<m2m-eng> Support for Hungerstrike at Schiphol detention center + Lampedusa

Tue Mar 3 13:35:53 CET 2009

M2M is in direct contact with six of the 25 migrants that went on
hungerstrike two weeks ago (wednesday 18-2).
They call on us to help them. The way we walk with them is a massive visit
and inspection of the whole complex on Friday 6 and Saturday 7th of March.

Join us, please.

- Distribute, translate this information.
- Come to Schipholplaza or direct to Schiphiol Oost on Friday 6 and
Saturday 7 from 12 o'clock till 4 p.m.
- Send messages of solidarity to
m2m at streamtime.org
- Donate money for tel.credit to Postbank 3452284 (J vd Spek, ref:
Hungerstrike)

Your prison is illegal
We are here with you
No borders, no nations
Stop Deportations

more info in Dutch at

http://www.vertrokkengezichten.net

audio proof here:

http://m2m.streamtime.org/uploads/2009/Maart/Tel_Schiphol1.mp3

Jo
M2M
0624148872

Update from Lampedusa (Italy).

There is a lack of precise news, but up to 70 people may have been
injuried in the riots and fire of the centre - 20 policemen and 50
immigrants. According to one resident, only 10 migrants, more seriusly
injuried, have been seen in the poliambulatory, and no policemen. The
rest of the  immigrants have been kept in the centre or transferred to
other centres without anyone being able to see them or ascertain their
condition.
The protes of the Tunisians transferred to other centres and threatened
with deportation has continued
in Milano, Rome and Torino, where they continuing the
hunger strike and have done other acts of revolt like overturning the beds
and the rubbish bins.  Other detainees join the protes and local activists
have organised initiatives in support outiside the detention centres.
About 500 immigrants are believed to be still in the
damaged centre, that before the fire had an operating capacity of 460,
to be extended in emergency to 800.
Around 1000 police and carabinieri are present on the
 island.
Continues
the protest of the residents in Lampedusa and tensions run high,
although the resident are still keeping to peaceful and lawful means of
protest.
written by Chiara 20/02/09

                  Lampedusa: humanitarian emergency.
translated from http://calabria.indymedia.org/
For some
time  the idea has been put forward that is necessary to militarize the
detention centres for immigrants (CPT). At present the situation in the
CPT of Lampedusa has beceme unbearable. Since well known episodes that
have been the island's citiziens enter a general strike, there have
been numerous escapes of migrants frome these places of detention, not
to mention suicide attempts. All epsiodes that add to the clashes with
police that have also involved  island's natives, mistaken  for
immigrants by police and so even 'deserving', according with the hard
line adopted by the government against the latests, to be hit with
truncheons.
At the same time deportations towards Tunisia have
begun, and the lives of about a hundred women were put at risk when a
fire broke out in the ex- NATO base Loran, where they had been
transferred due to the overcrowding and appalling conditions in the
centre.
In the meantime the judiciary in Agrigento has
began an inquest about alleged irregolarities  in the reception centres
in Lampedusa. However judiciary action does not compare with mounting
popular indignation against these inhumane centres of detention and
appeals, petitions, mobilisations, solidarity grow.

18. 02. 09
The
situation gets totally out of hand with a revolt of the migrants
starting the 17th February. The centre of Lampedusa, not in line with
the fire regulations, goes easily in flames. The mayor of Lampedusa
denounce the dangerous situation and asks for the resignation of the
minister Maroni. Look at the video: http://www.c6.tv/archivio?id=3017

18. 02. 09
The
situation gets totally out of hand with an uprising of the migrants
starting early in the morning the 17 February. The centre of Lampedusa,
not in line with
the fire regulations, goes easily up in flames and the central building
is destroyed. The police prevents the immigrants from leaving the
burning centre. Many suffer from smoke inhalation.
The mayor of Lampedusa
denounce the dangerous situation and asks for the resignation of the
minister Maroni.
Look at the video.

Agerncy news:
19
FEB - Moved during the night 180 immigrants that were in the Lampedusa
centre. They were transported by two flight to Gorizia and Cagliari.

