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Balkanroute calling: carovana per la libertà di movimento

Sabato 19 giugno da Trieste a Maljevac confine croato-bosniaco

Il 29 maggio in tutta Italia e Europa iniziative di avvicinamento alla carovana, contro l’esternalizzazione delle frontiere e il rifinanziamento della guardia costiera libica.Sabato 19 giugno promuoveremo una carovana per la libertà di movimento, partendo da piazza Libertà di Trieste, crocevia di solidarietà e cura, con lo scopo di arrivare a Maljevac sulla frontiera croato-bosniaca. Attraversando stati e confini che incarnano l’ipocrisia delle politiche europee vogliamo denunciare chi attua respingimenti a catena e srotola filo spinato, per chiedere a gran voce l’apertura delle frontiere, la chiusura di qualsiasi campo di confinamento e la fine delle violenze e dei pushback.Siamo realtà sociali antirazziste e antifasciste, gruppi e associazioni impegnate nella solidarietà e nel soccorso civile via terra e via mare lungo i confini di questa Europa fortezza.
Vogliamo agire dal basso e in rete a livello europeo per creare momenti di rottura dell’ordinario e mettere in discussione fino in fondo il passato, il presente e il futuro dell’impianto securitario delle politiche sull’immigrazione.Non possiamo accettare né la politica di esternalizzazione delle frontiere, né quello che si configura come un vero e proprio regime del confine: lo abbiamo denunciato tuttə insieme a Trieste il 17 aprile, lo vogliamo rifare andando fin dove sta la frontiera esterna dell’Unione Europea, in Croazia, paese armato e pedina dell’UE lungo la balkan route nella sporca guerra contro i migranti.Saremo fisicamente presenti su quel confine perché è allo stesso tempo simbolo delle politiche europee e dispositivo materiale di contenimento, selezione dei flussi migratori e respingimento verso la Bosnia-Erzegovina. Essere a Maljevac per noi significa essere a Ceuta e Melilla, alle Canarie, a Lampedusa, a Lesvos e Evros.L’Europa e gli Stati membri continuano a sporcarsi le mani di sangue per difendere delle linee immaginarie dall’arrivo di persone, per impedire il loro movimento e negare l’accesso al diritto di asilo. Riducono in brandelli le principali Convenzioni e Costituzioni dove sono stati sanciti i diritti fondamentali, compreso quello di migrare. Basano la loro politica su dispendiosi accordi con le peggiori dittature e milizie corrotte, sulla militarizzazione dei confini con l’ausilio di Frontex e scrivono patti per rendere sistematiche la detenzione e le deportazioni.Vogliamo capovolgere una narrazione che parla costantemente di emergenza e di catastrofe umanitaria, quasi fosse una calamità naturale, senza individuare le cause e i responsabili che la determinano! Vogliamo che si cambi radicalmente rotta!Invitiamo tuttə a raccogliere il nostro appello e organizzare in occasione del 29 maggio – giorno in cui il Parlamento italiano discuterà un nuovo vergognoso finanziamento alla guardia costiera libica – iniziative di mobilitazione, assemblee, eventi pubblici contro un sistema di torture e violazioni dei diritti umani.
Verso il 19 giugno, verso la caravan for freedom of movement!- Per adesioni e informazioni: act4balkanroute@protonmail.ch

Tappe della caravan for freedom of movement:Sabato 19 giugno- > Trieste piazza della Libertà
– > confine Italia – Slovenia
– > Border Crossing Pasjak
– > Border crossing Maljevac

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Balkanroute Calling: Caravan for Freedom of Movement

Saturday 19 June from Trieste to Maljevac on the Croatian-Bosnian border

On May 29, throughout Italy and Europe, initiatives toward the caravan, against the externalization of borders and the re-funding of the Libyan coastguard.On Saturday 19 June, we will promote a caravan for freedom of movement, starting from Piazza Libertà in Trieste, a crossroads of solidarity and care, with the aim of reaching Maljevac, on the Croatian-Bosnian border. Crossing countries and borders that embody the hypocrisy of European policies, we want to denounce those who implement chain rejections and unroll barbed wire, to demand the opening of borders, the closure of all the detention camps and the end of violence and pushbacks.We are anti-racist and anti-fascist collectives, groups and associations engaged in solidarity and civil rescue by land and by sea along the borders of this fortress Europe.We want to act from below and network at European level, in order to create moments of breaking of the ordinary and to question the past, the present and the future of the securitarian system of immigration policies.We cannot accept neither the policy of externalisation of borders, nor what is configured as a real border regime: we denounced it all together in Trieste on April 17, we want to do it again by going as far as the external border of the European Union, in Croatia, an armed country and EU pawn along the Balkan route in the dirty war against migrants.We will be physically present on that border because it is both a symbol of European policies and a material device of containment, selection of migratory flows and rejection towards Bosnia and Herzegovina. For us, being in Maljevac means being in Ceuta and Melilla, in the Canary Islands, in Lampedusa, in Lesvos and in Evros.Europe and its Member States continue to get blood on its hands, defending imaginary lines against the arrival of people, preventing their movement and denying them access to the right to asylum. They tear to shreds the main Conventions and Constitutions where fundamental rights, including the right to migrate, are enshrined. They base their policy on wasteful agreements with the worst dictatorships and corrupt militias, militarising borders with the help of Frontex, and writing pacts to make detention and deportations systematic.We want to overturn a narrative that constantly speaks of emergency and humanitarian catastrophe, as if it were a natural disaster, without identifying the causes and those responsible for it! We want a radical change!We invite everyone to take up our appeal and organise mobilisation initiatives, assemblies, public events against a system of torture and human rights violations on May 29 – the day on which the Italian Parliament will discuss a new shameful funding for the Libyan coastguard.
Towards 19 June, towards the Caravan for Freedom of Movement!-

For participation and information: act4balkanroute@protonmail.ch

Stages of the Caravan for Freedom of Movement:Saturday 19th of June- > Trieste piazza della Libertà
– > Border crossing Italy – Slovenia
– > Border crossing Pasjak
– > Border crossing Maljevac

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Caravana por la libertad de movimientoSábado 19 de junio, de Trieste a Maljevac, frontera croata-bosniaEl 29 de mayo en toda Italia y Europa habrá iniciativas para unirse a la Caravana contra la externalización de las fronteras y la refinanciación de la guardia costera libia.El sábado 19 de junio promoveremos una caravana por la libertad de movimiento, que partirá de la Piazza Libertà de Trieste, lugar de cruce de solidaridad y cuidados, con el objetivo de llegar a Maljevac, en la frontera croata-bosnia. Atravesando los Estados y las fronteras que encarnan la hipocresía de las políticas europeas, queremos denunciar a quienes realizan contínuas expulsiones en caliente y levantan barreras de alambre de espino, para exigir con rotundidad la apertura de las fronteras, el cierre de cualquier campo de confinamiento y el fin de la violencia y de las expulsiones en caliente.Somos organizaciones sociales antirracistas y antifascistas, grupos y asociaciones comprometidos con la solidaridad y la ayuda civil por tierra y por mar a lo largo de las fronteras de esta Europa fortaleza.
Queremos actuar “desde abajo” y en redes, a nivel europeo, para crear momentos de ruptura de lo ordinario y cuestionar el pasado, el presente y el futuro del sistema de seguridad de las políticas de inmigración.No podemos aceptar ni la política de externalización de las fronteras, ni lo que se configura como un verdadero régimen de fronteras: lo hemos denunciado en Trieste el 17 de abril, queremos hacerlo otra vez yendo a la frontera exterior de la Unión Europea, a Croacia, país armado y peón de la UE en la ruta de los Balcanes en la guerra sucia contra las personas migrantes.Estaremos físicamente presentes en esa frontera, porque es a la vez un símbolo de las políticas europeas y un dispositivo material de contención, de selección de los flujos migratorios y de las expulsiones en caliente hacia Bosnia y Herzegovina. Para quienes vayamos y para quienes nos apoyan, estar en Maljevac significa estar en Ceuta y Melilla, en las Islas Canarias, en Lampedusa, en Lesbos y Evros.Europa y sus Estados miembros siguen ensuciándose las manos de sangre para defender líneas imaginarias contra la llegada de personas, para impedir su circulación y negarles el acceso al derecho de asilo. Hacen trizas las principales Convenciones y Constituciones en las que se consagran los derechos fundamentales, incluido el derecho a emigrar. Basan su política sobre acuerdos de despilfarro con las peores dictaduras y milicias corruptas y sobre la militarización de las fronteras con la ayuda de Frontex, y escriben pactos para hacer sistemáticas las detenciones y deportaciones.Queremos dar un vuelco a una narrativa que habla constantemente de emergencia y catástrofe humanitaria, como si se tratara de una catástrofe natural, ¡sin identificar las causas ni a los responsables de la misma! ¡Queremos un cambio radical de rumbo !
Invitamos a todas las personas a que hagan suyo nuestro llamamiento y organicen el 29 de mayo – el día en que el Parlamento italiano va a debatir una nueva financiación vergonzosa a los guardacostas libios – iniciativas de movilización, asambleas, actos públicos contra un sistema de tortura y de violación de los derechos humanos.Hacia el 19 de junio, ¡hacia la caravana por la libertad de movimiento!- Para inscribirse e informarse: act4balkanroute@protonmail.ch

