about noborder.org

presentation of the no border network (last changed may 2004)

The no border network is a tool for all groups and grass root organizations who work on the questions of migrants and asylum seekers in order to struggle alongside with them for freedom of movement, for the freedom for all to stay in the place which they have chosen, against repression and and the many controls which multiply the borders everywhere in all countries. This network is different from lobbying groups and NGOs because it is based on groups of grass root activists and intends to stay so.

The coordination between the groups is done through two meetings every year and a working list on e-mail.

The no border network is born of the convergence of campaigns in various European countries at the moment when undocumented foreigners had started to get self organized to get together and become visible to all (occupations, especially of churches, actions, demonstrations), to take their struggle in their own hands, in short to be autonomous. Freedom of movement, documents for all, abolish racist laws, no deportations were the main slogans of these sans-papiers.

The no border network was created in 1999. The European summit of Tampere in October 1999 was one more step toward the constitution of "corporation Europe" with its level of control adapted to the level of exploitation. Various European groups called for demonstrations against this summit, under the motto: "this actually means more controls, more arrests, more deportations". Actions and demonstrations took place in eight countries.

The first no border meeting took place in Amsterdam in December 1999. It's there that a mailing list was established. It enables many grass root groups, including out of Europe, to coordinate actions, to exchange information and to discuss about migrations and borders. Within the noborder network, we aim to work against all forms of exploitation and division, by working together to create new forms of collaboration and resistance. We aim to create a platform for exchange of information and experience among groups and individuals involved in different political struggles with an emancipatory anti-capitalist perspective. We also aim to work together with self organized groups of migrants. We aim to interconnect people working from different political practices and coming with different regional experiences.

qmong the no border activities, one can mention five major axes:

1 the deportation alliance - It links the campaigns against airlines which take part in the deportation business: many successful actions were done against the main ones (Lufthansa, Air France, Swissair, Sabena, British Airways, Iberia ...) In several countries actions took place at the airports to prevent deportations, especially by talking the passengers into imposing that the migrant be disembarked. Some airlines renounced, at least officially, to accept forced deportations on their flights.

www.deportation-alliance.com

2 the border camps - Many camps have been organized near the borders of European countries: Poland, Ukraine and Slovakia, Germany and Poland, Sicily, Spain, and also at the Mexico-US border. In 2001 more than 1000 people took part in a camp near the airport of Frankfurt. The aim of these camps is to act against the border regime which allows for the deportation and sending back of migrants; they are also an opportunity to create relations between vaious groups through debates and cultural and festive activities. In July 2002 a camp has been organized, where at least 2000 people gathered in Strasbourg, the city which houses the Schengen Information System (SIS), a data base for search and control, with tens of thousands of terminals all over Europe. It targets not only migrants, but every "suspected" individual. This camp was the scene of various demonstrations and actions and a platform of exchange between groups and individuals who struggle toward emancipation.

www.noborder.org/camps

3 the international action days around October 15th - They give rise to simultaneous actions in as many countries as possible on a common theme of the network (of course, there are also actions of the various groups on these themes at other moments). The first one has been at the time of the Tampere summit and was at the origin of the network.

4 The Campaign to combat global migration management- The presence of many countries of Eastern Europe in the network has made it possible to put on the agenda the problem of the IOM (International Office of Migrations) and beyond it the problem of the international management of migrations. The IOM presents itself as a manager of migrations: policy of internment and deportation of immigrants undesired for the governments, of recruitment and exploitation of the workers who are cansidered economically (and temporarily) "useful". It reigns over the control of migrants in Ukraine and other East European countries and also has an activity in other countries in the world. (See the rubric IOM on this website)

www.noborder.org/iom

5 The struggle against deportations and against detention centres and other forms of privation of freedom - prisons, closed centres, imposed residence placeé Various actions have been done in various countries in and out of Europe (demonstrations at airports and detention centres, evadings, destruction of centres, struggles against the construction of new centres).

Moreover, many initiatives and calls for actions in various countries circulate on the mailing list and we try to coordinate common activities. This particular approach to coordinate actions as an expression of a fundamental criticism of migratory policies is a major issue in the no border project. It implies a permanent work of networking and exchange of information, for or project is aimed at creating structures for a practical and effective resistance.

the noborder network, an attempt for practical resistance (2000)

the increasingly restrictive harmonisation of asylum and immigration policy in Europe, there have been several attempts in the last few years to improve the networking between anti-racist grassroots organisations.