19 feb.  - Other 130  immigrants 'guests' in the reception centre of
Lampedusa were transferred to other structrues.
20 Tuinsians were transferred to the Cie (centre of identification and
expulsion) of Torino.

19
FEB - More than twenty the immigrants who have been investigated by
Agrigento police. The police are looking at the camera footage from the
videocameras installed in the centre to identify those who took part in
yesterday's uprising to proceed  to set fire to the central building of
the centre.

Communiqe from the police union and comments from its general secretary:

Roma,
18 Feb. - The facts of Lampedusa 'cannot be defined as incidents'
because the revolt that erupded in the Cie (centre of identification
and expulsion) ' is the logic consequence of a series of concurring
causes' and than 'who has mistaken should take all responsibilities and
act accordingly'. This is what has declared the police trade union
(Siulp) underlining that, once again, 'to pay a very high price' has
been the police force. The police, goes on the Siulp communique, ' have
been uised for some time as the waste bin for some social porblematics
such as immigration, which cannot continue to be managed just such as a
public order porblem.' Furthermore, the choice of Lampedusa as the
place for a reception centre 'has been a wrong choice from the
beginning', without considering that the centre 'ha been tranformed in
a ghetto, with twice as many guests as the maximum capacity, and the
immigrants have touched with their own hand the limit of their
desperation.'.
'This
means that the immigrant have not being given a reception, but rather
stacked like merchanidse in spaces that are insufficient and
unsuitable: today this mixture has exploded'. In regard to the police
force stanced in Lampedusa, they are policemen, carabinierei adn custom
officers that 'for mothw have been obliged to do double and treble work
shifts in one day only, without payment for the overtime and all the
discomfort that follows'.

18
FEB - The damage, the riots and the injuried in the Cie of Lampedusa
have been a foretold disaster'. This mantains Claudio Giardullo,
general secretary of the police trade union Silp- Cgl. ' It was
inevitable - remarks Giardullo - that this would happen, because to
keep 900 irregular foreigners in a centre that cannot contain more than
the half, and with an average of less than 10 expulsions a day, is some
sort of hell round, frome which nobody is spared, not the immigrants,
who are living in inhumane conditions, nor the 400 police agents who
are operating in working and environmental conditions that are
unacceptable, nor the islland's inhabitnts who see their daily lives
totally upturned. ' Now, however - continues the Siulp secretary- let
reason prevail and the irregular immigrants be distributed amongst
other centres in the country, only in this way it will be possible to
restore a condition of respect for the rights of the migrants,
tranquility for the Lampedusa residents and recover 400 police agents
taken away from the control of the territory'.

"Fast deterioration of the situation of 'boat people' in
Lampedusa must be halted," according to Parliamentary Assembly
Committee Chair

Strasbourg, 20.02.2009 - "The fast deterioration of the situation
of 'boat people' in Lampedusa must be halted immediately",
said Mrs Corien Jonker, Chair of the Committee on Migration, Refugees
and Population of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE),
talking on the margins of a seminar on migration organised by the
French Red Cross in collaboration with the Council of Europe.

"We are deeply concerned by the  overcrowding and
worsening conditions in the identification and expulsion centre
dealing with irregular migrants and asylum seekers in
Lampedusa. This has lead to violent confrontations between the
detainees and the law enforcement bodies and has now
resulted in over 60 wounded persons
following Wednesday's fire in the centre. I urge the
Italian authorities to return to the practice
of forwarding these 'boat people' to other parts of
Italy for processing in order to diminish the
overcrowding  in Lampedusa. It cannot be expected that the
small island can cope with more than 30,000 people arriving
annually on its shores."

Mrs Jonker urged Italy to tackle the problems of Lampedusa and
she also called on Europe to remind Italy to abide by
its agreed European commitments in treating migrants in a humanitarian
fashion with proper systems of reception, resettlement and - where
appropriate - return.

Foretold disaster: a previous appeal to the institutions from varuios NGOs
and associations.

http://www.meltingpot.org/articolo13895.html