Etapas de la Caravana para la libertad de movimiento:Sábado 19 de junio
– > Trieste piazza della Libertà
– > Frontera italiana – Eslovenia
– > Border Crossing Pasjak
– > Border Crossing Maljevac

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Balkanroute calling – eine Karawane für die Bewegungsfreiheit

Samstag 19. Juli von Triest bis Maljevac an der kroatisch-bosnischen Grenze

Am 29. Mai finden in Italien und ganz Europa Initiativen zugunsten der Karawane statt, um gegen das Outsourcing der Grenzen und gegen die Finanzierung der lybischen Küstenwache zu demonstrieren.Am Samstag 19. Mai starten wir eine Karawane für die Bewegungsfreiheit. Ausgangspunkt ist die Piazza Libertà in Triest, das Symbol für Solidarität und Pflege der Migranten. Unser Ziel ist Maljevac an der bosnisch-kroatischen Grenze zu erreichen. Indem wir Grenzen und Staaten überqueren, welche die heuchlerische europäische Politik verkörpern, wollen wir all jene anzeigen, die Push Backs betreiben und Drahtzäune aufziehen.Wir wollen mit lauter Stimme die Öffnung der Grenzen und die Schließung der Inhaftierungslager einfordern und das Beenden der Gewalt und der gewalttätigen Zurückweisungen von Menschen verlangen.Wir bekämpfen Faschismus und Rassismus, wir sind Gruppen und Vereine die Solidarität und Hilfe auf Land und Meer bieten, entlang der Grenzen dieses Europas, das als Festung dasteht und Menschen abschiebt. Wir wollen vom Grund auf und zusammenwirkend auf europäischer Ebene agieren, um das aktuelle System zu brechen und die Fundamente der gegenwärtigen und zukünftigen Einwanderungspolitik in Frage zu stellen.Wir können und dürfen das Outsourcing der Grenzen nicht akzeptieren. Ebenso akzeptieren wir diese Diktatur der Grenzen nicht. Wir haben all dies bereits am 17. April alle zusammen laut bekanntgegeben, und wir wollen es nun wieder machen, indem wir die äußere Grenze Europas und Kroatien erreichen, ein Staat der von Europa aufgerüstet wird, um diesen unfairen Krieg gegen die Immigration zu betreiben.Wir wollen physisch auf dieser Grenze anwesend sein, da diese Grenze ein Symbol der europäischen Migrationspolitik ist, ein Platz der Freiheitseinschränkung wo Migranten abgesondert und nach Bosnien und Herzegowina zurückgewiesen werden. Unsere Anwesenheit in Maljevac symbolisiert unsere Anwesenheit in Ceuta, Melilla, in den Kanarien, in Lampedusa, in Lesbos und auf Evros.Unser Europa und seine Mitgliedsstaaten beflecken sich mit Blut, um imaginäre Grenzen vor der Ankunft von Menschen zu verteidigen, um die Bewegungsfreiheit und das Recht auf politisches Asyl dieser Menschen zu vernichten. Die internationalen Abkommen und die Verfassungen dieser Staaten werden zunichte gemacht, und das grundlegende Recht zur Migration wird vernichtet. Diese Staaten schließen mit verschiedenen Diktaturen kostspielige Abkommen ab, um mit Hilfe von Frontex die Grenzen militärisch dicht zu machen und die Inhaftierung von Migranten und ihre Abschiebung alltäglich durchzuführen.Wir wollen diese Darstellungsart umkippen. Eine Darstellungsart in der andauernd nur von Notsituation und humanitärer Katastrophe gesprochen wird, so als würde es sich um eine natürliche Katastrophe handeln, wo es hingegen notwendig ist, die konkreten Gründe und Verantwortlichen ausfindig zu machen und anzuzeigen.Wir wollen einen krassen und klaren Kurswechsel!Wir laden alle dazu ein, am 29. Mai Initiative zu ergreifen, Treffen zu organisieren und die Leute zu mobilisieren, um dieses menschenrechtverletzende System anzuzeigen. Am 29. Mai wird das italienische Parlament eine neue schändliche Finanzierung an Libyen abstimmen.Auf zum 19. Juni, auf zur Karawane für die Bewegungsfreiheit!

Für Informationen und Unterstützung: act4balkanroute@protonmail.che

Etappen der Karawane:- > Triest – Piazza Liberta
– > Grenze Italien – Slowenien
– > Border Crossing Pasjak
– > Border Crossing Maljevac

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Balkanroute calling: caravane pour la liberté de mouvementSamedi 19 juin de Trieste à Maljevac, frontière croato-bosniaqueLe 29 mai dans toute l’Italie et l’Europe il y aura des initiatives de rapprochement à la caravane, contre l’externalisation des frontières et le refinancement des garde-côtes libyens.Le samedi 19 juin, nous promouvons une caravane pour la liberté de mouvement, à partir de la piazza Libertà de Trieste, carrefour de solidarité et de soins, dans le but d’arriver à Maljevac, sur la frontière croato-bosniaque. En traversant des États et des frontières qui incarnent l’hypocrisie des politiques européennes, nous voulons dénoncer ceux qui mettent en œuvre des refoulements en chaîne et des barbelés, pour demander à haute voix l’ouverture des frontières, la fermeture de tout camp de détention et la fin des violences et des refoulements.Nous sommes des réalités sociales antiracistes et antifascistes, des groupes et des associations engagées dans la solidarité et le secours civil par voie terrestre et maritime au long des frontières de la forteresse européenne.Nos actions partent d’en bas et visent à la construction d’un réseau européen pour créer des moments de rupture de l’ordinaire et remettre en cause le passé, le présent et l’avenir du système sécuritaire des politiques d’immigration.Nous ne pouvons accepter ni la politique d’externalisation des frontières, ni ce qui se présente comme un véritable régime de frontière : nous l’avons dénoncé ensemble à Trieste le 17 avril, et nous voulons le refaire en allant jusqu’à la frontière extérieure de l’Union Européenne, en Croatie, pays armé et pion de l’UE au long de la balkan route en cette sale guerre contre les migrants.Nous serons physiquement présent.e.s sur cette frontière, parce qu’elle est à la fois symbole des politiques européennes et dispositif matériel d’endiguement, de sélection des flux migratoires et de refoulement vers la Bosnie-et-Herzégovine. Être à Maljevac pour nous c’est être à Ceuta et Melilla, aux Canaries, à Lampedusa, à Lesvos et à Evros.L’Europe et les États membres continuent à se salir les mains pour défendre des lignes imaginaires contre l’arrivée des personnes, pour leur empêcher le mouvement et leur refuser l’accès au droit d’asile. Ils déchirent les principales Conventions et Constitutions qui consacrent les droits fondamentaux, y compris celui de migrer. Ils fondent leur politique sur des accords onéreux avec les pires dictatures et milices corrompues, sur la militarisation des frontières à l’aide de Frontex et signent des pactes pour systématiser la détention et les déportations.Nous voulons renverser ce récit qui ne parle que d’urgence et de catastrophe humanitaire, comme s’il s’agissait d’une calamité naturelle, sans pourtant identifier les causes et les responsables qui la déterminent. Nous exigeons un changement radical !Nous invitons tou.te.s à recueillir notre appel et à organiser, à l’occasion du 29 mai – quand le Parlement italien discutera un nouveau et honteux financement aux garde-côtes libyens – des initiatives de mobilisation, des assemblées, des manifestations publiques contre un système de torture et de violation des droits humains.Vers le 19 juin, vers la caravan for freedom of movement!-

