Call for No Lager action week from 19 to 27 June 2021
The corona-pandemic is another factor escalating the situation inside refugee-camps at the EU-external borders as well as those in Germany.
While for the public the main strategy to fight the virus has been social distancing and the reduction of personal contacts meanwhile people living in refugee camps are continuously being forced to live together on very close quarters, and have to share spaces for sleeping, eating, and washing with other inhabitants. To contain any occurring infections inside the camps NRW also ordered so called “Ketten-Quarantänen” (chain quarantine). Rather than protecting refugees through decentralized housing, they are continuously exposed to the risk of getting infected and due toincubation time and following up infections, they can be locked up for several weeks.
This procedure drastically demonstrates the systemic discrimination of refugees who are denied their right to health and life during a dangerous pandemic.
This is not only due to the challenges of the corona crisis, for years this unequal treatment is institutionalized in the so called “system lager”. Massive tightening of the law has made it possible to systemically keep camp inhabitants from exercising their fundamental rights to privacy education, medical standard treatment or job opportunities.
Many people face up to two years of confinement, constant restrictions and control, monotony as well as fear of deportation and violence. In the secluded camps the inhabitants have factually no means of contact with the general public, political and social networking with other refugees proves to be very difficult.
Their isolation is politically desired and designed to enable a smooth process of deportation from mainly NRW-Landesunterkünften (NRW-state camps) as well as preventing a public discussion about the camps that are isolated from society.
This routine, of deprivation of rights and isolation of refugees, must be stopped. It is due time for a public debate about reception and humane accommodation of refugees.
Our goal with the “No-lager-week-of-action” is to get public attention, to bring together and organize antiracist activists and groups as well as to show solidarity with all people inside the camps.
Take part in the actions!
Right to stay for all!
Close the camps – break isolation!