(a heartly ‘thank you’ for the dutch activists who came to support us)

On october 35th 2008 a group of more than 70 activists blocked all deportations from the closed detention centre for undocumented migrants in Vottem. On the same day similar actions were held in Denmark and Holland, in solidarity with the detained refugees and undocumented migrants.

In Vottem for main entrances and two internal gates were blocked by people chaining themselves to the gates. From 7.30am to 3 pm no vehicles could exit or enter the detention centre, thus effectivly stopping all deportations from detainees that day. With this action we have showed that it is possible to block the deportation machine, and it is an encouragement to develop a diversity of tactics to hinder the functioning of this inhumane deportation machine

After seven hours of blocking all entrances the activists negotiated a unconditional exit for all activist and the stopping of all deportations from vottem that day

All activist were unharmed, no arrestations were made, no identification (except car plates) were taken.

For Over three years people without papers and their supporters are organising occupations, manifestations, hunger strikes, …. To get the belgian politicians to do something about this awfull machine. Politicians couldn’t miss the message, but forgot about it, ignored it , and smuthered it in political games.

That is why we take our own initiative in an act of non-violent direct action: we block the centre, hinder deportations, and are a pain in the ass of the deportation machine
All this because we can not agree with the politics of deportations.

Thousands of women, men and children are arrested and locked up in closed detention centres, all in the name of ‘security, economy and our fear of the others’ those locked up have done nothing wrong but crossing the border in search for a better life for themselves and their family. It is estimated that in de European union there are between 25.000[1] en 100.000[2] undocumented migrants in closed detention centres. Only in Belgium 8000 people are locked up per year. The numbers for deportations are even more appaling: the number of forced deportations has quadrupled in belgium: 1871 forced deportations in 1999 , 7742[3] in 2004 . these arrestations , emprisonments and deportatons are the consequence of a european politics of Migration control.

But numbers do not say everything about the misery that refugees and undocumented migrants live every day. They are risking their life to leave their homes and familiy, in search for a better life. Those people are criminalized and locked up at the borders and in europe

Even if the goals are different, the belgian governement uses the same tactics as in dictatorial regimes: identification of unwanted elements, hunting people down, arresting them, deportations, and collaboration.

We refuse to follow the story of ‘we’ against ‘them’ . Human rights, are rights for every human, using human rights in a model were there are humans who have less rigths and others who have all the rights, is leading to apartheid and surpression of the others’

Europe is becoming an intolerant zone, a ghetto for those with money, and all those who do not fit in are identified, hunted and punished. We oppose that criminalisation of people

Against the politics of exclusion, emprisonment and deportation, we say: ‘NOT IN OUR NAME’ nobody is unwanted, the world belongs to everyone and we oppose a politics of profits before freedom

Close down all detention centres
Stop deportations
Unconditional regularisation of all undocumented migrants
Open borders, especially for humans.

[1]  http://www.elcorreo.eu.org/article.php3?id_article=4109
[2]  http://www.migreurop.org/IMG/pdf/jrs-detention2004.pdf
[3]  http://www.picum.org/HOMEPAGE/Newsletter_August_2004/Newsletter%20August%202004.doc



E-Mail:  info@vluchteling.be Website:  http://www.cemab.be