Infos et adhésions : act4balkanroute@protonmail.ch

Étapes de la caravan for freedom of movement:Samedi 19 juin
– > Trieste piazza della Libertà
– > frontière Italie – Slovénie
– > Border Crossing Pasjak
– > Border Crossing Maljevac

Am Freitag nachmittag, 11.11.2016 haben sich 200 Geflüchtete zu Fuß auf den Weg gemacht und hoffen auf Einlass an den Pforten der Festung Europa – an der kroatischen Grenze. Unterwegs auf der Autobahn zwischen Belgrad und Zagreb, eskortiert von der Polizei. Hinter ihnen bilden sich kilometerlange Autoschlangen. Stimmung ungebrochen. Geflüchteten hatten sich auf den Weg gemacht, nachdem eine ihrer Hauptunterkünfte in Belgrad einen Tag zuvor geräumt worden war. Der Protestmarsch wurde seit dem Start von der serbischen Polizei begleitet, zwischenzeitlich in Richtung Bahngleise und dann über freies Feld geschickt. Am 13.11.2016 haben die Geflüchteten die kroatische Grenze erreicht und harren nun dort aus. Unterstützung in Form von Decken, Essen und menschlicher Solidarität ist von Menschen vor Ort unterwegs, wird von der Polizei aber bisher nicht durchgelassen. Aktuelle Berichterstattung unter dem Twitter-Hashtag #MarchOfHope

#‎LEBANON‬: At the present, the long term international volunteers in Lebanon are coordinating centrally around a Lebanese NGO called Salam LADC (Lebanese Association for Development and Communication). Salam has strong ties with the local authorities responsible for refugees, the UNHCR, the Lebanese Military (essential permissions for visiting and distributing at settlements) and other local and international NGOs. Independent volunteers are NOT allowed to visit settlements without military permission and contacts with local municipalities. Those who have come privately have run into trouble with the authorities when attempting to privately distribute supplies. Salam’s current international volunteers are long term (+4 weeks) and are helping to build the structure and administrative back end of our volunteer project. At the present, Salam is NOT taking any applications for international volunteers. However, we will be accepting applications for long term volunteers shortly. In the interim, volunteers who wish to come can start fundraising projects in their home countries as Salam can then direct these funds for the direct, wholesale purchase of necessary aid and organised effective distribution. Please follow Salam’s Facebook page, attached below, for regular updates on Salam projects and volunteer updates. Thank you for your continued engagement and support. https://www.facebook.com/salam.ladc/

‪#‎TURKEY‬: Turkish officials say that Greece has returned 90 migrants from Pakistan, Morocco, Algeria and Turkey who had crossed into the country from Turkey. The government’s migration agency in ‪#‎Edirne‬, northwest Turkey, said the migrants crossed back into Turkey on Friday through the ‪#‎Ipsala‬ border gate. Greece returned the migrants under an existing agreement with Greece on the readmission to Turkey of migrants who do not qualify for international protection. The migration agency said eight Algerian migrants were placed at a deportation center in Edirne, while 71 Pakistanis and Moroccans were sent to a detention center in ‪#‎Erzurum‬, in eastern Turkey.

‪#‎GREECE‬ No boats landed in the north ‪#‎Lesvos‬ today and there is no available information on south. ‪#‎Chios‬ has also seen no boats last night. But sea is calm tonight and there are some arrivals already. There are 1,600 refugees in Chios at the moment. Ferry ticket agencies have issued very low numbers of tickets to refugees for the next days, so there are no available tickets to buy until Saturday 19th of March. The Soli Cafe on Chios (www.facebook.com/solicafechios) are urgently asking for support. In contrary to the official organizations present on the island, they strongly disagree to and reject the registration process that separates refugees by nationality and leads to illegalizing and deporting people. They fight for the freedom of movement and a world without borders. The group used to supply to 450 refugees in medium per day but because of the current situation of the border closings, they are now supplying a number of nearly 2,500 refugees on the island, and the number is supposed to grow. Their cost have grown from under 100 € to almost over 500 € per each day. They urgently need financial support to keep supporting the refugees with the needed food. Volunteer kitchen teams at ‪#‎Vial‬ are not allowed in hotspot anymore, army has taken over the catering. Yesterday there were 581 people on the island of ‪#‎Samos‬. “Iokasti’s Kitchen” – Ladies of Samos & international volunteers need more volunteers and funds in order for the project to succeed. They currently provide 1,000 meals a day and from the 17th when the NoBorders kitchen leaves, they will be providing for 2,000 people. Contact them or donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/kingofsamosport. Total of 7,614 refugees are currently on the islands of northern ‪#‎Aegean‬. With the increase of refugees, four hotspots camps will be established in ‪#‎Epirus‬ region near Albanian border: ‪#‎Filippiada‬, ‪#‎Igoumenitsa‬ and two in ‪#‎Ioannina‬. Also, ‪#‎Kastoria‬, ‪#‎Florina‬ and ‪#‎Ptolemaida‬ began work on creating capacity of 5,000 people. A source close to MSF reported to ‘Top Channel’ that it will open three first aid points for refugees on the border with Albania at points ‪#‎QafëBotë‬ / ‪#‎SagiadaMauvromati‬, ‪#‎Kakavia‬ and ‪#‎Krystallopigi‬ / Kapshticë. Sources also by the Greek foreign ministry said that negotiations are continuing at a political level with the governments of neighboring countries, Albania and Bulgaria, to absorb a number of immigrants from 10-15,000 in each country.

  Mazaraki camp in Greece, 10.3.2016, by Statis Kokki.

Smugglers operate in ‪#‎Idomeni‬ – they state they are doctors and would cross them for Euro 250. People do disappear without any trace. Another thing to beware of are poisonous snakes. Spring is coming, which means they will start waking up now. In Greece there are 70 species of snakes. Most of them are not venomous (have no harmful poison). 7 (of which 5 are vipers) do have poison and a possible bite should be treated. In case of a bite, you should go to the doctor. If you can document the snake (photos), do it. It will help the doctor. There are some precaution measures you can take and in my experience help a lot avoid unhappy meetings with a snake. 1) Always close your tent when you exit. Always. Also if you are sitting right outside. Snakes are silent and you will not see them enter. 2) If you have shoes outside the tent, turn them around – always (the hole where your feet get in should face the floor). Snakes look for dark places to cuddle. If your shoes are turned around, when you pick them up, anything that went in will fall down (also spiders or scorpions). Give them a good shake. 3) Same thing for bags that you just leave on the floor. Always close them or if forgotten open shake them off.

