IndyMedia - Vrij Media Centrum Nederland

Messages from the deportation machine

Both in Belgium and in the Netherlands a lot of things are being done to get out information about the situation in detention centers, about deportations, and about intimidation and violence, by bringing out the stories of people 'inside' to the 'outside'. One of the ways of doing that, is going to the centers.

How often has it been that in Belgium or the Netherlands that we stood outside such a center waving and making noise, blockading, or occupying building sites? Completely powerless it makes us feel afterward, because: is this all we can do? We catch a few words, mostly about the long duration of incarceration, can see notes in the hands of people, 'HELP' or 'THANK YOU', and would want to break right through the walls and fences. It is miserable to turn our backs to the people inside at the end, as of we are letting them down.

Since January 2011 in Belgium there exists the initiative 'Getting The Voice Out'. People call from inside the center, and their stories are being recorded and published on http://www.gettingthevoiceout.org/ . In the Netherlands the website http://www.vrijheidvanbeweging.nl/verhalen exists for some time now, and on M2M radio you can hear recordings (http://m2m.streamtime.org/ ) .

The Getting the Voice out initiative in Belgium is very successful and it manages to keep up the flow of information. Imprisoned migrants are allowed to bring in mobile phones in there, and they can make phone calls quite a lot and quite easy, and most of all: they can BE called. In the Netherlands it is more complicated. Here people are depending on phones in the units, and phone cards they can get. In spite of that, also here it is possible to get information outside.

Both in the Netherlands and in Belgium we are looking for possibilities to do more with the noise demonstrations. In January there was a good demonstration/manifestation at Merksplas (https://www.indymedia.nl/node/2276 ) during which the contact with inside was directly to be heard for the demonstrators outside. To be heard, so also: to be felt. In the Netherlands there regularly are demonstrations, recently in Rotterdam: https://www.indymedia.nl/node/3615. But all we can do is yell and bang to and fro.

Since some time work is being done to set up a Dutch NO BORDER network, because there must be more that we can do. More cooperation, more often, more creative, more diverse actions, building a stronger bond. We want to bring out more and more often. We can see that knowing more means: breaking through the walls of silence! What the government wants, is not just to lock people up, but also to silence them, as if they do not exist. In a cunning way the Dutch government manages to keep information inside, by forcing visiting groups and emotional carers to sign contracts of confidentiality, by threatening the people inside with isolation if they try to make contact during a demonstration..

But it is possible, and we can listen to them, and read what they have to say. For example here: http://www.gettingthevoiceout.org/nieuws-uit-de-centra-strategie-van-de-...
And here: http://www.vrijheidvanbeweging.nl/verhalen/verhaal16.html

Information = action!

One of the initiatives that we in the Netherlands as No Border network in founding have taken, is a noise demo tour at three detention centers on may 6th. We go to Camp Zeist, the Zaanse Shame, and Schiphol East. See: http://solitours.wordpress.com/

During the bus tour there will be plenty of time to discuss future plans for the struggle against
the racist migration policy of the Netherlands and the EU. We hope that a lot of people will come and join us and come and think with us. Let us give the resistance against the Dutch and European anti-migration politics a new incentive!

If you want to join the bus tour, please enter yourself by sending an e-mail to noborder-nl (at)
riseup.net, so we can make sure there is roomfor you on the bus. In Amsterdam you can get on
the bus at 11.00 hrs. at Sloterdijk train station. In Utrecht you can get on the bus at 12.00 hrs. at
Central Station, near the Jaarbeurs entrance. We start the first demonstration at Kamp Zeist at
12.30 hrs.

NO BORDERS!