Nobordercamp took place in Cologne/Dusseldorf between 13th and 22nd of July 2012.
The main focus of protests during the camp was the airport in Dusseldorf because of its role for charterdeportations to Serbia and Kosovo. Financed by Frontex and organized with planes from Air-Berlin first of all Roma-families are affected by these deportations and find below a short report about our protests inside and outside the airport on 21st of July as the final big action of the nobordercamp.
Already during the week on Wednesday a smaller opening-protest took place inside the terminal and also some other succesful actions happened suring the week: for example an occupation of the french embassy to protest against the mistreatment and death of migrants in Calais and another occupation of the green partys office (the greens are part of the government in north-rhine-westfalica!) because of hard police-restrictions against a refugee protest in Dusseldorf. Beside these activities and some nice workshops we have to mention that the internal atmosphere in this nobordercamp was unfortunately characterized by a lot of tensions and conflicts. Another longer text is written already in german by some friends to summarize and explain the attempt to dominate the camp in Cologne by some groups with a rigid and simplified concept of critical whiteness. This text will be translated and sent to action2-list within next weeks too. It seems to us important to make this problem more transparent as the same group was already active in the same unproductive and negative way in nobordercamps in Bulgaria 2011 as well as in Stockholm in June...
best greetings, hagen (for no one is illegal, Hanau)
„Deportations make us barfing!“
Charter-deportation-airport Dusseldorf transformed into a protest-zone
On saturday, 21st of July 2012, about 800 people participated in manifestations and demonstrations outside and inside the Dusseldorf airport against deportations. It started with speeches from The VOICE Refugee Forum * and „Youth without borders“ at the station, afterwards the demonstration went into direction of the terminal. On the route another protest-speech took place in front of Gate Gourmet and Klüh in reference to the exploitation and resistance of mainly migrant workers in these service companies. Second station was gate 36 and the buildings behind, because from here the charter-deportations are organised, which are first of all directed against Roma-families. Two activists from Roma-initiatives got long applause for an impressive speech accusing this injustice and announcing increasing resistance.
The network „stop deportation“ added the critizism against Air-Berlin as profiteer of the deportation business. Afterwards the demonstration reached the terminals, and although the police tried to limit with a big and restrictive police-operation the access into the building to only 300 participants, finally about 600 protestors came together for a loud and powerful indoor-demonstration.
Already in the morning an info-stand was established inside the terminal close to the Air-Berlin check-in-area. Speeches and a press- conference had the same focus: the resistance against the charter- deportations to Serbia and Kosovo, financed by Frontex and organised with Air-Berlin. The living conditions of deported Roma-families have
been documented by an exhibition, through video-screenings some affected persons have been represented.
While the samba-band, which has been excluded by police from inside the terminal because of „too loud“ instruments, offered their rhythms of resistance outside, the indoor-program continued with more speeches, theater and a memorial for the death victims of the EU- borderregime.
Finally an action with gas-balloons suceeded, a banner with „unf-air- berlin“ could be brought into air. „Stewardesses“, dressed in „unf- air-berlin“ uniforms, distributed respective info-tickets as well as barf bags with the slogan: „Air Berlin: deportations make us barfing!“
70.000 people – passengers and visitors - should cross the dusseldorf airport on this saturady according the police-informations. At least a few thousands of these visitors came into touch with our loud and colourful protests, which happened between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. simultaniously on various places. Often we experienced an interested or even supporting feedback. Such a manifould action never happened in the Dusseldorf airport ever before. And we hope, that this experience will contribute to strengthen the necessary continuous mobilisations: the next charter deportation to Serbia is already announced by the authorities for wednesday, 1st of August. And the network „stop deportation“ and the Roma-initiatives started the call to come for another protest in front of the gate 36 at the same day.
no one is illegal, hanau
P.S.: the following link leads to a first 15-minutes video about the nobordercamp in Cologne/Dusseldorf. the clip is in german and you find some sequences about the protests of the airoport-action at the end of the film. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRN6FoJDfW4