Another news from Idomeni comes from voluteer group in Idomeni camp that is offering tea (“The Tea Tent”), saying they were not allowed in the camp. Neither were the provisions for refugees. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch both tweet that they have been denied access to Greek camps and hotspots for the past two weeks. Meanwhile, those who “wish” to be bussed to new camps are invited to do so. We believe this is an attempt to make the conditions harder than they already are, so that refugees do not have to be forcibly evicted. It remains to see what happens when all those who voluntarily leave, are gone. By allowing for the living conditions in Idomeni camp to be horrendous, Greek government forces refugees to leave the border, give up on attempting to cross, and settle in government-built shelters. A group of 800 refugees left Idomeni at the Greek-Macedonian border today. The border between Greece and FYROM is closed but more than 13,000 refugees remain in Idomeni, hoping that the border will open again. Greek authorities say there are over 42,000 refugees are currently waiting across the country. If You Are In Idomeni: The Greek government is considering how to move refugees from Idomeni and to transfer people to shelters in northern Greece. Greek government officials said that they will not evacuate the Idomeni camp using force. No clear timeline was given for an evacuation. Greek authorities say they plan to convince refugees to voluntarily move to places where they can find more humane living conditions. There are organized shelters in northern Greece, in ‪#‎Diavata‬, approximately 70 km from Idomeni, and ‪#‎Cherso‬ and ‪#‎NeaKavala‬ Greek authorities say more new shelters will be ready in few days in the area. Government will provide buses to transfer refugees. Authorities say about 800 people have agreed so far to leave the camp, but more arrive daily. If you are in the ‪#‎Piraeus‬ port: Greek authorities already transferred up to 900 people from Piraeus to ‪#‎Konitsa‬, in Northwestern Greece, and in temporary shelters in Central Greece. Transfers will continue in the next days. Authorities announced that the capacity of ‪#‎Eleonas‬ camp will be increased to 2,000 places from the current 700. A total of 3,000 refugees are hosted inside the port of Piraeus and two more ships have carried more than 880 on Friday. 162 refugees were moved from Piraeus port to the northern Greek town of Konitsa this morning. More than 10,000 refugees are hosted in shelters in ‪#‎Athens‬. Police are not allowing refugees to sleep in #Victoriasquare, informing them that there are shelters in Athens where they can be transferred. AYS container is being unloaded on Saturday at 12:00, helping hands are welcomed.

Ministry of Interior has published information on the relocation program for refugees from Greece to another EU country. This information refers to the people who entered Greece after the Sep 16th 2015, and who are citizens of Syria, Iraq, Eritrea, Central African Republic, Yemen, Bahrain, Swaziland, or a stateless person who used to live for many years in these countries. According to the information provided in the document, it means that: First – a person must file an asylum application in Greece and have his/her fingerprints taken. Greece will request another EU country to take over the examination of a case. As soon as the Ministry is informed by the other country that a person applying for relocation program and his/her family members (e.g. wife and children) are accepted, the Ministry is going to ensure that they are transported there safely and free of charge within two months. As soon as a person arrives to the other country, this country will take over the examination of the asylum application and will attend to cover asylum seeker’s basic material needs. People cannot choose the EU country in which he/she will be relocated, however factors such as having relatives, having lived, worked or studied in a European Union country as well as the condition of one’s health are taken into account. A person must hand over any documents he/she has for identity verification, as well as any documents provided to you by the Greek Police. More info is available at: http://asylo.gov.gr/en/?page_id=824. This info is written in English, as well as Arabic, Kurmanji, Greek, Sorani and Tigrinya. Some other useful links for refugees, which include more information on the relocation program, but also on family reunification, tracing lost people, free legal help, free medical care and others, can be found at the following AYS page: https://www.facebook.com/areyousyrious/posts/593580880790799?hc_location=ufi. If you are a refugee or a volunteer looking to inform a refugee-fellow, feel free to use these links as a credible and current source of information.

#BULGARIA: Bulgarian border police have thwarted attempts of a total of 66 refugees to cross the country’s border with Turkey over the past 24 hours, the Ministry of the Interior announced in a statement on Friday. The refugees, who carried no identity documents with them, all claimed to be Iraqi citizens. In another case, 17 refugees, all of them claiming to be Syrian citizens, were discovered on Thursday in the trailer of a Romanian-registered truck at #Lesovo border crossing. Police used sensors detecting elevated carbon dioxide levels inside the trailer to find the people. Bulgaria will send humanitarian assistance to the migrants and refugees stuck at Greece’s border with Macedonia in adverse weather conditions, the government in Sofia announced on Friday. The assistance will comprise tents, beds, blankets and heating materials as specified by the Greek authorities in a letter sent to Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry, the cabinet said in a statement. Heavy rains and poor living conditions at the camp in Idomeni require urgent measures to avert a humanitarian crisis, the Bulgarian government said.

#MACEDONIA: Around 1,000 refugees are currently waiting in the #Tabanovce camp. Additional shelter is created by MSF in Tabanovce, which consists of 4 tents. Camp management placed most vulnerable in these new containers. Still, the horrific situation of people living in mud and hunger is not resolved, as there are many refugees who remained by the border line. The only difference is now that they stay on their free will, as most refugees are afraid to come inside the camp fearing being pushed back. If you are a refugee stuck in Macedonia wanting to know what your options are, please talk to IOM officers and Macedonian Young Lawyers Association, both of whom provide free legal help in Macedonia and have teams in the Tabanovce camp. A group of 13 refugees remained forgotten at the camp in #Gevgelija for 4 days now with dry food. As of today, volunteers will continue to serve them hot meal.

  Tabanovce (Mac-Ser border), 11.3.2016, by Are you Syrious?

#SERBIA: There are currently around 2,000 refugees in Serbia. Among those, 800 are in #Sid, 600 in #Presevo, 300-400 in asylum-seekers’ camps, 140 at #Krnjaci, 80 at #BanjiKoviljaci, and 100-200 in #Bogovadja, #Sjenica and #Tutin. These numbers exclude the “invisible refugees,” who are not registered at any of the official sites. There are always around 300-400 of these unregistered refugees. Refugees still continue to cross from Bulgaria to #Dimitrovgrad, 50-80 refugees per day. Gordan Paunovic, an Info Park/Fond B92 manager, has shared his scepticism about the current measures succeeding in what their claimed purpose, namely, the closure of Balkan route, and suggested that the closure is only apparent. According to Info Park findings, and from what Dimitrovgrad numbers suggest, we are witnessing an uninterrupted flow of refugees from Bulgarian border. The difference is, however, that these refugees are now being smuggled rather than entering freely. As the InfoPark Dimitrovgrad team on Bulgarian border reports, there are practically no activities in the registration center for the last 10 days, except for an occasional refugee or a group who lost their smuggling logistics. This brings us to the conclusion that what the new measures of the EU have brought is a mere flourishing of smuggling business and a complete transfer of a legal and relatively safe flow of people into illegal channels. Indeed, the numbers of 50-80 refugees a day completely coincide with the official statistics in the last weeks in Dimitrovgrad before the border’s closure. The new EU measures have only made smugglers happy. Their profits have sky-rocketed. A drive between #Sofia and #Belgrade is 1000 Euros per head, while within Serbia, smugglers charge 300 Euros per person from Bulgarian border to Belgrade. Lots of NGO and humanitarian teams are leaving Dimitrovgrad or cutting their staff down, as refugees are more keen on going directly to Belgrade. Indeed, Belgrade is boiling. There are new faces every day, people are coming and leaving. This is throwing us back to the situation from the Summer 2015, when Belgrade acted as a transit knot, where everyone was seeking for a way to leave. While it gets pretty obvious that Dimitrovgrad, Presevo and Sid are fading out, at least on the flow, Belgrade in the last days has seen pretty constant numbers of average 500-600 people present in the parks. Where do refugees go from there, when the western border is closed? Some opt to seek for an asylum in Serbia, buy some time, have a bit of rest and peace in the open camps in Krnjaca, Tutin, Sjenica and Banja Koviljaca, and plan their future. Some, like many Afghanis or Pakistanis arriving to Belgrade, are not interested at all in asylum in Serbia, do not waste time in the long registration queues and just seek for smugglers to take them across the border. Smugglers are everywhere around parks, offering their services. The smuggling route through Hungary is up and running. Some refugees get caught, imprisoned and sent back, but some makes it to the EU, in a full secrecy of illegal migration, thus becoming invisible persons that will never become EU citizens. The recent arrest of three Serbian nationals, who were smuggling 15 Pakistani refugees across the border, attests further to the proliferation of the smuggling business along the Balkan route.

