Trier 30.4. Before heading from Frankfurt to Trier we visited a container lager in Frankfurt which we have visited in the last bus tour 2013. The lager didn’t change from last time. We have stablished a connection from the inside before going there, So we could enter the lager, hence they forbid us of making pictures.
We even met some people who we have met 2 years ago. We met one Afghan refugee who was 5 years waiting 2 years ago, and now it is 7 years of waiting for him, and he is living in this lager. We explained that we are fighting for closing of refugee lagers and against isolation of people. “But the lagers are running for many years” he answered.
We tried to talk with a pregnant woman in the kitchen making dinner. We gave our magazines and papers. The tears began to flow from her eyes. Obviously troubles accumulated in her heart. Kitchen and places like toilets were in very poor condition. A bad smell comming from the bathroom. People are getting forced to live with their children in these inhuman lagers.
The rise of Luxus buildings in Frankfurt and living costs make it impossible for many refugees to afford a living out of this lager and live inside the city.
Finally we returned to Frankfurt university. One of our friends from Freedom March to Brussels have came from Magdeburg to drive one of our cars to Trier. We were 12 peaple traveling with 2 small busses. Our Navi system brought us inside the Mainz city and we got stucked in the traffic for a long time. We reached Tried at 6 and go directly to a cultural center which arround 30 refugees gather arround for german course and get to know each other. There were refugees mostly from Eritrea, Syria and Kobani. We also show them the solidarity photo that fighters of Kobani made for Orannienplatz and told them about our action of occupying a nationalist turkisch radio station in berlin in solidarity with Kobani.
In our meetings refugees and supported get politicized. There are people who haven’t made a speech in the meetings before and the do talk in our meetings for the first time. In begenning they feel shy and hesitate to speak. After a while they start to plan actions and making suggestions. This is partly because we don’t have a hirarchial structure and no boss. So everybody participate in decision making and in taking responsibilities.
We couldn’t find the time to visit Karl Marx home which was born in Trier, Schade!
1.5.2015 Trier
In the morning we devided in 2 groups to visit 2 lagers in Trier. Both were Erstaufnahmelagers and very big. We entered there before the security notice us. The refugees has got forced to queue up in order to receive food in a long queue. We took a photo of people waiting in the queue, The security noticed us and we said that we came to visit our friend in the camp. It too a whole debate. Then we wnet to a few people in the upper floors of the building. We spoke with refugees who live there door by door. In this camp was people more from Kosovo and Albania. As with us are 2 refugees from the camp in Osnabruck, fully able to speak Albanian, we could spread our words to everybody there.
Large rooms in the refugee camps in Trier. There are double-decker beds in each room, just as in prison. They store at least 6 people in each room. People do not have a life of their own.
On the upper floor there was many woman and children. One family only knew Russian. Small children were laughing because they see new faces. We invited everybody to participate with us in the 1st of Mai demo.
After a few hours of being with people in there we got our megaphone and openned our banners and made speeches in many languages , also inviting people to the demo. Then we started to walk and many people including their children joined us. You could see happiness in the eyes of children, they had a very pleasing time to get our of the boring lager atmosphere.
We marched together with our banners and slogans to the domonstration. it was the alternative demonstration for 1st of Mai by left groups in Trier in parallel to the official DGB union demo. there was not many people, and more refugees. in the end was a very nice small festival with food and drinks in the city center. We talked about bustour and the refugee strike movement, distributed our magazine. Play Albanian music. People have experienced the joy of being in a social environment. Afterall we invited everybody who is interested to join the bustour.
