4 May 2014
“ We remember Francis Kwame who survived the NATO war in Libya but died in the streets of Hamburg ”.
We, from the International Migrants Alliance- Europe section ( IMA-Europe) remember and mourn the death of Francis Kwame who died on 20 March 2014 in Hamburg. He was a steadfast African activist who fought for the rights of refugees, particularly his fellow refugees in the “Lampedusa in Hamburg” campaign for asylum for refugees who moved from Lampedusa to Hamburg. We extend our condolences and sympathy to its members and to the supporters of this solidarity movement. Let us turn our grief into courage.
The NATO war against Libya forced Francis Kwame to flee that land to save his life and seek refuge in Europe. He survived the dangerous crossing of the Mediterrenean sea and landed in Lampedusa. He sought for protection first in Italy and was encouraged by the Italian authorities to move to Northern Europe which brought him to Hamburg in Germany. He sought for protection but instead of getting protection he had to fight for his right to be protected. German authorities wanted them out of the country.
Francis Kwame lived peacefully in Libya for 20 years. In the last ten years of his stay in the country, he worked for a German company- Bilfinger. Then came the NATO bombing of Libya. During the first days of the war, according to his personal testimony: “…first Western colleagues were brought out of the country by their companies…..but the African workers were left behind….three days later I saw 24 missiles hit Tripoli. You heard them coming, the howling sound and then the detonation…You lose everything that you have. You lose your sisters and brothers…..”
In Libya, Francis Kwame was a witness to the unjust and cruel NATO war against the people living in that country. In Hamburg, Germany, he was a witness to the unjust and cruel EU/German policy towards refugees.
However, Francis Kwame during the three years he stayed in Hamburg lighted a path of struggle for the rights of refugees. Let us spread the light and continue the fight for the rights of refugees and migrants.
Support the Struggle of Refugees and Migrants in Europe!
Junk the Dublin Regulations!
Grant Asylum to the Refugees in Hamburg from Lampedusa!
Support the Refugees Right to Work!
NO to NATO! NO to WAR!
International Migrants Alliance - Europe Section (IMA-Europe)
c/o Postbus 15687, 1001 ND Amsterdam, Nederlands