April 7 at the Hamburg district court a trial took place because of supposed trespassing.
„End to the ignorance – Recognition of the group Lampedusa in Hamburg - for a life in dignity“ was written on banner with which some people entered last june the townhall.
The trial began after changing in a bigger room with a declaration of the accused. By a projector a video was presented from the new youtube channel „witnesses of war“. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKtSN-z2dgo In this video two speakers of the group „Lampedusa in Hamburg“ talk real regarding their situation and who is responsible. Listening to this video is a precondition for the following statement argued the accused against the attempt of state persecutor and judge to prohibit the showing. On April 28 the case will prusued.
Statement below
Process statement before the Hamburg District Court
charge: domestic disturbance in City Hall
To the specific allegation that was made against me and three other people, one can only say that it is a false accusation. There was a discussion and an agreement, afterwards nevertheless the other side was pressing a charge.
But this is beside the point. The charge and the condemnation serve to intimidate and to warn that the status quo is to accept and not to put in question. It serves to also open a sideshow as it was to see , for example, in the autumn of last year with a debate by the media about "left perpetrators of violence". Not state violence against the Libyan war refugees was the focus there, but the protests and responses to the racist controls and arranged manhunt - The aim was to split the broad solidarity movement and distract from the core of the argument : namely, the eligibility of the demands of the group " Lampedusa in Hamburg " and the responsibility of European governments and NATO countries for the presence of the former Libyan workers in Europe. Violence without any content and criminalization of protest is a familiar form of de-politicization of public debate. The monopoly of power is held by the state and must be demonstrated again and again. Therefore, we must be prosecuted. Real trespassing or constructed, this is the sideshow that is to be opened with the criminalization of us. Quit this nonsense.
What is real matter and what moves people to protest at City Hall?
It's about the story that we heard in the video before. "Instead of your traing your dogs, you should rather seek for a solution to our situation," said one of the speakers, also with the memory of the rabid police dogs that were specially brought in position against the demonstration for the Advent demonstrations.
The story of "Lampedusa in Hamburg" began with the NATO attack on Libya and led to persecution and massacres in particular against the workers who had immigrated from southerly African countries to Libya. This was followed by an odyssey to Lampedusa that ended deadly for many and a rescue that proved to be a new trap. After 1-2 years of life in European Lager system the recognition of refugee status and the sacking out on the street which came with an invitation to go to other European countries. In Hamburg there was a brief reception in the winter emergency program for the homeless, then the re-kicking out on the street. 21st of May, 2013, during heavy rain and severe weather warning, the police prevented the construction of protective tents, May 22nd , 2013, the Libyan war refugees go to the City Hall and ask to talk to the Senate. The answer is a police operation and threat of prosecution.
The Senate denies any confrontation and the mayor has only to repeat one sentence in the media constantly "The law states, they have to return to Italy ". Slowly we are getting to the point. The laws dictate that people are being brought into great distress and in danger. That is a clear message that these laws are not to be respected and that ways and means must be found to have a discussion outside of and above the statutory framework. Whether NATO is leaving death and devastation in assistance for the so-called vital interests of Europe, whether Frontex performs a transcontinental technically sophisticated manhunt, whether the German Lager system has thousands of people destroyed mentally and physically and still continues to do so (numbers do not matter, it only shows the systematic, every single person counts, every man, woman and child); all of these crimes are legitimized by laws and defended by the judiciary.
The murder of Oury Jalloh - burned in a police cell in Dessau - exemplifies the prevention of the enlightenment of a capital crime, executed by German police. Enlightment about the interaction of state criminal offices, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, and the NSU is inhibited in the Munich trial by the court.
Colonel Klein is acquitted of all guilt for the deaths of over a hundred arranged under his responsibility bombardment of Kunduz / Afghanistan (later he was then promoted). In Hamburg, men and young people from Somalia are sentenced to many years in prison because by all means they try to survive recovering a tiny part of the stolen wealth, being forced by foreign fishing fleets that fished shores of their homeland empty. After years of imprisonment, the deportation is being prepared now. Everything by law and with the reasoning of the judge at the Administrative Court, that a stay in Germany would entail the risk of renewed serious crimes such as piracy.
Racism is the basic pattern; firmly adherent in state and society since the beginning of colonial conquests. Colonial racism, racial doctrine of the Nazis, racism of European democracies. There were no breaks, it is an unbroken chain.
