Archive Lesvos 2009
In this post, we are trying to put together an overview over all that happened around and during the noborder camp. It is based on the entries on this blog, but surely, things will be missing. Therefore, yet another call to collaborative action: Use the comment function and add what is missing, we will incorporate it into this article, so in the end, we can have a fairly comprehensive documentation of noborder lesvos oh nine. We are looking for: missing information on what happened, links to other reportings (indymedia or mainstream or …). We will also put images and links to videos. Please suggest what is missing. This is work in progress, so even if you are only a reader, make sure to check back as this will be growing.
the border is the problem…
This came from people still in Mytilini (slightly edited):
92 new minors arrived in Mitilini yesterday and where brought to Pagani. That means 140 minors and around 500 people all together are detained in Pagani at this stage.
Two days ago all refugees from one cell refused to return into the cell. But after a while they where forced to do so. Unfortunately there where not more infos about it and noone knew while this happend.
People say that every now and then the prisoners scream FREEDOM and AZADI.
A newspaper is being prepared about the noborder and the other actions around it and more local news to be distributed widely and to be the beginning for an open discussion
in town and further campaigning.The Frontex boat is still not around. [It might actually have left]
Local people told us that many did not know or did not hear about the actions and they asked for more information. The interest is big to know what they missed.
And the sky is grey since two days.
In the meanwhile, we finally got around to include a form for signing our Dublin-II call. Since the whole idea with signing through the comment function didn’t work so well, we adjusted and now invite you again to support the cause.
There is actually movement on the Dublin-II issue, at least in Germany. The highest court i.e. the constitutional court, ruled yesterday that they would decide on a case brought forward by an Iraqi refugee in Germany. Since he had been registered in Greece before, the german authorities wanted to deport him to Greece so that he could seek asylum there, in accordance with Dublin II. This deportation was now stopped by the constitutional court, and they will have a hearing on the issue.
Please read, spread and sign this Communiqué from activists of the international No Border Camp 2009 on Lesvos concerning the Dublin II regulations and deportations to Greece. You can sign using the form below (introduced due to popular demand). Let’s build pressure!
As activists of the international No Border Camp 2009 on Lesvos, we are witnessing a policy of systematic human rights abuse against migrants and refugees. As a crucial symbol for this policy stands Pagani, a detention centre, situated in the outskirts of the city of Mitilini, for migrtants and refugees, women, men, minors and children, who arrive in Greece without documents. People are imprisoned in Pagani for many weeks, even months. They are forced to share a room with approximately 100 people. About 1000 people are constantly locked up in a place normally designed for only 280 people. Sanitary and medical conditions are beyond any possible imagination. It is not even necessary to describe the further consequences of forcing people to under these circumstances, since the absolute lack of human rights is all too obvious.
Continue reading ‘Stop deportations to Greece – suspend Dublin II!’
Some activists went to Pagani and learnt that there is a new hungerstrike on. 47 minors are on hungerstrike, and four are not even drinking. They don’t receive any medical support. Shut down Pagani!
update 4.9.09 A lot has happened. The hunger strike in Pagani is still on, and as reported above, some people even took to a thirst strike. There was a solidarity action at the detention centre yesterday. What is really bad is that they still incarcerate women with babies in Pagani, as you can see on the pictures from yesterday, and the open camp at the airport will be closed tomorrow. So it seems that the authorities really do get back to business as usual. We will not accept this, for sure. In the meanwhile, there is a lot YOU can do. Our video Voices from Inside Pagani has been shown on several TV stations, we know of both German state TV channels, the Dutch TV and CNN (but they always falsly claim that a human rights organisation put the video online. Of course it was noborder). Indeed, the situation in Pagani made news globally, and the heat is still on. You can help by making a protest in your city at the Greek embassy or consulate (if there is), like our friends in Wellington, New Zealand (!) did. You can also follow our email campaign.
In the meanwhile, the Frontex boat from Romania has left, and has been replaced by some military style outfits, having even a special “Operation Poseidon” t-shirt. Last time, they were seen controlling (quite brutally) people that take the ferry to Athens (sic). So there is two conclusions you can take from that: either that Frontex is really doing much more than policing the borders, also starting to take their actions into Schengen mainland, or you are of the impression that Europe is one big border anyway.
This morning at 10 o’clock, ten noborder activists from Austria, Sweden, Spain, France, Czech Republik, Portugal, the Netherlands and Germany occupied the roof of the refugee jail in Pagani. With this action, we are increasing the pressure to finally get Pagani closed.