#CROATIA: There are 311 refugees currently located at #Slavonskibrod camp. Double that number, however, has gathered today in #Zagreb at the protest against the Balkan route border closures. The protest was organized by Are You Syrious and Centre for Peace Studies

#SLOVENIA: From the police report released today until 6 AM, there are currently 123 refugees in accomodation centers: #Šentilj camp – 2; #Vrhnika – 52, Center for foreigners #Postojna – 69). Reception centers are empty. No-one has entered nor left the country today.

#AUSTRIA: The Austrian ‘Volksanwaltschaft’ is a public body entitled to investigate wrongdoings within public administration, as well as assists citizens if they feel they have been treated unfairly by an Austrian authority. Volksanwaltschaft recently published a report harshly criticising police authorities for hiring non-trained translators in the registration center in #Spielfeld. The translator’s job is, among others, to determine a person’s origin through interviews. These interviews often lasted for a mere couple of minutes. Nevertheless, based on these translators’ and the police officers’ hasty decisions, more than 300 people have been pushed back from Spielfeld to Slovenia and Croatia. Above all, the Volksanwaltschaft deplored the Ministry of Interior ‘s choice to hire translators via the private security company G4S, which has alleged links to senior officials in the ruling conservative party ÖVP, showing that their choice was under the strands of nepotism and corruption, rather than fair and just employment of capable translators. Austria volunteers of Border Crossing Spielfeld and legal advisors are offering legal aid to those pushed back to Slovenia who want to seek legal remedy against the Austrian police’s decision. Push-backs are illegal once a person expressed the intention to seek asylum in Austria. Please contact border.crossing.spielfeld@gmail.com for further information.

#GERMANY: A 17-year-old refugee from Egypt leapt from a train outside #Munich on Friday morning after police found him carrying a deportation order. The tragic death came about when police moved through the train checking passengers’ identity documents, Bayerischer Rundfunk reports. Officers found the young Egyptian hiding under a bench in an empty compartment. When they asked him to show his identity papers, he provided documents that he had been given in Austria. While the one document recognized the teenager’s status as a refugee in Austria, the other ordered his deportation to Italy. The officers ordered the young man to leave the compartment and wait in the corridor. But according to eyewitnesses, he used the opportunity to escape into another compartment where he opened the window and jumped out. The train was still travelling at a high speed through a town called Haar. The boy landed on an adjacent set of tracks and was killed by the impact. Police in Munich said the teenager had recently been caught by officers illegally entering Germany and had been sent back to Austria at the time. This means that Germany broke its promise of granting a special protection to unaccompanied minors, which ensures that minors will not be pushed-back out of Germany.

In 2015 a lot less refugees came to Germany than reported. While interior minister spoke of more than one million new arrivals, government now said, that only around 600.000 refugees arrived. 627.000 lived in Germany in the end of 2014, so the total number was around 1.250.000 refugees. In the end of 2015 950.000 people in Germany had an asylum or refugee status. Additionally, to that around 300.000 were not able to ask for asylum by now but have been registered as refugees.

#DENMARK: Denmark is punishing its citizens for taking on the task that State has failed in accomplishing. A Danish children’s rights activist, Lisbeth Zornig Andersen, was Friday fined €3,000 for transporting a Syrian refugee family in her private car. Her husband was fined the same amount for taking the family into his home for coffee and biscuits, and then driving them to the railway station, where he bought them tickets to Sweden. “This was a political trail, using me and my husband to send a strong message: don’t try to help refugees,” Zornig said after the verdict. “I am very angry because the only thing we did was the decent thing, the same that hundreds of others did. They are criminalising decency.” Zornig has decided to appeal against the verdict. The trial is one of the first of hundreds of Danes who responded in early September to the thousands of refugees who walked from Germany into Denmark, many of them on their way to Sweden where the asylum regime at the time was more relaxed. Under Denmark’s Aliens Act, it is a crime to transport people who do not have residence permits. Police say 279 people have been charged in the period from September 2015 to February 2016. In January, a man was fined DKr5,000 (£517) for driving an Afghan family from the German border in September. On Thursday, a 70-year-old pensioner was fined DKr12,500 for a similar offense. Zorning has become a voice for ordinary people who saw footage of refugees on the news in early September and wanted to help, according to Line Søgaard, a spokesperson for refugee support group “Welcome to Denmark.“

#FRANCE: Tensions have been mounting in the #Calais Jungle today, with migrants and volunteers confronting riot police as authorities pushed ahead with destroying the southern part of the camp. Several shelters in the Calais Jungle, including a makeshift mosque, have been set on fire as migrants are refusing to leave the shanty town build barricades, in a bid to block authorities from dismantling the camp. The huge blaze started at around 4.30pm local time, following up on a series of fires that were started yesterday. One witness claims the fires were started by French riot police “to accelerate the destruction of the Jungle”. Several shelters were also set on fire by groups refusing to leave the camp, as refugees aimed at forming a fire barricades to avoid eviction. French authorities are encouraging migrants to move into accommodation kitted out with heating and showers provided by the government. However, many migrants have been reluctant to move into the shipping containers because they fear it will ruin their chances of reaching the UK. Nevertheless, the demolition of part of a vast and infamous refugee camp in Calais is forcing people into new makeshift settlements in the surrounding area. Aid workers said that as many as six new camps had sprung up since authorities started dismantling the southern part of ‘the Jungle’ nearly two weeks ago. These new camps, which residents also referred to as ‘jungles’, house anywhere from 15 to 150 people and are located near service stations and truck stops.

#EU: The first ever request to the European Court of Human Rights for an interim measure has been sent by Afghan asylum applicants. These applicants are fleeing Afghanistan with their children, and currently living in Idomeni in flooded tents, appalling conditions, and being daily refouled at the border.
The lawsuit is filed against Greece, but also against Macedonia, Serbia, Austria, Croatia, Hungary and Slovenia, because of their joint decision for discriminatory closure of borders and massive discriminatory refoulment on grounds of international protection seekers’ nationality.

English information about RELOCATION by w2eu (Arabic translation to be followed.): http://w2eu.info/greece.en/articles/greece-legal.en.html

Cover photo by Reuters.

On November 10th 2015 at the ”emergency” government assembly in Slovenia Slovenian prime minister Miro Cerar announced that the government with its ministers agreed on the establishment of the barbed wire, or what they politically correct call ‘technical obstacles‘, at the Croatian-Slovenian border. He announced that since Germany and Austria are tightening their asylum systems and threatening to let less and less people through their borders, Slovenia could experience a ”humanitarian crisis”, as the winter is comming and the country doesn’t possess enough infrastructure and resources.  This is not just an egoistic move from the Slovenian supposedly centric government which by its own account promotes ”human rights and values”, but is a important part of the developing European Union’s immigration and asylum system. The move of building of the fence also comes after the end of the Greek fairy workers strike, which according to the mainstream media, temporarly slowed down the influx of people. After the strike, Slovenian minister of external affairs Karl Erjavec  announced by its own sources that 30.000 are already on the way to Slovenia.

Slovenian government not only wants to show off by playing a role of the external Schengen guardian and a ”good” and obeying member state, but on its national level fears that if Austria and Germany close or additionally tighten their borders, it can become a  so called ‘tampon zone’. Cerar is saying that he doesn’t want a ‘humanitarian catastrophe in Slovenia’ and the beginning of the emplacement of the barbed wire will serve only to regulate the influx of people. It is obvious that his words are hypocritical and need a radical translation: Slovenia, as well as the EU, doesn’t want the blood on its hands, that is why it is much easier if we keep the people at the external borderzones – in this case whether becoming or potential future member states of the EU (mostly Balkan countries) or Turkey – let us not forget the pushing future agreements between EU and Turkey regarding the management of the incoming people. This practice of externalization is not new for the EU, as we already seen in the practices of the agreements with the African countries to keep the people even from reaching the Mediterranean.

