The campaign and calls for justice, and an independent enquiry, after the death of popular refugee Noureddin Mohammed, originally from Darfur, which began outside the 'Hotel de Police' in Calais by local sans-papiers and other No Borders activists, continued yesterday after two actions in the German city of Düsseldorf during the No Borders camp in the nearby city of Köln. (This camp is also being supported by actions and a solidarity camp for a hunger-strike by refugees in the regional capital, Düsseldorf.)
Yesterday a group of 12 activists from the No Borders Camp in Köln/Düsseldorf occupied the French Consulate building in Düsseldorf in solidarity with Embassy protests in other cities calling for justice for Noureddin Mohammed.
The occupiers managed to stay for over three hours in a calm and peaceful environment, while the staff at the consulate sent messages to the French Embassy in Berlin and to a government building in Paris (unclear which building sorry) in response to 'demands' by the occupiers.
The staff seemed generally supportive - even choosing to stay after the office was meant to close to see if there would be any responce to the messages (in respect of further demands/requests from the occupiers).
However, no responces were recieved and the activists were arrested after refusing to leave.
They were forcefully dragged out, searched while being shoved against the cop vans and refused the chance to visit a toilet before being driven to the police station. (Two of them having no choice but to dampen the inside of the vans with their piss - which would have been fine, but the cops then decided to mop it up with clothes of those activists(!)) Charges of tresspass and resisting arrest have been threatened, with the activists free for now but facing a decision by prosecutors in coming days.
Outside the occupation, a separate demonstration had been planned by another group. 35 people and local samba band 'Rhythms of Resistance' gathered with a banner reading "Justice for Noureddin" - also being partly translated into French and German (FOR/POUR/FÜR in the middle of it).
This demonstration was at first met by more police confrontation than experienced by the group inside the Consulate and over 30 vans of cops arrived with litterally hundreds of cops surrounding the demostrators.
Even though an unannounced gathering of more than 3 people is illegal in Germany this seemed just a little excessive and many started to wonder if mass-arrests were on the cards.
However, energy and positivity helped the demostration continue for 4 hours, with chanting in more than three languages including "No Borders, No Nations, Stop Deportations!", "Solidarité avec les sans-papiers!", "Freedom of movement, is everybody's right - we are here and we will fight!", "Falter(?), Mort, Deportation, das ist Deutsche tradition!" and "We will destroy...the reasons for our sorrow, there will be...no borders...tomorrow!" and many activists took the chance to talk to people, who were gathering to watch, about the death of Noureddin in Calais and the situation around Calais whenever possible, and with statements from within the group being read by activists in German, English and French.
The demonstration was also supported by activists from the local Occupy camp, which was around the corner, who brought food, joined the group in solidarity and even joining the samba band temporarily and marching with us back to the main station after the cops scaled down to just around 30 cops despite being very physical at the beginning and despite our energy - and resistance in our position remaining strong. This was unusual for all the activists there, and apparently even for German policing tactics. Possibly the gathering of large crowds combined with the presence of the samba band contributed to this decision being made.
The remaining cops refused to leave the group alone in the city and seemed happy for it to leave in any way possible, even suggesting some activists could get the train without tickets if it meant they could finish their shift earlier. The cops even boarded the train with all the activists (apparently telling some it was to protect them from the far right who had in previous nights made threats against the camp in Köln), but stayed with them until they had passed the edge of the city on the train - so clearly not concerned with the possibilty (there almost certainly wasn't any at all) of the threat of fascists in the next administrative district.
Local news coverage has been more positive than expected
Link to article in German -
http://tinyurl.com/bvpg9u7
and many people who stopped to watch the scene and talk to activists seemed concerned about the death of Noureddin and the cover-up that has taken place, even volunteering to look up more information on the internet and read about the struggle in Calais.
This was felt to be a very positive action and a strong statement of support for the demands for the campaign of Jusitce for Noureddin and the sans-papiers stuck by the border in the north of France.
Freedom of movement for all in a world without borders!
Jusitce for Noureddin Mohammed!
Solidarity from Köln/Düsseldorf to our comrades around Europe and beyond.
The occupiers managed to stay for over three hours in a calm and peaceful environment, while the staff at the consulate sent messages to the French Embassy in Berlin and to a government building in Paris (unclear which building sorry) in response to 'demands' by the occupiers.
The staff seemed generally supportive - even choosing to stay after the office was meant to close to see if there would be any responce to the messages (in respect of further demands/requests from the occupiers).
However, no responces were recieved and the activists were arrested after refusing to leave.
They were forcefully dragged out, searched while being shoved against the cop vans and refused the chance to visit a toilet before being driven to the police station. (Two of them having no choice but to dampen the inside of the vans with their piss - which would have been fine, but the cops then decided to mop it up with clothes of those activists(!)) Charges of tresspass and resisting arrest have been threatened, with the activists free for now but facing a decision by prosecutors in coming days.
Outside the occupation, a separate demonstration had been planned by another group. 35 people and local samba band 'Rhythms of Resistance' gathered with a banner reading "Justice for Noureddin" - also being partly translated into French and German (FOR/POUR/FÜR in the middle of it).
This demonstration was at first met by more police confrontation than experienced by the group inside the Consulate and over 30 vans of cops arrived with litterally hundreds of cops surrounding the demostrators.
Even though an unannounced gathering of more than 3 people is illegal in Germany this seemed just a little excessive and many started to wonder if mass-arrests were on the cards.
However, energy and positivity helped the demostration continue for 4 hours, with chanting in more than three languages including "No Borders, No Nations, Stop Deportations!", "Solidarité avec les sans-papiers!", "Freedom of movement, is everybody's right - we are here and we will fight!", "Falter(?), Mort, Deportation, das ist Deutsche tradition!" and "We will destroy...the reasons for our sorrow, there will be...no borders...tomorrow!" and many activists took the chance to talk to people, who were gathering to watch, about the death of Noureddin in Calais and the situation around Calais whenever possible, and with statements from within the group being read by activists in German, English and French.
The demonstration was also supported by activists from the local Occupy camp, which was around the corner, who brought food, joined the group in solidarity and even joining the samba band temporarily and marching with us back to the main station after the cops scaled down to just around 30 cops despite being very physical at the beginning and despite our energy - and resistance in our position remaining strong. This was unusual for all the activists there, and apparently even for German policing tactics. Possibly the gathering of large crowds combined with the presence of the samba band contributed to this decision being made.
The remaining cops refused to leave the group alone in the city and seemed happy for it to leave in any way possible, even suggesting some activists could get the train without tickets if it meant they could finish their shift earlier. The cops even boarded the train with all the activists (apparently telling some it was to protect them from the far right who had in previous nights made threats against the camp in Köln), but stayed with them until they had passed the edge of the city on the train - so clearly not concerned with the possibilty (there almost certainly wasn't any at all) of the threat of fascists in the next administrative district.
Local news coverage has been more positive than expected
Link to article in German -
http://tinyurl.com/bvpg9u7 and many people who stopped to watch the scene and talk to activists seemed concerned about the death of Noureddin and the cover-up that has taken place, even volunteering to look up more information on the internet and read about the struggle in Calais.
This was felt to be a very positive action and a strong statement of support for the demands for the campaign of Jusitce for Noureddin and the sans-papiers stuck by the border in the north of France.
Freedom of movement for all in a world without borders!
Jusitce for Noureddin Mohammed!
Solidarity from Köln/Düsseldorf to our comrades around Europe and beyond.
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