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 during 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.
*„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, h*****
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