Even more worrying, regarding the development of the EU’s immigration and asylum system and Schengen zone, is the recently posted ‘Draft Council conclusions on measures to handle the refugee and
migration crisis’. To name only the most concerning points of the European Council and European Commission:

6. as regards border control for entry and exit into and out of the Schengen area, to assist the
Member States concerned in respecting their legal obligation to perform adequate controls.
This will involve a range of supporting measures by Frontex, gradually extending, as
necessary, to the deployment of Rapid Border Intervention Teams (RABITs);

7. to support the upscaling [by 1 December 2015] the Poseidon Sea Joint Operation in Greece
within the current operational plan;

(more – source: http://www.statewatch.org/news/2015/nov/eu-council-handling-refugee-migration-crisis-conclusions-draft-13738-15.pdf)

Slovenia already started to put the 1,8 m high barbed wire (more precisely razor wire) at parts of borders with Croatia (for now few hundred meters): at Velik Obrež (Brežice, Dobova) by the river Sotla and at Gibina (municipality Razkrižje).

(Cover photo: Luka Cjuha)

In the last week(s) there has been an establishment of the ‘official corridor’ through the so called Balkan route. This intergovernmental agreement’s aim is to control the flow of people who are fleeing for a better life in Europe. Even though it may sound as an improvement, for the better fluctuation of people, it is one of the steps of the development of the common European Union’s immigration system. The institutionalization of the corridor, which was before established by the constructive forces of incomming people and self-organized activists through the mutual struggle, means new forms of exclusive inclusion to the territory of the EU.

The aim of the so called official corridor is, as mentioned in the previous article, to let a certain number of people to the next country, where usually full EU member states (as Austria and Slovenia) hold a privileged position. This of course doesn’t always work as the number of people and their struggle to reach the desired destination is not manageble by such system. The reason for its establishment is always the discourse of security and liberal humanitarism of the EU and seperate member states. Political functionaries as well as repressive organs are saying, that if we don’t manage the flows well, it could come to the chaos and collapse of the EU. The only chaos in this case is the creative chaos of the incoming people who produce fear for the privileged economical and political castes that are responsible for the suffering of the wide majority of the worlds population.

Austria has put barbed wire around Šentilj/Spielfeld border (source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/04/austrian-police-barbed-wire-border-chancellor) for what it states ”in the name of the security of its population and incoming people (migrants, refugees etc. if you wish)”. Yesterday came also an unofficial report by the Slovenian national television that Slovenia already bought 125 km of fence (which costed 1,5 million Eurs altogether) (source: http://www.rtvslo.si/begunska-kriza/prvi-kilometri-ograje-naj-bi-ze-bili-v-drzavi/377908), but its government hasitates to give more information. Its army is already at the borders with full armed gear, helping logistically with the police, but until now changes for the Slovenias Defense law – that would enable the army to use the authorities of the police – are still not enacted (for more read: https://www.oplatz.net/2015/10/28/reestablishing-state-of-exception-in-the-eu-and-a-call-for-international-meeting-manifestation-and-solidarity-action-in-slovenia/).

Such countries fear that if the next country of destination would close it’s borders, it would develop ‘pockets’ in their countries. This means that incoming people would be stranded in their countries. This of course doesn’t stop in Slovenia or Austria, but goes all way back to Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia etc. A. Merkel and other EU’s technocrats on the privileged positions are hoping for a deal with Turkey to surpress and ‘filter’ the flow of people – as mentioned, to let selectively through a certain amount of people, whether to humanitarian background or economical interest, where we presume that the letter play the most important role. Merkel is also warning for the ‘potential wars‘ that could erupt at the Balkans if the upcoming countries close their borders, but one cannot fail to see the hypocrisy here. If we translate her words and recent EU policies in concrete material grounds this actually means that: ”we want a stable workforce, since the demographic downfall in the recent years in the Western European countries is producing financial deficits, and we don’t want wars in our proximity, whether on the EU’s territory or within potential member states in the Balkans. This is the hypocrisy of the humanitarian and ‘open handed’ approach by such politicians.

In the end of the post it is important to move to the happening at some borders.

At Preševo and Opatovac, according to activist from the Open Borders Caravan few days ago (2.11.2015):

‘#BERKASOVO / #BAPSKA / #OPATOVAC / #TOVARNIK – Exhausted volunteers are seeking help as temperatures are dropping below zero, and thousands of new refugees are arriving every day. They also need food, clothes, blankets, basically everything. If you have a way of bringing help across the border, please go to #Berkasovo, where lots of people are arriving on foot, without good clothes fot this cold weather. If not, bring it to #Bapska or #Opatovac.’

This is old information, so everyone planing to go there please contact self-organized groups who are on the field, to find out what is needed. The idea of this outdated quote is to inform people, that help is still needed.

What is needed here is a few words about the relation between self-organized volunteers/activists and ‘official’ volunteers (working under the umbrella of the NGO – such as Red Cross etc.). There were tensions at the Slovenian borders, since both groups started to blame eachother about what should be done and what the other is doing wrong. With the establishment of the ‘official’ corridor, self-organized volunteers/activists, who see the whole ‘refugee crisis’ as a issue of European discriminative politics – whether border, migration, neocolonial, capitalist to name the few, are prevented (or it least it is really difficult) to destribute different kinds of aid. We should not forget that in the past weeks it was them on the ‘Balkan route’ struggling along and supporting the incoming people to demand better treatment of the latter, not the official NGO’s who were waiting for the permission of their supperiors to allow them to do something, while people were freezing outside.

This is most visible at the ‘no-mans land‘ at Spielfeld/Šentilj Slovenian-Austrian border, where the legal framework is the most uncertain. Because of this people are trapped between borders, where they are denied of any aid, whether clothing, blankets, food or tea. Mostly only the self-organized volunteers/activist are handing such aid through the fence to people, where different stories are comming from them about the NGO’s. The latter are preventing them to do this, even though, what is proved by the activists at the borders, the NGO’s have alot of humanitarian aid at their warehouses which is not being destributed. NGO representatives are saying that it has to be equally distributed, otherwise it is a danger people will fight each other for food and blankets. The aim here is not to discredit the NGO’s, as they helped and are helping with the humanitarian aid, but to produce a call for them, that there are alot of holes everywhere that they don’t see or deliberately ignore. The other important thing is not to view the incoming people as somekind of barbarians that would fight for bits of food if it is unequally distributed. Precisely such discourse shows the latent xenophobia within the liberal humanitarian discourse.

The incoming people are far from that, as they have, along with the volunteers and activist, showed huge mutual solidarites and power to change and destroy the borders. Yes, there are individual or groups conflicts, but there will be more if people will be put in the concentration camp- or. lager-like conditions. We must not help the states and its repressive organs to manage the so called official corridors which are dehumanizing people to non-beings, but demand open borders for everyone so we can start to build a common Europe and world for everyone.

Useful thing for the incomming people:

http://www.refugeecompass.com/making-the-journey.html

Carterro (http://www.carterro.com/) is an app to assist with making the long journey.  It uses map based data and experiences of other refugees travels along the route.  Please note that detail in Carterro is for the Middle East only.

Updates on the Balkan route: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zJggLarUzmHE.kdSUXTxZDCm4

This video was taken in Dobova (Slovenia) a few days ago. This is not just a sole example of the mistreatment of the incoming people. The situations in camps change through days – sometimes they are empty and next day filled with new people arriving from Croatia.

The situation at Šentilj/Spielfeld (Slovenian-Austrian border) is different, as people often get trapped in ‘no-mans land’ between Slovenian and Austrian borders, while waiting for the permission to cross the border. ‘Officially’ people have the possibility to stay in camps, but due to the lack of information, it is often though that waiting at the ‘no-mans land’ will result in the quicker crossing of the border. This often develops in the long hour waiting in the cold weather.

We must demand open borders for everyone!

On October 15 2015 Hungary finally decided to close its border passage Botovo with Croatia, where the “more formal  coridor” for the flow of people, temporary established by inter-governmental agreements, took place, changing the direction of the so called balkan route. Instead of going through Croatia to Hungary the route is redirected to Slovenia, where people are registered, before taken to Austrian border (slov. Šentilj/ ger. Spielfeld).

Info: use map for traveling through Slovenia.

