<nettime> Tampere Digest

["nettime's_digestive_system" <nettime-l@bbs.thing.net>]

1...... From: Antti Rautiainen <antti.rautiainen@kolumbus.fi>
Subject: (open) Migrants: The Wall kills again

2...... From: florian schneider <fls@ibu.de>
Subject: Message from Frankfurt - Airport blockade

3...... From: Autonoom Centrum <ac@xs4all.nl>
Subject: European asylum policy (Press Release)

4...... From: florian schneider <fls@ibu.de>
Subject: eurovision

5...... From: anton monti <amonti@hotmail.com>
Subject: 47 migrants arrived in Turku


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Date: Fri, 15 Oct 1999 11:10:03 +0200 (CEST)
To: nettime-l@bbs.thing.net
Subject: (open) Migrants: The Wall kills again
From: Antti Rautiainen <antti.rautiainen@kolumbus.fi>

DEATH AND HOPE BY THE WALL OF FORTRESS EUROPE

"The symbol of World War IV is an enormous wall going from the Rio Grande
to Gibraltar, then Turkey and then up cutting out Eastern Europe, to end up
dividing Japan and Australia from the rest of South-Eastern Asia"

(Zapatist association "Ya Basta!" - presentation for the Action Day Against
Fortress Europe).

One of the most murderous parts of the Wall in these last years is surely
the part dividing Italy from Albania and Montenegro, 40 miles of sea which
became a real battlefield between wealth and starvation, a training field
for new weapons and control systems, a test room for new ways to silence
the press and people consciousness.

MISTERIOUS ACCIDENTS

Worthless to say, the recent history of these 40 miles of sea, named
"Otranto channel", sees an incredible number of "misterious" accidents
which caused hundreds of casualties among the refugees trying to cross it.
Here are some of them.

"The Government of Montenegro confirms: about 100 Rom gypsies drowned in
the Otranto Channel in the night between August 15 and 16, 1999. The new
was given by the Montenegro newspaper "Vijesti". According to the
Montenegro police, the ship onto which the refugees were crammed sank 28
miles in front of the Montenegro port of Bar. The reasons of the tragedy
are unknown. Up to now, 41 corpses were recovered on the Montenegro
shores.However, the new was not confirmed by the Italian government. The
ministry of Foreign Affairs knows nothing about it, and the Italian
Consulate in Bar seems to have learned the new by the press. "We can't
confirm anything, we have no sure data and the Montenegro police did not
inform us," said the cancellor of the Consulate, mr. Giuseppe Ferrara.

"This could be the worse tragedy ever happened in the Adriatic sea, even
worse than another misterious tragedy: the collision between the old
Albanian torpedo-boat "Kater I Rades" with 78 refugees on board, and the
Italian corvette "Sibilla" on march 28, 1997, which caused the dead of all
the occupants of the Albanian ship."

So much for the newspapers (Corriere della Sera, Aug. 25; La Repubblica,
Aug. 25).

About the a.m. collision, after a fast investigation which implied the
recovery of the sunken Albanian ship, the blame was given (of course) to
the (dead) Albanian helmsmen which apparently tried, with hazardus
manoevres, to bypass the Italian navy blockade. Pity that, at a close
examination, the wreck of the Albanian ship showed a large crack right in
the middle, as if the much larger Italian corvette run straight into it
with full-force motors. But this was not confirmed, nobody was prosecuted,
a compensation was offered to the Albanian relatives of the victims, and
the case could happily be closed and filed as "accident".

Just to give you an idea of how many "accidents" happen every night in the
Otranto Channel, here's another one from yesterday (I'm not reporting these
things anymore, they are so "common"!!!!)

"Death in the seas of a young Chinese woman"

"They throwed her outboard like a lump of rags, so the Italian coast guard
thought about a manoevre to unburden the small people-smuggler boat and
gain speed to escape the blockade of the Italian navy. Too late the
terrible truth was discovered: it was not a load of smuggled cigarettes or
some kilos of Albanian marijuana: it was an asiatic woman, apparent age 25,
most likely terrified by the battle going on around her and therefore
unreliable, maybe hysterical: a reason good enough, in the smuggler's
minds, to get rid of her as soon as possible. Later the same thing was done
with all the other 11 refugees (7 men, 4 women): they where threatened and
pushed outboard to stop the Italian ships tackling the smugglers. Those 11
were rescued, but for the girl there was nothing to do: when she was
recovered, she was already dead." (Il Manifesto, Aug. 27).

