Last Sunday, on the 7th April 2013, at 21 o' clock around 100 people spontaneously demonstrated in Düsseldorf-Oberbilk to show solidarity with the refugees/non-citizens who occupied the “Gerhart-Hauptmann“-School in Kreuzberg (Berlin). The school had been the scene of a police raid by German special response units (“SEK“) at 7.30 in the morning, that same day.
During this operation “a large number of German state police, some disguised, entered the school, sealed off all exits, destroyed a number of doors without giving the residents any time to open them peacefully and waked them from sleep, according to eye-witnesses sometimes at gunpoint. The residents were forced to leave their sleeping rooms and to stand leaned against walls, with raised hands, to be searched.“ refugees/non-citizens and supporters from Berlin described in a press release.
The demonstration in Düsseldorf loudly moved through the streets of the district Oberbilk and was organized faster than the police could react. For a long route, the demonstration was able to block traffic without police intervening.
Press releases from Berlin and solidarity speeches were read through the megaphone, resulting in a lot of positive feedback from residents of Oberbilk, many of whom are affected by racism, too.
After roughly an hour the demonstration was disbanded at the marketplace of Oberbilk, by the protestors themselves. The police stayed calm for once and did not intervene. We thank everyone that was able to attend the demonstration, disregarding the rather short time of mobilization.

This demonstration was meant to be a sign of our solidarity with our repression affected comrades in Berlin . Wherever the state denies humans their basic rights and dignity, silence is not an option!

Alerta!