Activist which are at the Slovenian borders and registration camps are reporting, that the authorities are taking fingerprints from the incoming people at the Gruškovje registration camp, but not at Petišovci. This information is not entirely clear, but it is worth to take into account that your fingerprints can be sent to EURODAC. Because of this, predominantly non-Syrians, can be effected by the Dublin convention – this means: if you claim asylum in other EU country, they can return you to Slovenia.

Who can be affected:

• your fingerprints were taken in another country (and stored on a common European database called EURODAC)
• you admit that you have been to, or travelled through, another country, even if you didn’t give your fingerprints
• it can be shown by some other source of evidence that you have been to, or travelled through another country
• it can be shown that you were previously issued a visa for an EU country
• you tell the authorities that you wish to join your spouse, who is an asylum seeker or a refugee in another country

In case this happens to you and if you are non-Syrian citizen, you will need legal aid.

Situation in Slovenia (18.10.2015), reports from activists:

Our group on the field successfully set up an Info point in Petišovci. It is located next to the big registration tent. The situation regarding the access to the registration centres is varying. While there were no bigger problems in Petišovci, nobody external was allowed to enter the registration centre in Središče ob Dravi.

The other type of centres are accommodation centres. One is located in Šentilj (Spielfeld), the other in Gornja Radgona. These ones are being used at the moment, there are roughly about 20 more all over Slovenia which can be used if needed. These are being managed by the Civil Protection (Civilna zaščita), while the registration centres are being managed by the police. In addition to the registration centres in Petišovci and Središče ob Dravi there are more registration centres in Obrežje, Gruškovje and Dolga vas.

It seems the access to both types of centres might become an issue. Volunteers would be able to enter the accommodation centres via the Slovene Philanthropy and NGO Adre. This does not apply for the registration centres, where the access is even more restricted.

Based on the conversations with the refugees they mostly need information and the possibility to communicate. They fear what fingerprinting them means, whether it serves as a ground for deportation, they don’t know where they are and would like to inform their families regarding their situation. There’s no wifi network, chargers, multiple socket outlets, etc. in none of the centres. The medical staff in Petišovci complains that they aren’t allowed to hand out warm milk to the kids. One Austrian group offered to cook tea, with hesitation the head of the Red Cross agreed. This group already leaves today.

In short, the government agencies are declining external independent help. As a result of their limited capacities regarding the reception of refugees the flow has been slowed down, so they get stuck on the Balkan route, subjected to the cold and abuse and being blocked to to leave hazardous zones.

Some information from Gruškovje:

// 23.28 //
The police demands we have to wake up all people so they can count them. They want them all awake and standing together. Some are walking around with flashlights and are waking up the people. I had to leave because I can’t stand it any more. The ambulance came, they stepped on the bus because a woman needed urgent help. On the way to the bus the medical staff spotted a sleeping person who looked dead. He threw a blanket back over him and said ‘somebody forgot the trash’. Just now volunteers from Switzerland and Murska Sobota (Slovenia) arrived, UNHCR miraculously disappeared.

The bus is crowded, they allow only Syrians to pass. A third bus arrived, the police is shouting like crazy. Police: “YOU’RE ALL BROTHERS, MOTHERFUCKERS!”

// 22:30 //
UNHCR forbid distribution of food and water, which is not theirs. They decided this after volunteers started to bring food/water. Before that they didn’t make a problem. However, it seems that this has forced them to finally distribute water in the camp, which they had not done the entire day.

This is the common attitude of the EU, state authorities and also official NGO’s (predominantly UNHCR and Red Cross) towards people fleeing persecution and searching better life in the EU.

Slovenian interior ministry announced that it will let daily only 2500 people through its territory to Austria – this also means that when enough people leave Slovenia new people will be transported from Croatian borders to Slovenian registration camps (they are transported by buses from the borders). They also said that Austria is accepting only 1500 people per day (source: Slovenian national media (http://www.rtvslo.si/slovenija/slovenija-za-danes-koncala-sprejem-prebeznikov-v-cakovec-vlak-s-1-200-ljudmi/376584), but these news were just recently falsified by the Austrian Amnesty International which said that the upper gap for letting people through Austria is not 1500, as claimed Slovenian interior minister. This part, however, remains unclear, as some Austrian media (e.g. http://derstandard.at/2000024097298/Fluechtlinge-Unterschiedliche-Angaben-von-Slowenien-und-Oesterreich) are confirming Slovenian interior ministry’s words that Austria allows only 1500 people through Slovenian border per day.

Because of this activists from the borders are reporting:

‘Bottlenecks and additional shocks are already happening in Croatia:Macedonia and Serbia are advised to prepare accordingly as Slovenia is letting refugees pass but ONLY 2500per day. On the other hand, the number of refugees crossing Greece and Macedonia remains around 5000 to 7000…Where will they go? Except for increased humanitarian relief, we MUST be prepared for joint pressure and even physical presence at the Croatian border if needed‘

This means that if Slovenia is registering such a small amount of people per day, the numbers of people can increase on the other Balkan borders or camps e.g. at Greek, Macedonian, Serbian and Croatian.

Also some solidarity is needed on Lesbos, Greece, with the Autonomous Initiative for Solidarity with Refugees/Migrants (old information):

The authorities of Lesbos threaten people in solidarity!

On Sunday 11 October 2015, the municipal authorities of Lesbos, more specifically deputy mayor Giorgos Katzanos, in charge of sanitation and garbage disposal on the island, and Giorgos Saroglos, spokesman for the village of Skala Sykaminia, threatened us concerning the structures erected on the beach and ordered us to remove them. They actually gave us a deadline of one week; otherwise they threaten to evict us by force.
Today local residents confirmed that this evacuation is to go ahead. While it is also known that the Golden Dawn member of parliament Lagos is visiting the island this weekend, we were given to understand that this is likely to take place in Skala Sykaminia under escort of the fascists.
The project was formed and consolidated two weeks ago by a number of people in solidarity and groups of several different nationalities, many of whom will be here on Sunday. We call on all those who support solidarity with the refugees on the island to come to the structures of the Autonomous Solidarity Initiative this evening, Saturday, to oppose the authorities’ plans and to confront whatever may arise.
We are here because we uphold the political position of displaying solidarity with the refugees/migrants. Any threat to us is a threat to refugees/migrants.

Email: solidarity.refugees.athens@gmail.com

(There is no most recent information about the happening there)

—

Important tip for activists/volunteers going to the borders to help: you will usually need to register with the local NGO or humanitarian organization, which is already there or your access will be likely denied by the authorities.

More information on the Serbian/Croatian/Slovenian/Hungarian borders – follow: http://pastebin.com/wtnWbKkf

https://www.facebook.com/Protirasisti%C4%8Dna-fronta-brez-meja-962830080456004/  (Information in the English language is always bellow)

Some other information about the balkan route (prices etc.): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fZlNfQkC3EFLrjAuszFm-fjuDDVNvtfcyqb0bfDtpa4/edit?pli=1

All information will be first-hand and forwarded from the groups of activists and volunteers (from sites such as Anti-Racist Front Without Borders from Slovenia, Open Borders Caravan that are located on the borders. The aim of the Border monitoring is not only to report on happening on mentioned borders and to give coordinates for the humanitarian aid, but also to make the recent flow of people (what the EU, its member states and mainstream media calls ‘refugee crisis’) a politically relevant question which adresses the discriminatory and xenophobic imigration and asylum policies within the EU, as well as its connection with the neoliberal developments. Open borders for all!

First post will outline the thoughts by some activists from the Anti-Racist Front Without Borders (Slovenia), who were in the past month present at the Slovenian, Macedonian, Serbian, Croatian and Hungarian borders.