Another victim of the Wall: taken in between the smugglers' game and the
Navy's, nobody gave her even a look. So she paid 3000 DM (that's the fare
to cross the Wall) to run straight into her dead.

EUROPEAN HYPOCRISY

These are all unknown victims of the most tipical European hypocrisy. Every
square mile of the Otranto channel is kept under control with satellites
and infra-red systems installed on the Italian Army helicopters and
airplanes. The new radar systems adopted by the Italian Navy allow the
discovery of the small, fast ships of the Albanian mafia loaded with
refugees as soon as they leave the docks of Valona, the Albanian city which
became the world capital of the refugees trade. The Italians even imposed
to Albania the presence of a navy base on a small island just ashore
Valona, in fact taking it. Nothing can move in the Otranto channel without
the Navy knowing it. But still, the only effect of this inhuman and
enormously expensive military effort is a huge raise in casualties and
"misterious accidents". Note that most refugees are cought as soon as they
set foot on the Italian coast: lately, about 1,500 persons every day are
taken into the concentration camps spreaded mostly in South Italy, to be
later deported somewhere in the Balkans where they just disappear into
nothing.

Now, just a very naive question: and if this people could reach Italy by
ferry boat? Apart the cost (70 DM for the ferry; 3000 DM for an
unforgettable night on the Otranto Channel), this would save the life of
many refugees. But for Schengen sake, this can't happen: if the refugees
could come by ferry, they would not be illegal immigrants. Therefore the
Albanian and Montenegro police does not allow anybody on the ferries
without a visa for Italy, and that's impossible to obtain for a refugee.

And the will to keep enforcing this deadly policy is clearly showed by
yesterday decision of the Italian (left) government: 45 billions lire (45
millions DM) were allocated to buy "optic and infra-red cameras to be
installed on the Italian shores of the Otranto Channel".

Nothing to say: Europe is really well defended.

Giuliano


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---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 15 Oct 1999 14:03:18 +0200 (CEST)
To: nettime-l@bbs.thing.net
From: florian schneider <fls@ibu.de>
Subject: Message from Frankfurt - Airport blockade

Message from Frankfurt - Airport blockade

In the early morning of 15 October 1999, we blocked the Frankfurt airport
by  hanging large bunches of air balloons, wrapped in aluminum foil, all
around the airport. With these 150-meter high ëagitatorsí hanging in the
entry and exit ports of the runways, we protest against the everyday
reality of deportations at the Frankfurt airport.

With our action, we associate ourselves to the Europe-wide, anti-racist
action day against the EU Summit in Finland, which specifically deals with
the EU migration and asylum politics and is taking place in Tampere on
15-16 October. At this Summit, heads of government and foreign ministers
will develop and institutionalise ëFortress Europeí.

Frankfurt airport is a central part of the deportation machinery of the
Federal Republic of Germany. More than 10,000 refugees and migrants are
deported here every year. Kola Bankole (died in 1994) and Aamir Ageeb (died
in 1999) had to pay their resistance against deportation with their lives;
none of their murderers were brought to justice!

Solidarity with those under threat of deportation and the illegalised
refugees and migrants!

Immediate abolition of the internment prison in Frankfurt airport!

Nobody is illegal! Open borders for everybody!


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Date: Sat, 16 Oct 1999 19:08:53 +0200 (CEST)
To: nettime-l@bbs.thing.net
From: Autonoom Centrum <ac@xs4all.nl>
Subject: European asylum policy (Press Release)

Press release
15 October 1999

Autonomous Dutch-Austrian Friendship Association congratulates Cohen with
the Dutch effort for the European asylum policy

On monday, October 11th 1999, the state-secretary of the ministry of
Justice J. Cohen held a speech on the European asylum policy in the
auditorium of the University of Amsterdam. The Autonomous Dutch-Austrian
Friendship Association (ANOV) welcomed Cohen warm-heartidly for his
contribution to the European asylum policy. We congratulated, dressed in
Tiroler outfit, state-secretary Cohen with the Dutch contribution to the
European Summit this weekend in Tampere, Finland. In Austria politicians
have taken the same stand for many years and have accompished that refugees
and immigrants are rightfuly neglected. Needless to say the extreme-right
J–rg Haider scored a huge increase in votes at the last elections. The
greeting banner said: "Haider gruesst Cohen".

