[www-features] feature proposal: Worldwide Protests Against Migration Controls

Sat Oct 7 22:02:12 PDT 2006

Hi,

I'd like to propose the following feature. It's also here for easy
reading:
https://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/UkFeature7Oct2006#UK_and_global_feature2

This's pretty much all there is so far. We can add more stuff as reports
come in. There might be some incorrect info as the people who've been
working on the feature don't speak all the languages in the world. So
please correct or notify if you find anything.

-- 
Shiar

Title: Worldwide Protests Against Migration Controls

Author: imc-uk-features

Abstract:

October 7 saw many decentralised, coordinated migration-related actions
and events across the world. From Warsaw to London, from Hamburg to
Nouakchott, thousands of migrants and their supporters protested against
the denial of their rights, against the criminalisation and scapegoating
of refugees and, above all, against all immigration controls. They were
demanding a European unconditional legalisation and equal rights for all
migrants; the closure of all detention centres in Europe and everywhere;
an end to all deportations and the 'border externalisation' process.

Links:
<a href="http://www.october7.org.uk/">October7 Campaign</a> | <a
href="http://www.noborder.org/">No Border</a> | <a
href="http://www.makebordershistory.org/">MakeBordersHistory</a> | <a
href="http://www.makebordershistory.org/workspace/Noborders_UK_communication_channels">UK
NoBorders groups and communication channels</a> | <a
href="/en/topics/migration/">UK Indymedia's
Migration topic page</a> 
Dutch: <a href="http://www.allincluded.nl/">All
Included</a> | French: <a
href="http://pajol.eu.org/article976.html">pajol</a> |
German: <a
href="http://no-racism.net/thema/106">no-racism.net</a> | <a
href="http://fluechtlingsrat-hamburg.de">fluechtlingsrat-hamburg</a> | <a
href="http://www.deutschland-lagerland.de/">deutschland-lagerland</a> |
Greek: <a
href="http://www.socialcenter.gr/?q=node/4">socialcenter</a> |
Italian: <a
href="http://www.globalproject.info/art-9438.html">GlobalProject</a> | <a
href="http://meltingpot.org/ascoltaci.html">Melting Pot Radio</a> |
Spanish: <a
href="http://estrecho.indymedia.org/newswire/display/29459/index.php">Indymedia
Estrecho</a>

Body:

<h3>Background</h3>

The <a href="http://october7.org.uk/athens.html">call</a> for the
Transnational Day of Action was made by a broad network of
migration-related initiatives during the <a
href="http://www.fse-esf.org/">European Social Forum</a> in Athens earlier
this year, following an initial call at the <a
href="http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/actions/2006/wsf/">World Social
Forum</a> in Bamako, Mali, in January 2006. Over 250 groups from 23
countries <a href="http://pajol.eu.org/article969.html">signed</a> the
call, 18 of which were in the UK.

The day was the 3rd of its kind. The <a
href="http://www.indymedia.org/en/2004/02/110379.shtml">first</a>, which
took place on 31 January, 2004, demanded the closure of detention centres,
the regularisation of all immigrants in Europe and the recognition of the
right of exile. Some 50 different protests around the world took place.
The theme for the <a
href="http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/04/308307.html">second</a>,
which was held on 2 April, 2005, was the "freedom of movement and the
right to stay". This year, it was agreed to focus on migration controls
and the border regime.

This seems to have stemmed from the increasing militarisation of EU
migration policies, as with the European Border Agency, <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontex">Frontex</a>, which was set up
to intensify controls, by ships and air planes, to prevent more so-called
African Boatpeople from reaching Europe; the 'externalisation' of European
borders, with the EU 'commissioning' North African and East European
countries to block migrants on their way to Europe and help to deport them
to the desert or Sub-Saharan countries; and, least but not last,
increasing the pressure on African countries to implement more visa
restrictions, to establish detention-camps and adopt 'repatriation
programmes'.

<h3>Transnational Actions</h3>

In a clear example of what the day was all about, a bus carrying Chechen
refugees from Lublin to a demonstration against immigration policies in
Warsaw was stopped by the Polish police around 15:00
(Polish time) on Friday, October 6 [<a
href="http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/10/352793.html">full
report</a>]. The passengers, with their children, were held for over 7
hours, and 3 of them, of whom two were not carrying ID cards, were facing
deportation. In response, the demonstrators decided to block the Bureau of
Deportation Affairs and Foreigners in Warsaw, where the demo was being
held, and then the Prime Minister's Chancellory. Eventually, the bus of
refugees was returned to Lublin escorted by the police. On Saturday, one
of the refugees was formally arrested.

In Bologna, Italy, a 'delegation' of anti-racist and
autonomous activists from the TPO and Crash social centers waited several
hours outside the city's detention centre (CPT) for the Ministerial
Commision, which is led by UN ambassador De Mistura and made up of
representative of various Italian NGOs and associations that are working
with the Ministry of Internal Affairs to study and report on the
conditions of the detention centres [<a
href="http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/10/352794.html">report</a>]. The
activists confronted the commission, stopped the convoy and asked for a
face-to-face discussion to criticise what the commission was doing. They
demanded the immediate conclusion of the Commission's work and the
immediate closure of the detention centres.