Dramaturgy of safe corridor through the Balkans

At the moment borders and other points on the refugee route through the Balkans offer a quite different sight than the one from not a long time ago. Blocked borders, self-organized refugee camps at the train stations and around border crossings and occasional police violence gave way to the non-declared corridor of safe passage and for some time now reports about police violence remain practically absent. True, Hungarian governement due to the perceived needs of its domestic audience is still staging a show “heavily armed guardian od the Schengen border” and yet it is itself fully cooperating with the police forces of neighbouring countries in organising the transfer of thousands of people through the country. After initial disagreements between various Balkans’ states, non-coordinated responses and a certain degree of improvization – the latter was characteristic for Slovenia – European Union has by now managed to establish a unified and controled regime of management of people at practically the whole territory of the Balkans.

 From afar, but also from up close, it seems at the moment that the agenda of refugees in fact overlaps with the agenda of the states that they are travelling through and of their police forces: people want to go to Europe which the respective states now do not only accept – they actively organize their journey through the Balkans. And yet this conclusion makes sense only if we focus exclusively on the fact that people indeed do move in an organized manner from point A to point B. But when the experience of refugees’ journey is taken into account in all its modalities it aquires a distinctly sinister character.

 An ever present theme in the reports of activists that are present on the ground on the borders and in centres in Macedonia, through Serbia, Croatia and Hungary is a very sophisticated dramaturgy and scenography of the refugee journey through the Balkans: always there is a need to hurry; often the travelling is by night; there are never enough beds, never enough toilets; uncertainty reigns as there are never clear guarantees or information about whether the buses will be there or not; there is no opportunity to rest, think, share, talk; police lights pierce the sky and forests; all the rain and mud; mouldy bread; ban on warm food; power generators and warm beds for the police, damp covers for the rest; riot police uniforms reflections in the night; hurried night marches across the bridges and through the forests; barbed wire. All these images and body moves and affects fuel the continuous sensation of an assembly line. People do move to their desired destination and yet the possibility to really influence the dynamics of their journey is taken away from them. This dehumanization is complemented by the perverse command of thankfulness which the refugees are obliged to feel in relation to the bureaucrats that are masterminding a regime of their hierarchical inclusion in our communities.

 Enough has been said about the deeply problematic role of humanitarian organizations on the ground that in many locations have hardly been doing much more besides just being there. Throughout the Balkans the important humanitarian efforts are being organized by self-organized volunteers from all corners of Europe. But what more could be the role of the activists, that is to say of those that find themselves in this situation not as refugees but as all those other people that are striken by processes of capitalist devastaton in a very personal way and are dedicated to practically organise solidarity wih our new neighours and colleagues?

 How can we prevent that the journey of refugees to Europe would end in their separation from the society and in imposed weakness that comes with it? How can a journey of refugees to Europe end up increasing thepower of the refugees themselves and of all of us that are their supporters and not in further boosting of the power of border agencies and population management bureaucracy? This is a challenge that many people from open borders caravans , volunteers at the borders and elsewhere are faced with today.

 As we reflect on the already relatively consolidated situation across the Balkans we can already recognize the contours of a new regime that will be unveiled in its fullness at the moment when now open borders will be shut down. Then we wil be left with increasingly militarized outside border of European union and a consolidation of some form of buffer-zone in the territories of Serbia, Macedonia and maybe Croatia, Hungary and – why not – Slovenia. And with tens of thousands of “stranded foreigners” within this zone. Thus a new phase of crisis of Europe will be inaugurated that will further fertilize already fertile ground for the spread of ideas of hate and agression.

 This is why it is a task of an utmost importance to construct naratives that will enable us, the precarious, unemployed, poor, youth without future, potential emigrants, us that are on so many different levels ourselves already targets of terror of capitalist devastation, to build together with the refugees the political, discursive and physical spaces of resistance against the same terror. Together. Brake down the borders, build the power.

(source: http://komunal.org/teksti/271-zlovesca-dramaturgija-balkanske-poti)

Preševo (Macedonian-Serbian border) this Saturday (10.10.2015) updated (18.10.2015)

Article about happening at Preševo – http://gauge-mag.com/reports/presevo-this-shouldnt-be-our-job/#jp-carousel-675

Useful Links:

Refugee Help Map (Border monitoring, where the help is most needed. Useful information: activists are the most needed during weekdays) – https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zddfRUtGScOc.kQBgTQcoV5FM&hl=en_US

19. September, 2015

At the border at Rigonce (Slovenia/Croatia) there where first bigger waves of refugees. At 17.30 and there were around 100, but 3 hours later, there were at least 500-600 at that small border. At the Bregana border crossing there were already 800 people and up to today there are around 2000-3000.  They are already transported to Slovenian asylum centers, camps etc.

Slovenian side of the border was packed with 100-150 robocops and they didn’t let anyone through. Slovenian government gave a clear massage that it closed it’s borders, even before people came. They also used teargas once and their batons.  Currently they are letting inside families, mostly women and children, and are separating men from them. People are tired, but extremly filled with positive energy, they showed that struggle for freedom is unstoppable.

Activists are really organized, but situation changes from hour to hour.

Follow on Twitter:

#NoBorderSLO

#refugeeslo

#Bregana

#Obrezje

Al Jazeera News 20/21 Sep 2015 – Refugees stuck at Croatia’s border with Slovenia

Refugees at Croatia – Serbia border

Croatia ‘forcing’ Hungary to take in refugees

From No Border Serbia Blog

https://youtu.be/Dfq2mbssMlM

19 September, 2015

The situation is changing rapidly, it s very chaotic and hard to follow what is going on. After the brutal police attack at Horgos almost all people left to Croatia. approx. only 100 people stayed there waiting for a chance to cross. There are 21 persons  in prison in Hungary they were arrested at Horgoš when they broke through the gate.

18 September, 2015

After the brutal police attack on the Hungarian border (more details soon),  most of the migrants yesterday from Horgoš (SRB-HUN border) continued towards Croatia (mostly Šid and Bezdan border crossing points). All kind of support is needed now on the borders! People are exhausted, they were struggling for their right to move, resisting repression days and nights without a rest. Now they have to face the same difficulties on the croatian border as well. Croatia closed today 7 border crossing places ( Tovarnik, Ilok, Ilok 2, Principovac, Principovac 2, Batina and  Erdut). People try to enter in smaller groups bypassing the blockades. We call all people in the border zones to show solidarity and support people.

Till today morning around 14 000 people entered Croatia.The authorities  transport people to refugee camps, but people want to continue and move on! Some groups already arrived to the slovenian border, they face repression from the slovenian border police.

Spread the idea  of DIRECT SOLIDARITY with the people who are traveling/struggling. Slovenia is trying to close it ‘s borders. Right now it seems to be closed but mass protests on the borders can create pressure! We should not forget that the people  on the move now are very powerful, many of them survived the  repression/violence in fascist Hungary and today in Tovarnik where for some time police held people in a guarded are to hold them back (they were waiting for 14 hours to continue) and the crowd of children, men and women was just destroyed part of the fence or jumped the police chains after a while as a mass protest.

Updates from Slovenia

Latest info from activists who are on the cro- slo border  ( 18.09.  1 AM):

“They stopped international train to Munich and send back to croatia around 100 people,  and others are send further in slovenia but we dont know where. all train traffic is stopped until morning.”

“Train from zagreb to austria with approx 150 migrants is held in train station Dobova from 19:00.A lot of police (riot police and dogs)is here,we are not allowed to talk with migrants. situation is calm, we are all waiting.”
“Please tell everybody, especially to refugees to stick together, to go the border in big big numbers, let us organize a camp on the border, bigger one. Let ua make pressure to open the borders! Small groups are taken by police and deported or detained in closed detention center!

150 people that managed to enter Slovenia were brought to the detention  center in Postojna. The international trains serbia- croatia-slovenia are stopped. The slovenian police is present in Dubove with many special police forces and dogs. In the village „Harmica“ at the croatian side of the border small groups of migrants are arriving. Now there around 200 but it is hard to guess, because they are not all in one place. People started to go towords and along the river (Sutla river)  that marks the border of cro/slov there, up north. Croatian police there is only  a few and very calm. Slovenian side seems to be more of  a problem for the people.

“There will be a protest today at 18h on the Cro-Slo border (Rigonce crossing place), where people were stopped by force. Let’s make pressure  from both sides of the border! “