Today, it was noborder’s action day against the practices of the coast guard and their support by the European Border Agency Frontex. At present, Frontex is here in Lesvos with one ship. We already managed to drive them away once, today, they retreated to the open sea and set anchor there. It it too obvious that they couldn’t accept out decent challenge, they seem to prefer to hunt migrants at night.
On Saturday, we reported about the action of prisoners in Pagani, getting out of their cells, demanding their release. Then, there were ongoing negotiations about the release of people, and conflicting numbers. Since the situation was so unclear, we took the article offline, in order to go and find, what was really happening.
The passion for freedom is stronger than any prison!
We now have an account of a noborder activist who was present: 29th of August at Pagani detention centre: refugees organise hunger strike for release, no-border-activists occupy prison yard
Continue reading ‘Pagani: refugees and activists unite and fight’
28 of August, or Day 4 of the noborder lesvos 09 was the action day focussing on Pagani detention centre. If you have been following us over the last days, you are familiar with what is going on there. The noborder camp was mobilising for a big demonstration to Pagani, to again demand the immediate release of all prisoners, the closure of Pagani detention centre and the abolition of detention altogether.
Voices from the Inside of Pagani (2009)
noborder09lesvos
- Refugees fleeing from persecution are dying at sea April 19, 2011
- Untitled March 14, 2011
- Welcome To Europe expresses its joy over the vindication of the hunger strikers' demands March 14, 2011
clandestina.org
- STOP WAR ON MIGRANTS January 6, 2020
- Bulletin : Βreaking the borders, communicating and struggling together August 7, 2019
- The Greek part of the Balkan route: Pressure & Resistance September 8, 2017
schengen visa “dangle”
- Its geting cold November 18, 2010
- at the side-street May 11, 2010
- where are my friends? March 31, 2010
Calais Migrant Solidarity
- 🤬 Telegram censure le compte “No Border Calais” 🤬 Telegram censors the account “No Border Calais” 🤬 September 8, 2024
- DES FACHOS ANGLAIS PRÉPARENT DES ATTAQUES SUR LES PLAGES DE CALAIS : APPEL À VIGILANCE ET ACTIONS // ENGLISH FASCISTS ARE PREPARING ATTACKS ON THE BEACHES OF CALAIS: CALL FOR VIGILANCE AND MOBILIZATION August 6, 2024
- Squat de la rue Sauvage à Calais : anatomie d’une chute July 16, 2024
birds of immigrants
- My critical analysis / panel discussion June 19, 2022
- This is a common struggle June 7, 2022
- Call it protest tour! May 26, 2022
the end?
Basically, noborder lesvos 09 started early, and finishes late: Officially, we concluded the camp yesterday, but there is still a lot of people around, helping to deconstruct the camp and to continue political work here in Lesvos. After all, we helped to push quite a few things, but we need to guarantee that they were not just temporary changes, but rather that they are the beginning of completely different migration policies. As always, this is work that takes time. Still, the noborder camp has provided a great start. And if it should turn out that the authorities will go back to business as usual, our answer will be the Noborder Lesvos 2010!
We, the people responsible for this site, will not write a proper conclusion here. There are different opinions about the camp, we have our own (you can read them out of our posts), and we would like to invite everybody to make heavy use of the comment function on this site to start a debate. On the right top, you can register with a nickname, which makes it easier to post a comment. We will watch comments for sexist and racist language and general abuse and will filter them out. Apart from that, we won’t do any censorship (it is censorship after all, we shouldn’t deceive ourselves about it). Please discuss in a fair way, and don’t reveal facts that should not be discussed in public. We will also try to convert the website into a proper documentation of what happened, to make content more accessible and add other things. You can contact us at
lesvos09[at]antira.info, we are collecting everything (digital or to be digitalized).We want to thank everybody who found the way to Lesvos to make the noborder camp the event it was. Special thanks go out to all the activists (noborder or not) from Lesvos who welcomed us and provided space we needed to do our work. A lot of thanks also go to the Bineio Squat, which provided us not only with a media centre, but generally with space to meet, discuss and relax. Together, a lot of things were possible. We have found many a new friend, and we are convinved that this is not an end, but rather the beginning of yet another transnational, antiracist cooperation. We hope that all the migrants that we had the chance to meet and live together have a safe and not too slow journey to their respective destinations. We know that their way is a hard one, but we will continue to struggle together, here in Lesvos as well as in any other place where we are.
One week in Lesvos, 52 weeks in struggle.