneous interpretations would then occur on the following languages:
English>Arabic (simultaneous) / Arabic>English (consecutive)
English>Sorani-Kurdish (simultaneous) / Sorani-Kurdish>English (consecutive)
English>French (simultaneous) / French>English (consecutive)
English>Farsi (simultaneous) / Farsi>English (consecutive)
‘Whispered-interpretations’ (if needed) would be available for the following languages:
English>Serbian (simultaneous) / Serbian>English (consecutive)
English>Russian (simultaneous) / Russian>English (consecutive)
English>Kurmanci-Kurdish (simultaneous) /Kurmanci-Kurdish>English (consecutive)
English>Turkish (simultaneous) /Turkish>English (consecutive)
English>Spanish (simultaneous) / Spanish>English (consecutive)
English>German (simultaneous) / German>English (consecutive)