Get together call 2017: Freedom of movement and the right to stay! - Ideas for actiondays and a coming together at a possible conference

Dear all,

just to share with you this call that circulates already since a few
days in Germany. We join the call for actions on 18th of March coming
from Athens (see: https://18m.commonstruggle.eu/) - and tried to combine
it with some more ideas of coming together.

All the best,
marion

******************************

Get together 2017: Freedom of movement and the right to stay!

Ideas for actiondays and a coming together at a possible conference


Dear friends and activists,

2015 will be remembered in the history of struggles for freedom of
movement as an historical year. Nearly one million people crossed in a
march of hope through Europe to fight for their aim to arrive at the
places of their choice. Within short time these people gained a lot of
support from the civil society who founded welcome initiatives –
organizing places of living, sharing and fighting together for the
rights to housing, staying, moving and for dignity for all.

The backlash followed directly afterwards. 2016 was characterized by a
strong polarization and the sealing off of Europe – which will most
likely increase this year. Even the Turkey-EU deal and the intensified
militarization in the Central Mediterranean didn’t prevent the number of
arrivals to exceed the 2014 “record”: Over 180.000 people have made it
to Italy in 2016 while the Dublin laws are forcefully reinstalled and
Asylum Rights are tightened on a national level. Once arrived in the
countries of their choices refugees are put into isolated camps, having
to live under inhumane conditions while companies are financially
profiting by these very forms of accommodation or by only handing out
rationed food packages. The mass deprivation of rights also affects EU
citizens who migrate northwest from the south eastern countries of
crisis: they are confronted with the exclusion from all social benefits
if they don’t find work immediately.

Refugee-movements are fighting since the 90s for their rights and will
also continue to do so. The visibility of the struggles for freedom of
movement and equal rights for all is getting stronger and stronger.
Despite the repression of the states, despite racism and precarious
living conditions we remember a lot of campaigns: The struggle against
the Residenzpflicht and against Dublin-deportations, the initiatives
against the on-going deaths at the seas around Europe, the resistance
against deportations, the fight for the women’s rights and visibility,
the struggle for the right to stay and for better living conditions, the
right to the city, the fight against the Lager and for participation,
for more language courses, or the latest mobilisations against the
ridiculous deportation-start to Afghanistan by the German state.

This – certainly incomplete – list of different struggles already shows:
we are a lot of people. We want to fight the racist rollback and
strengthen our common visibility. So let’s overcome our divisions and
fight together:

•       We want to make our voices heard – last but not least to strengthen
the positions that are still welcoming in this society and to create
more spaces to step out of the logic of control and racist division.
•       We want to support initiatives and groups in their fights against
racism and for solidarity and self-organization.
•       We share one question: how can we manage to get together? How is it
possible to create unity and how can we overcome the various divisions?

We address first of all the refugee and migrants-movements and those who
are affected by the repressive politics, but also self-organized
activists, welcome initiatives and supporters from all parts of society.
We think that it is time to form a broad network against the
neo-colonial, separating and racist border-buildings, against the
killings at the seas and the divisions by right wing-populism.  We think
that we need to come together to make a strong sign for a common society
based on solidarity and equal rights.

That’s why we call for:

•       An international actionday on the 18th of March 2017
Exactly one year ago the EU-Turkey deal will have been concluded at that
day. We also want to relate to the Blockupy protests in Frankfurt two
years ago, connecting the struggles against the border and the austerity
regime.
The City Plaza in Athens, the hotel occupied by refugees calls out for
international actions:
http://solidarity2refugees.gr/international-call-city-plaza-18-march-european-day-action/

The Welcome2Stay network proposes to do actions until the 23rd of March:
http://welcome2stay.org/de/2016/12/16/617/
Let’s do airport-actions against deportations and fear and for the right
to stay for everyone! Actions will take place at the airports in
Frankfurt a.M., Munich, Hamburg, Aschaffenburg and Berlin at the, 18th
of March 2017.

•       Actiondays between the 2nd and 4th of September 2017
Two years ago the march of hope started from the Keleti train station in
Budapest and marched towards the North-West. These days have been
crucial for the break through to open the borders on the Balkanroute.
Let us create as much public attention as possible with manifold events
and decentralized actions for the demand of freedom of movement for all!
The beginning of September will be the right time to raise attention to
this topic as the general elections will take place. We want to oppose
the racist right-wing populists with occupying public spaces with our
demands against deportations and exclusion and for open borders and
solidarity.

•       We still dream of another big conference - a big gettogether of all
the different initiatives and struggles. Maybe at the end of this or in
the beginning of the next year! We want to plan further on this idea –
join the preparations!

We invite you to this process of getting together and invite you to join
our next meeting on the 25th/26th of March 2017 to evaluate the 18th of
March, to plan another actionday before the elections and to discuss the
possibility for a big gettogether conference.
The meeting will take place from Saturday, 1PM till Sunday 2PM in
Mehringhof in Berlin. Who wants to join please contact: carlix@posteo.de


Signatures:
Lampedusa in Hamburg, Club Al-Hakawati, Caravane Munich, Watch the Med
Alarmphone, Interventionistische Linke, Refugees for Change Rhein-Main,
Refugees Struggle for Freedom, NAFS, muc support, Youths Without
Borders, Bavarian Refugee Council, No-Stress-Tour, Alle Bleiben
Initiative, Aktionsbündnis gegen Abschiebung Rhein-Main, Roma Center
Göttingen, No one is illegal Hanau, Welcome to Europe, welcome2stay,
Welcome To Stay Café Aschaffenburg, Kein Mensch ist Illegal Darmstadt,
Sächsischer Flüchtlingsrat, Women in Exile, Stop Deportation Group
Berlin, Recht auf Stadt – Never mind the papers!,  Lübecker
Flüchtlingsforum e.V. / Solizentrum Lübeck, Corasol, Flüchtlingsrat
Hamburg, borderline-europe, Antira_K, Refugees4Refugees