a temporary autonomous zone against border from august 20th to the 29th


Over the last few years, a series of camps against social control and in favour of the free circulation of human beings has been organized throughout Europe, notably through the No Border network. These initiatives have brought together a wide variety of people, with or without documentation, as well as organizations and collectives determined that the barbed wire and frontiers that constitute an obstacle to freedom for all must be brought down, whatever form such obstacles take, whether the SIS Schengen Information System, chartered flights out of Europe for refugees, international cooperation between police forces or the projected joint detention centres beyond the boundaries of Europe's new collective frontier. This is a period of security-madness and prison-worshipping delirium. French immigration minister Sarkozy's law on immigration has made it harder for foreigners to enter France and obtain residency, as well as reinforcing the apparatus of repression. Special features include lengthening maximum detention times, construction of new detention centres, maintaining computerized records on people requesting visas, criminalizing those who assist aliens, increasing social control of undocumented people and their families by making it easier for the police to find them. A new law by Justice Minister Perben has also been adopted to reinforce this system of social control for all. In order to roll back such policies and mechanisms, we are collectively organizing a self-managed space at the end of August near Perpignan, in the south of France near the Catalan border. About ten kilometres outside town, near Rivesaltes, the French authorities have located a migrant detention centre in the ruins of a concentration camp originally designed as barracks for the colonial Tirailleurs Senegalais, a regiment of African troops. The size of the camp was increased under the pro-Nazi Vichy regime in order to contain those then dictator Marshal Petain called members of the anti-France, meaning Spanish Republicans in exile, communists, anarchists, anti-fascists, gypsies, Jews, 2300 later died in Auschwitz. The French government has subsequently had recourse to these facilities whenever convenient. It housed pro-German sympathizers in 1945, then pro-French Algerians after the Algerian War. The self-managed space is being organized in conjunction with the establishment of a network of local organizations. The experience of organizing the space is not considered a goal in itself, but as a matrix through which local initiatives may be encouraged and also to help coordinate the struggle for free circulation of human beings, the struggle against detention centres, security policies, capitalism and all forms of domination. A common charter will be established during the course of the village's preparation. This will define self-management practices to cover collective decision-taking, both with regarded to determining actions and regarding the management of everyday life in an anti-capitalist and anti-patriarcal perspective (drawing on the experiences of Strasbourg - No Border camp against social control - and the VAAAG, libertarian village against the G8 summit in Evian). The intention is that this camp should express our capacity to determine our own locations and our own timetables, our own communication and action. We intend to initiate actions as well as hold debates and organize local encounters, as initiated by people according to proposal or need. The experiment will last about ten days and should provide an opportunity for pooling the tools we use and the various paths chosen in the struggle. Local collectives are already up and running. Do not hesitate to join them or start one of your own.