NoBorderCamp 2013 August 2 – 10

Rotterdam Week of action, discussion and workshops The Dutch No Border Network organizes a No Border Camp in Rotterdam August 2 – 10.

The organization of a militant week of action, discussion and workshops connects with the tireless actions of migrants in the Netherlands during the past one and a half year. As many people know, a lot of migrants in the Netherlands have been involved in protest actions in a way that has never been done before in the Netherlands. People from different nationalities and backgrounds are resisting the current migration policy openly. Undocumented people that are not allowed to stay in the Netherlands because of that, do no longer accept the fact that their struggle for a human existence remains unseen. Meanwhile the migrants and supporting activists have raised several tent camps, have demonstrated many times, and a lot of migrants are at this moment staying in the Vluchtkerk in Amsterdam and the Vluchthuis in The Hague. Given this situation, to the No Border Network organizing a NoBorderCamp is a matter of course. This way we, No Border activists, want to connect to the need of migrants to make their problem widely known. Recently, it has at many times become obvious that the government is only interested in political games. The trading of a halfhearted childrens‘ pardon for the introduction of the penalization of illegality shows perfectly what the Dutch politicians want. Political power is a lot more important than the fate of people without the ‚right‘ papers, who have been kicked out on the street! The NoBorderCamp 2013 has several goals. First of all during this week of workshops and actions we hope to connect to the need of migrants to make their protest be heard both visually and loudly so that Dutch society can no longer pretend they never knew: kicking people out on the street without money, food and shelter. We support the rebellion of the migrants against the current migration policy. At the same time we want to focus attention on capitalism. It is the main cause of among others war, for example for oil or resources, and climate change, that in their turn set migration going. No man flees voluntarily. In our society, pregnant with greed and selfishness, there is no room for people that are desperately seeking a better future! We the No Border-activists stand for freedom of movement and the abolition of borders and states. Through workshops and discussion during the NoBorderCamp we want to win people over for this aspiration. We want the camp to have an enthusing effect on people to actively resist the narrow-minded migration policy of both the right-wing and the left-wing established order. Active resistance will also be initiated from the camp, with direct and public actions at several locations in the region. An extra goal in organizing a camp in August 2013 is the Lovis boat project “Voices from the borders”, that will leave from Rotterdam in the first weekend, and that will draw attention to the problems of migrants in different harbors and wants to create more unity in groups and individuals that resist migration policy. The Dutch No Border Network works together with similar groups in other (European) countries, among others through regular meetings and joint actions. The English title ‚Camp‘ is therefore chosen on purpose because internationally there is a lot of interest in meetings of No Border-activists. The NoBorderCamp-concept exists since 1999 and from that year on at distinctive locations in Europe (border- and harbor areas) similar camps have been organized. Last year there were camps in Stockholm and Cologne. In the next months we will have to do our very best to organize the No Border Camp. The preparation group has already contact with groups of migrants and supporting activists. For more information, and if you want to help out, you can contact us through info@no-border.nl. Of course we need money to organize things well, you can donate to the account of Ithaka 4253090 in Utrecht, subject No Border Camp 2013.