The direction of the deportations have changed, not the insane ideology of the "white supremacy". Millions of people were deported from Africa to build up Europe's wealth as slaves and forced laborers. Today, people flee from the African continent due to the colonial continuity, the mafia-like structures, the destruction of natural livelihoods and violent conflicts and wars produces. The deportations today lead back from Europe to Africa. A modern way of human trafficking has been developed. One example is the so-called embassy hearings, a procedure for obtaining documents that make a deportation possible. The Nigerian embassy is dearest trading partner to German authorities in this matter. With bounty premiums the Nigerian representation in Germany is bought, handing over passport substitute papers for a deportation to Nigeria, even for people who are not Nigerians. An action of civil disobedience, the temporary occupation of the Nigerian Embassy in Berlin, was answered by police force, charges and criminalization.
All acts of resistances of refugees in Germany arise from the need to protect themselves. They are self-defense against a system of gradual destruction. Thus, the protest tents and site occupancies of the last two years emerged.
In the late 1920s tens of thousands of Jews from Eastern Europe were out on the streets of major cities in Western Europe. They fled from political, religious persecution and economic hardship, which was closely connected with the former reasons. The respective Western European governments responded with ignorance, with repression and deportations to the neighboring countries. No one wanted to receive them, they had no rights. The image of thousands people as foreign to discerning who are struggling penniless on the streets for survival, has been used for racist and especially anti-semitic propaganda.
Today, a similar picture in many European cities and a similar reaction of the governments is displayed: Persecution and repression, deportations within the EU, deliberately produced legal and destitution and spread of racism.
All that, we have seen and experienced in Hamburg since last year. Racism is spread and propagated by the Hamburg government. The Libyan war refugees were referred to as mercenaries of Gaddafi behind the scenes in the right places, so that it gets into the media. As "Lampedusa in Hamburg" were talking about the NATO war and the responsibility of Europe, they were referred to as West African immigrant workers and illegal immigrants. When they talked about the emergency situation in Italy, the mayor said at a large student gathering on demand of a student that "Italy is a beautiful country". The Senate also said that it had already no legal means on deciding on a residence status until the group and their lawyers submit § 23 Residence Act - the paragraph that was given to the state governments by the hand for allowing a simplified procedure and a group solution. Before the elections last year an SPD deputy revolted on TV: racial profiling, controls of black people in the city of Hamburg, the SPD would not stand these things . Shortly after the elections the racist hunting began.
The minister for the interior Neumann said to the protests in Hamburg: They will" not get blackmailed from the street". Last year he has kicked refugees out on the streets and is now talking of blackmail when people try to get away from the street. Blackmailing was his method as the racist checks with the wrong offer of individual process under non-recognition of the situation in Italy was made. With the prosecution an agreement should be enforced.
In the meantime, tens of thousands of people in Hamburg have prompted the Senate to abandon his inhuman attitude, but the Senate requires a resignation of the Libyan war refugees.
Human rights and democracy are words that pain in the ears when they come from the mouths of politicians. Even if the laws are brought against us, they must not stop us from doing the right thing in our opinion - not to give up not to fall into a swoon - not to trivialize the crimes.
Who bears the responsibility that in the last year, several family members of the group "Lampedusa in Hamburg" have died because the men were not able to work here and therefore could not send them any more money? Who bears the responsibility for the children who cannot go to school for three years, because they have no school money? Who bears responsibility for the death of Samuel Mensah, who died on the streets of Hamburg, after he had survived the flight over the Mediterranean?
The responsibility lies with all of us, in each and every one. That's why we went to the town hall. The Senate dangerously plays and with the life of people. Racism and fascism are not far apart as one can see in history and also in the current developments of the political landscape of the European States. Not only in Ukraine, Hungary and Greece everywhere strong fascist organizations and movements are growing, fighting against immigrants and refugees. At the same time Europe's foreign policy is producing more refugees every day, not only by its military interventions and war missions.
If politicians are hiding behind their walls and are betting that the uncertain and extremely stressful situation for the people is wearing them down and destroying them, and the problem seems solved to them, then it affects all of us. That’s what we wanted to talk about with the senate back in July.
We'll talk about today in court. Everything else is secondary. The Hamburg Senate destroys the lives of the people of the group "Lampedusa in Hamburg" the witnesses and survivors of the war in Libya. The Hamburg Senate cuts off the supply of the families of the Libyan war refugees. The Hamburg Senate spread racist ideas and practices sedition.
Furthermore, it is the time to speak and act.
Hamburg, 07.04.2014
Ralf Lourenco