The flame of solidarity shines through every darkness - Solidarity Greetings to our friends, comrades, sisters an brothers in Lesvos

Greetings to Lesvos

In the last few weeks, we had the pleasure to meet a lot of great people and comrades, although we had the challenge of doing so in the environment, that is the island of Lesvos, Greece. Although most of European and worldwide public successfully pretends, that the bad situation on the Balkan route and the Greek periphery is over, the situation for people arriving or being trapped on Lesvos is only remotely less hellish. People are being forced to live in detention centers like "Moria", which is (and people who live there will tell you) effectively a jail, surrounded by three layers of razor wire, guarded by armed troops on watchtowers. The hopelessness and the horrors, people are carrying, you can almost grab with your bare hands. 

 

It is in this environment, that the No Border Social Center of Mythilene, provides some kind of a light spot. Not only does the connected No Border Kitchen provide up to 700 portions of food per day, that is then distributed to all who need it, people who live in Moria, people from other camps, people who have no home at all, refugees and locals regardless, this place is a lot more then that. 

 

Its a place, where people find relief from the horrors, where they can relax, drink chai, eat, play and if they want, talk. Talk about whatever touches them, not in an interview, not being treated like inmates, but amongst equals. Theoretically, there is nothing to celebrate about these thing, theoretically, they should go without saying. Unfortunately, they don't. 

 

This Social Center, located in an old army station at the beaches of Mythilene however, so far can not work undisturbed. Alpha Bank one of Greeces largest banks and the "owner" of the building NBSC is located in, pressured the local police to close it, not even a week after it was opened. The activists, as well as visitors and activist refugees were forced out and to a dusty, shadow less space across the road. 

 

Between the beach, the road and the no again empty hours is, where the social center now lives on in an improvised camp. And as if that wasn't bad enough it is now being threatened by the city with a repeated eviction even from there. 

 

This is why, we want to send our support to all the people, who used to work, fight, laugh and cry with us on this island and in all our center. To all the comrades, the friends, the people being held in Moria we say the following: 

 

 

Sisters and brothers, comrades and friends, 

 

Our homes seem strange to us, ever since we came back and not a day goes by, that doesn't make us remember NBSC and  the great people we met. 

 

And so with a smile and a tear in our eye, that we send you these greetings. A tear because of the nostalgia, that follows us, because of the desire to come back, to support you and to fight with you. With a smile because of the determination and the productive rage, that you gave us to bring it home. A rage, that we are going to try and spread, along with what we saw, what you told us and what we experienced during our visit. 

 

We may not be able to fully second your emotions, to experience what it means to be in Moria, not to be able to leave - but we can try and make the world see, what we saw. We can make people recognize you, recognize your struggle and recognize, that it's not your "fate" but that it's the result of the border regime and the politics of foreclosure. 

 

We can, and we will fight against this regime and against the notion, that it is a natural status quo and that we can do nothing about it. Because we can and we will attack this inhumane system, where ever we get the changes and we will do everything we can, to make it fall. 

 

You, our friends, we urge to keep up the fight. Never give up, never let them win! You are not alone. Not only we support you, but there are countless people all over the world, who are willing to fight with us, to resist with us. The first graffiti in NBSC, that we saw summed it up just perfectly "You can't evict a Movement". So we wish all the strength in the world to you, especially to those who still have borders to overcome. 

 

Because one day, we are sure, all these borders must fall and the nations, that put them up will fall with them. (On that day my friends, we will have a big party, where ever we want. We will BBQ on the broken fences and the from the bricks we threw, we'll build the free schools of tomorrow.)  

Until this day, we will never stop fighting together with all of you. They can have our hate, but they'll never have our passion.  

 

We miss you, friends and we can't wait to see you again. 

Feel hugged and never forget: Your struggle is our fight! 

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https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/aug/10/the-nauru-files-2...

Big thanks and a lot of love to our comrades in Dresden and erverywhere else! We miss you dearly! We are still here, keeping up whats left of the Social Center at the beach. But the situation is only getting worse, and eviction seems very likely soon. Keep updated via twitter @noborderkitchen and on our blog noborderkitchenlesvos.noblogs.org ! Against Borders ant their world!