The police once again showed it’s real face, as the defender of totalitarian regimes rather than what they are constantly claimed to be, namely the “protector of the people”.
The VOICE BERLIN and Plataforma Berlin protests the violent treatment of its activists and the activists of the Caravan for the Rights of Refugees and Migrants as well as activists from the protest tent.
On Monday the 15th of Oct. 30 activists for the rights of refugees and migrants were brutally arrested after legitimately protesting against the Nigerian embassy in Berlin. The Embassy holds an agreement with the German government, enabling easier and swifter deportations and denying refugees their rights of asylum. The protest actions at the Nigerian Embassy aimed particularly at the so-called embassy hearings, where group hearings of refugees take place forcefully, in order to determine their supposed home countries so that they can be deported there.
The police used CS gas and did not hesitate to beat, humiliate and harass the protesters. Several activists were seriously injured and needed medical treatment afterwards. 15 activists were arrested inside the embassy. Also activists that were holding a peaceful solidarity demonstration outside of the embassy had to stand the violence of the police. Despite attempts to deescalate the situation from the side of the refugees additional 15 excessively violent arrests were made, with no aim at settling the situation peacefully from the side of the police.
The police once again showed it’s real face, as the defender of totalitarian regimes rather than what they are constantly claimed to be, namely the “protector of the people”. During the Refugee Protest March, which started on the 8th of September in Würzburg and ended in Berlin on the 6th of October, the police acted in a reserved way and was sympathetic with the refugees., as long as the press was there The aims of the protesters were to come to the capital of Germany to confront the structure of oppression. The right of refugees to live a life in dignity – without isolation and humiliation, cannot be compromised. Now that the protest is taking a concrete form and is directed at state institutions and diplomatic partners, the German state does not shy away from employing extremely brutal and violent methods to silence the struggle.
Past experience has shown the police’s impunity in Germany. The police behaved like a lawless squat of hooligans with no inhibitions. Just like in the protest demonstration on January 7th 2012, on the 7th anniversary of Oury Jalloh’s death we expect no justice from the German system to punish the unruly police officers. This will not break our struggle and we will follow a judicial process against the police as long as it is possible. We once again state our solidarity with every single refugee and protester who is willing to take action in order to change this fate.
When injustice becomes law resistance becomes duty.
And we demand for: Freedom! Truth! Justice!
Break the Silence!
For more information, you can always contact us.
Yufanyi Mbolo: +49-(0)170-8788124 The VOICE Refugee Forum, Berlin.
http://www.thevoiceforum.org
http://plataforma-berlin.de
http://initiativeouryjalloh.wordpress.com
The_voice_berlin@gmx.de , plataforma.berlin@gmail.com
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