THE FOUNDATION OF THE REFUGEE INITIATIVE GROUP OF BRANDENBURG

I - Due to blood on the streets from continuous racist attacks and iron fist racism in the institutions and the law, we the asylum seekers decided to address this situation to the National and International Institutions by writing the first Memorandum on the 2. 2. 2000. Believing in the power of argument and not the argument of power and believing in the silent scribble of the pen being stronger than the gun, we decided to write.

II - We also realised the law governing the asylum seekers is part of the causes of the xenophobic attitude, on the 26 April 2000, we wrote the second Open Letter which copies where directed to the Chancellor of Germany, the President of Germany, the Supreme Court of Germany, the parliament of Germany, Human Rights Organisations, The Churches, The Media etc, etc.... This law has stripped us nacked from humanity. We do not have any human dignity, we live always on the margin in the institution. We are regarded as outcasts of the soceity. No freedom of movement, no freedom of education, we cannot work, we are incriminated by the Police Officers when we are arrested, our asylum homes are mostly found in the forest and we are entitled to 80 DM as pocket money and the reste of our legal tender in Vouchers.

III - We realised that all the asylum seekers are complaining bitterly in silence in their small spaces in their small rooms but nobody had the courage to blow this situation to the open.

IV - Since April 2000, we have been visiting the different asylum homes in the State of Brandenburg in order to unite the dispersed asylum seekers. We made them to understand that we are divided into different forests so that we can be easily contained. The "Divide and Rule Principle" applied by the colonial masters. We instill the spirit of awarness, and courage and making asylum seekers to know that "FREEDOM IS NOT GIVEN ON A PLATER OF GOLD"

V - We have set up a structure known as THE REFUGEES INITIATIVE GROUP IN BRANDENBURG. This group is composed of representatives of refugees in the different asylum homes in the whole of Brandenburg. We meet every last Wednesday of the month to access what we have done and what we have to do.

VI - We have since then been carrying a series of demonstrations in order to make our voices to be heard. We know we do not have the vote but we have the voice. We carried on demonstrations, in Cottbus on the 24th of Sept. 2000, the day the Intercultural week for foreigners in the State of Brandenburg was supposed to start and on the 29th of Sept. 2000, the International Day for Refugees in Potsdam.

VII - As autonomous refugees group, we have been working with other groups and institutions. These groups have been helping us materially and financially to accomplish our task. We wish to express our thanks to these groups.

• Flüchtlingsrat Brandenburg (Financially, morally and materially)
• Opferperspectiv (Providing doctors and lawyers)
• International Initiative Group ASTA,TU (Financing and material assistance)
• Reclaim your Mind (Assisted us in visiting some of the asylum homes)
• The Media (Helped in Public Relation)
• The Churches (Moral Support)

Rathenow, 19th Oct. 2000.

© 2002 Flüchtlingsinitiative Brandenburg