The actual day saw many protests in tens of cities throughout Europe and
beyond. In London, over 500 people marched in a loud,
colourful and diverse march that had a festive atmosphere [<a
href="http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/10/352816.html">timeline</a> |
<a href="http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/10/352861.html">pics</a>]. At
one point, they stopped at Becket House, an immigration reporting centre,
where asylum seekers have to 'sign on' regularly. A letter was handed in
to the reporting centre. Speeches described what was happening there and a
manifesto was read out and translated into Spanish, as the Latin American
group was one of the biggest on the march.

In Vienna, 2 small actions took place in the city centre,
followed by a relatively big demonstration. The Aliens Law was
symbolically exploded in Kärtnerstraße [<a
href="http://no-racism.net/article/1834">report</a> (de) | <a
href="http://no-racism.net/image/1834">pics</a>]. At Stock im Eisen Platz,
a "bouncy castle" symbolised Fortress Europe for a couple of hours: No one
was allowed to jump! [<a
href="http://no-racism.net/article/1836">report</a> (de)]. Some 350 people
then marched from the Hernalser Guertel immigration detention centre to
the Rossauer Laende police holding centre, which is party used as a
detention centre as well. Among other stops, they called at the court
building in Wickenburggasse, where people are detained while awaiting
trial. A speech told of the situation of one detainee who had been on
hungerstrike for 38 days, and the new law against foreigners whereby
officials can use forced feeding to break hungerstrikes [<a
href="http://no-racism.net/article/1835">report</a> | <a
href="http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/10/352826.html">timeline</a>].

In Brussels, the day was celebrated with several demos,
one of them a <a href="http://85.234.144.181/~reclaimbxl/">Reclaim the
Streets</a> party, another by sans-papiers from Congo (Congolese Against
Borders) [<a
href="http://publish.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/10/352832.html">report</a>].
About 300 people danced in the sunshine to the sounds of a Samba band and
some trumpets, as well as a solar-powered sound system. 300-400 policemen
then blocked everyone in from all sides, and teargas was used, while
demonstrators kept playing their music [<a
href="http://www.cemab.be/news/2006/10/2030.php">report (nl)</a> | <a
href="http://www.cemab.be/news/2006/10/2029.php">timeline</a> (fr)]. A new
squat was opened and banners were hanged out of the windows.

In Germany, some 400 people joined an anti-racist demonstration in
Cologne to protest against Fortress Europe [<a
href="http://de.indymedia.org/2006/10/158541.shtml">pics</a>]. Another 700
marched in Hamburg [<a
href="http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/10/352839.html">report</a> | <a
href="http://de.indymedia.org/2006/10/158576.shtml">de</a> | <a
href="http://de.indymedia.org/2006/10/158607.shtml">pics</a>], where many
refugees took part and a woman from Afghanistan talked about her
experience and the deportations policies of the Hamburg City Council. In
Lindau, activists performed a 'lake theatre', where a
group arrived on a raft on the shore of Lindau and were picked up by cost
guards and put into detention [<a
href="http://de.indymedia.org/2006/10/158518.shtml">report</a>].

In Athens, several hundred people marched through the
city to raise the issue of the citizenship for migrants' children born in
Greece [<a
href="http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=580361">pics</a>].
The march was called by the African Women's League and the Network of
Migrant Women in Greece, with the support of many migrant, feminist and
social groups.

In Switzerland, around 500 people marched through the streets of
Lausanne [<a
href="http://indymedia.ch/fr/2006/10/43516.shtml">call-out</a>]. Many
sans-papiers (immigrants without documents) took part in the protest and a
global village was errected, where people played music and danced.

In the Netherlands, there was an action in the shopping centre of
Zaandam (near Amsterdam) to inform and mobilise the
public on 2 newly built detention boats in the Zaandam harbour
[<ahref="">report</a>]. The day before, activists had, once again,
occupied 'detention ships' in Rotterdam [<a
href="http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/10/352893.html">report</a> | <a
href="http://www.indymedia.nl/nl/2006/10/39356.shtml">nl and pics</a>]. At
around 6am, they climbed the ships and blockaded the entrances by
lock-ons. They were met with very violent reaction from the guards and
eight activists were arrested.

In Italy, several migrants' groups, some autonomous unions and other
political groups demonstrated in front of the local government building in
Bologna [<a
href="http://italy.indymedia.org/news/2006/10/1161869.php">report and
pics</a> (it)]. In Venice, people demonstrated against a
regional bill in parliament, initiated and promoted by the Movement for
Life, a reactionary fundamentalist Catholic movement [<a
href="http://italy.indymedia.org/news/2006/10/1161784.php">report
(it)</a>]. There was also a sit-in in Palermo [<a
href="http://italy.indymedia.org/news/2006/10/1161737.php">report
(it)</a>] and other demonstrations in Milan and
Rome.

In Spain, many actions and demonstrations in took place in
Valencia [<a
href="http://valencia.indymedia.org/display.php?articleId=2676">report
(sp)], Madrid, Barcelona,
Almería, Sévilla,
Bilbao, Las Palmas,
Motril and Ténérife.

In <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benin">Benin</a>, in western
Africa, a conference was organised on October 6, followed by a praying
session on October 7. An assembly was supposed to take place on Monday,
October 9, in front of the European Union headquarters, but the
organisation has unfortunately lost "a member with much influence, because
of not enough care of the UNHCR in Benin." So a spontaneous assembly is
planned in front of the UNHCR to protest against this mistake.

There have been, of course, many more protests across Europe, Africa and
North America, but we haven't received reports on them yet.