Riot police detain a protester during a rally in support of refugees occupying the Nigerian embassy in Berlin October 15, 2012. Police detained 14 protesters who briefly occupied the Nigerian embassy, a police spokesman said on Monday. "We protest against the Nigerian embassy's involvement in the deportation of refugees to countries that are not safe." one of the protesters told Reuters. All of the detained men were asylum seekers, a representative of the refugees said. REUTERS/Thomas Peter (GERMANY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST SOCIETY IMMIGRATION)
Welcome to Europe expresses solidarity with the occupiers of the Nigerian Embassy in Berlin!
Following a large protest for the rights of refugees at the weekend, the building of the Nigerian embassy in Berlin was occupied this morning by refugee activists. They oppose the forced embassy hearings where employees of the Nigerian government, “identify” refugees as Nigerian citizens to make them “ready to deport”. Nigeria is destination number 1 for collective deportation flights organized by Frontex. People are under police escort forced into planes, not shown on any flight schedule, hired just for this purpose. They will be kicked out finally at the landing field of the airport in Lagos.
These attempts to force people to show up at the embassy - in secrecy and scattered -and then to deport them from Europe in flights, which are chartered just for deportation, without any public from Europe, is increasingly faced with resistance. Like in the Mediterranean against the boat people it is clear as well in this second lesser well-known, but growing branch of the "European border agency" it is clear: Frontex is deadly hunting refugees.
Welcome to Europe is a network of activists, who have teamed up in the fight against this inhuman European policy. Some of us had just stepped out of a boat on a Greek island when we first met and stepped on European soil for the first time. Others had come to these outer borders of Europe to denounce the hunting of human beings by Frontex and to welcome those arriving.
We declare our solidarity with the activists, who this morning demonstrated the courage to occupy the Nigerian Embassy, despite their unsecured residence. The selforganized refugees today set an example, which is about resistance and solidarity. We feel deeply connected to this struggle.
The Nigerian government in January this year signed an agreement with Frontex, to make the European deportation machinery more effective. We have another "agreement": to try by all means to abolish this inhumane deportation system.
Stop Deportation!
Shut down Frontex!
For a welcoming Europe.
For a world without borders.
No one is illegal.
15th of October 2012, Welcome to Europe