Part II - Brief Impressions from Nobordercamp Thessaloniki‏

„Hurrya, Azadi, Freedom - now!“

Some more impressions from the noborder camp Thessaloniki

„We came today here to open the borders - in our dreams!“ The young syrian woman had a clear perception, when she participated in the migrants pride demonstration on 21st of July in the frame of the noborder camp Thessaloniki. As ten thousands of refugees and migrants she is stucked in an isolated relocation camp without a concrete chance to go on to her country of destination. But her dream is vivid and reason enough to join the protest, as it was done this day by many refugees, who were invited and picked up from the remote camps by busses. It probably was the highlight of the noborder camp actions, when about 2500 people took the main streets of Thessaloniki, a colorful and very powerful march led by hundreds of refugees and migrants, chanting again and again the trilingual slogan for freedom as mentioned above. To bring together refugees and locals and internationals, to communicate and protest in such a mixed composition, was the main aim of the noborder camp. Every day of the whole week a convoy started to visit the camps and singular cars went out as well to build and to deepen more contacts. It never can be enough or perfect, but the mobilization last Thursday was a clear sign and expression for a successful process of communication.

The day before (20.7.16) about 1000 participants of the noborder camp went with 20 buses to the two detention camps in northern Greece, in Paranesti and Xanthi. In front of the first one it could be negotiated with the blocking police, that a delegation of 20 persons are accepted to enter and to talk to the arrested refugees and migrants. In Xanthi it went different. After a while of a kind of siege around the blocked entrance a short clash with police happened and tear gas was shot to disperse our crowd. But all people found together again in a near by waste land, from which - through shouting, chanting and clapping - a direct contact to the imprisoned refugees and migrants could be established.

On Friday (22.7.16) another demonstration with about 500 people took place in Thessaloniki. „Solidarity with people in Turkey fighting against government and repressive militarization“ was the slogan on the leading banner, and the demo was one outcome of a series of discussions with turkish comrades in workshops in the days before. How far Erdogan could utilize the attempt of a military coup to stabilize his power and to extend repression also to the progressive movements? How dangerous it might become when islamist-nationalist demonstrations dominate the streets and even ask to be armed? How it is possible to keep communication and to (re)strengthen progressive critical parts of

society (the „alternative turkey“, which of course still exists in social initiatives, in unions, in the kurdish movement…), when it is not possible to meet in the streets in moment? And which way we - as solidarity movement involved in various initiatives to support refugees

and migrants all over Europe - can use these structures as well for turkish and kurdish comrades in case they have to decide for temporary or longterm exile in the incalculable situation of coming months? We had a lot of productive common reflections and people were aware, that a protest in front of the turkish embassy has a lot of limits, that a demo

is only one visible first solidarity (re)action in these days of noborder camp… and as expected through many experiences in Thessaloniki in the past the march could not reach the turkish embassy as it was blocked before by police.

On Saturday (23.7.16) the noborder camp activities ended with the announced protest and a short clash near the Evros fence at the greek-turkish border, after the police blocked the demonstration in the last village before the border. Less people than expected joined this

action, because they considered the possible outcome of this protest as too limited to have such a long traveling by buses (of about 14 hours!). Moreover some conflicts came up in the days before about the meaning and methods of militant actions during noborder camp and nearby the campus, and a lot of people lost some trust into a common approach of the whole camp participants. Looking for alternative actions another group prepared a protest in the airport of Thessaloniki at Saturday evening and for more than one hour the entrances could be blocked with banners and chanting and singing.

Some more actions took place in the second half of the noborder camp, to be mentioned at least another squatting of an abandoned house in the city center. And beside the direct actions still and again a lot of (follow up-) workshops, smaller networking meetings and cultural events took place at the campus. Of course a deeper evaluation of such a huge noborder camp and all the various aspects has to be done next weeks, but what we can say for our group and networks for sure: the 10 days of noborder Thessaloniki were an important space of convergence, a real transnational frame for productive exchange and mutual cooperation in longterm initiatives and practices against the border regime and for freedom of movement.

Thanks again to all the efforts and great preparations of the local organizing team.

no one is illegal, Hanau

Am 20.07.2016

First brief Impressions from Thessaloniki

In dozens of announced workshops and informal meetings activists from all over Europe and beyond started last weekend with fruitful exchange and a lot of discussions on practical projects and initiatives to struggle for freedom of movement. Groups from Skopje, Sofia, Belgrade, Budapest, Zagreb and Ljubljana but also from Izmir, Tunis, Zurich and Malmö, from various italian, austrian, german and of course greek cities came together in a two days Balkanroute Networking meeting. In a great transnational composition it was possible to evaluate the last months developments and to think and plan for future initiatives. Three examples: Selforganised refugee activists from Thessaloniki presented their new call center project from refugees to refugees, friends from Serbia and Hungary promoted together the campaign against the criminalization of the Röscke 11, the idea for a common alarm- and info-phone across the whole Balkan was drafted.

Since Friday night of course the attempt of a new military coup in Turkey was a big topic, the friends from Istanbul and Izmir were and still are confronted with an uncalculable Situation in which they have to return after the camp. Nevertheless they tried to share their estimations about an even stronger and more repressive Erdogan regime and it was possible to reflect the EU-Turkey Deal and to discuss steps of further resistance.

Transnational activities against Frontex and Dublin, the question of sustainable activism or the idea of an multilingual online platform for the collective memory of migrant struggles: a wide spectrum of experiences and proposals could be rediscussed also on Monday and Tuesday, while every day convois started to visit the isolated "relocation camps" with thousands of stucked refugees and migrants. All the time the printed version of the great trilingual noborder newspaper could be distributed and used to invite refugees to join. Many took the chance and came to the Noborder Camp at the university area to share their experiences, to raise their demands, to enjoy the cultural program and the common time to build more contacts all over Europe. Of course it is not easy to bridge the various realities and interests all the time and some conflicts came up to handle the responsibilities for all visiting refugees and mainly due to their limited opportunities in the prepared program to speak about their daily problems. But finally more workshops and assemblies of refugees could be established as well, improvisation and spontaneous self organisation anyway is the challenge in such a huge Noborder camp...

Also first direct actions took place in these first days, for example in front of a main TV station to get more public attention to the demands of the stucked refugees. More demonstrations and protests are planned for the next days, while about 1200 activists are on the campus in the meanwhile, after 5 buses with 270 people coming from the Spanish state arrived as well on Monday night in Thessaloniki.

And just now, Wednesday morning, we are starting with 20 big buses and additional vans and cars in a convoi to protest in front of two detention camps in northern Greece and to express our solidarity with the refugees and migrants against their planned deportation.

no one is illegal Hanau

Picture below: new great wall painting at the campus in Thessaloniki