Last year, Cohen stood at the craddle of the High Level Working Group, a
working group for civil servants in the European Union. This High Level
Working Group was established in order to dam in the number of refugees and
immigrants that come to Europe. The plans of the group correspond well with
the Austrian strategy document that was the first attempt to plot a
European asylum and immigration policy, published exactly one year ago.
Austria proposed to place a number of concentric circles around the EU.
Each circle would have a role in stopping the attempts of refugees and
immigrants to reach te EU. Furthermore, everyone without valid travel
documents would be rejected for refugee status or any other status. And
last but not least, the Geneva Treaty would no longer apply to the refugees
of this era: since they flee civil wars, wars of seccesion, ethnic violence
or violence of rivaling powergroups in failed states.

There was much criticism to the Austrian plans. Not only from refugee
groups, the UNHCR and the Dutch Refugee Council, members of Parliament and
the Euro-parliament also exercised stiff criticism to these plans. Yet
Cohen forces through what the Austrians put on paper. The founding
declaration of the High Level Working Group that was published by the
Netherlands openly mentions that the Dutch contribution is inspired by the
Austrian strategy document concerning asylum and immigration. The High
Level Working Group wants to reduce the number of refugees and immigrants
by using the Foreign- and Development Aid-policy. Countries that do not
cooperate fully will have to suffer the harsh financial consequences or wil
be pressured in a diplomatic way. In Tampere Cohen will set up an
'Austrian' vision that turns refugees into illegal aliens.

The Autonomous Dutch-Austrian Frienship Association, Autonoom Centrum
0031-206126172

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Date: Sat, 16 Oct 1999 18:51:57 +0200 (CEST)
To: nettime-l@bbs.thing.net
From: florian schneider <fls@ibu.de>
Subject: eurovision

EUROPEAN ACTION MAP v. 0.1

This morning we had the honor of receiving a phone call from the head of
the Finnish Foreign Ministry's Department for Press and Culture and
responsible for the press department for the EU summit in Tampere.
Apparently, EU representatives do not enjoy our which they may feel
infringes on their lack of humor. We were kindly asked to replace the
appropriated frameset of our site.

http://www.contrast.org/borders

Today, with the start of the official EU summit in Tampere, various actions
are going on all over Europe and specifically in Tampere: more about the
Counter summit and the demonstration in Tampere from tomorrow on and almost
in real time on our site.

Our aim is to collect and publish on the net all available informations
about the ongoing activities against Fortress Europe and for the freedom of
movement. Here some spotlights:

- In Frankfurt, early morning today activists blocked the Frankfurt airport
by hanging large bunches of air balloons, wrapped in aluminum foil, all
around the airport. With these 150-meter high ëagitatorsí hanging in the
entry and exit ports of the runways, they protested against the everyday
reality of deportations at the Frankfurt airport.

- In Poland, an action against the headquarters of the Polish border police
for the Western region took place in Krasna Ojanskya near Zielona Gora.
Demonstrators shouted anti-repression slogans and put up posters throughout
the town. A small group made a small attack on the border police
headquarters with tear gas grenades.

- In Berlin a few dozen activists held a rallye in front of the departure
gate of the airport Berlin Schoenefeld. Simultaneously a 15 meter long
banner was fixed on the roof for more than one hour.

- In Koblenz (Germany) around two hundred activists demonstrated in front
of the headquarters of the german border police (BGS).

- In Paris 120 people invaded the international zone of the airport Paris
Roissy. Other actions were planned all over France.

- In Switzerland rallies were held in seven different cities.

- In Italy there were actions at least in in Milano, Firenze and Caserta.

This is only a very preliminary overview. We expect much more actions to
have happened all across Europe. Please send to us reports, pictures and
all material about the different actions.

Cross the border is an international group of activists - actually from
Finland, Bulgaria, FR Yugoslavia, Britain, Italy and Germany. Our european
action map is a project, which means basically a first attempt, in order to
represent the europe-wide grassroots activities in a decentralised, but
nevertheless effective and coordinated way. Of course, we have to struggle
with a lot of difficulties and all the problems of synchronisation, but we
hope it might reveal a new dimension of networking, activism and concrete
media work.


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Date: Fri, 15 Oct 1999 14:06:21 +0200 (CEST)
To: nettime@bbs.thing.net
From: anton monti <amonti@hotmail.com>
Subject: 47 migrants arrived in Turku

47 roma from Poland just arrive in the harbour of Turku and ask for refugee
status. Two days ago arrive about 30 person from arab countries. I think
that Finland is more and more involved in the migration flows.

Anton




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