Under the slogan "more control, more exclusion, more deportations", different European groups appealed to demonstrate against the meeting of heads of EU governments in Tampere/Finland in October 1999, where the coming into force of the Amsterdam Treaty was discussed as another stepping stone towards Fortress Europe. In 8 different EU countries, demonstrations and direct actions were organised against the European project of deportation and exclusion. On the basis of this common practical experience and due to the increasing interest in cross border cooperation, the first noborder meeting was held in Amsterdam in December 1999. Activists from France, Italy, the UK, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark, Belgium and Germany took part and groups from Poland, the Ukraine and Spain joined this attempt of grassroots networking at the second noborder meeting in Poznan/Poland in June 2000. A common [English speaking] mailing list has been set up in the beginning of this year and many grassroots groups, even from outside Europe, are actively using this networking project to exchange information and discuss migration and borders.

Two practical campaigns are central to these cross border activities:

Deportation-alliance [http://www.deportation-alliance.com]. This common web site connects campaigns against airlines that take part in the deportation business. During the past few years, there have been a plethora of successful actions against Martinair in the Netherlands, Air France, Swissair and against the Belgian airline Sabena. From these experiences, and from long-lasting aviation campaigns such as the Lufthansa and KLM campaigns, the resistance against deportations has gained a new impetus. At the moment, new initiatives are starting to target British Airways and Iberia in Spain. This exchange of experiences and the development of common bases for action have on the one hand proven to be an effective tool in disturbing the EU's deportation machinery. On the other hand, this new "alliance" has served as a mutual encouragement at a time when prospects of resistance seemed bleak.

Border Camps [campsite]. During the last three years, activists have created new forms of resistance against the brutal and often deadly border regime of Fortress Europe with different actions and border camps. This new approach has been taken up and developed further in the noborder network and this year (2000) has seen a chain of border camps. The first was held at the Polish border to the Ukraine and Slovakia, followed by camps in Germany [at its external border to Poland], Sicily [representing the "blue border" to Italy] and at the US- Mexican border. These border camps, which are characterised by diverse interventions and discussion groups, have been documented on the first European noborder web site [see above], and an expansion, to include groups from the UK and Spain, is being planned for the upcoming year.

Furthermore, many calls for actions in the individual countries circulate on the noborder mailing list and attempts are being made to coordinate common activities, particularly in resistance to official European summits. This practical approach, to coordinate actions as an expression of a fundamental critique of EU migration politics, is central to the noborder project. This involves continuous networking and information exchange. Because our aim always remains not only to criticise, but to create European-wide structures for practical and effective resistance.

presentations of noborder network member groups (last updated 2004)

below you will find short self descriptions from member groups of the noborder network. please note that there are many more groups active in the network than the few who have undertaken the (seemingly daunting task) of writing a self description:

• ag3f/no one is illegal hanau
• Autonoom Centrum Amsterdam
• Collectif Anti-Expulsions of Paris-Ile de France (CAE)
• ingen människa är illegal (no one is illegal) göteborg
• London noborder Group
• noborder Finland
• temporary association 'everyone is an expert'
• The no pasaran network
• The Vienna noborder-artivists

ag3f/no one is illegal hanau

ag3f, the "anti-racist group for free flooding" in hanau (20 km's in the east of frankfurt), has been founded in the beginning of the nineties to campaign against the increasing institutional racism, mainly deportations and social exclusion of refugees and illegalized migrants in germany.

the initiative rooted in a project to defend social benefits for all (called "basta group") and since 1994 an additional "refugee's coffeehouse", a kind of counselling office and meeting point, was opened in the squatted autonomous centre in our city.

on a regional level (in the rhine-main area) we are part of an action-alliance against deportations, which focus is directed mainly against the frankfurt airport, the biggest deportation airport in germany. [www.aktivgegenabschiebung.de]

in 1997 we took part in founding the germanwide network "no one is illegal" ("kein mensch ist illegal", kmii), which aims to a more coordinated exchange and a better public work of various anti-racist initiatives and supporting projects, and which should accompany the selforganizational process of refugees and migrants (for example the caravan for the right of refugees and migrants). the "no one is illegal" network also had created the first noborder-camp at the german-polish border in 1998 and it started a powerful anti-deportation campaign against lufthansa in 2000. [www.deportation-class.com/lh/]

already since 1995 ag3f was involved in an european networking process: in the beginning with groups in netherlands and scandinavia, since 1997 in "admission free", the predecessor-project of noborder, which was founded finally 1999. our main interest remains mutual exchange and international inspirations and cooperations in concrete projects like noborder-camps, deportation-class and anti-iom campaign ...

contact: AG3F Hanau

 

Autonoom Centrum Amsterdam

The Autonoom Centrum is an action group in Amsterdam / the Netherlands focusing on globalisation, migration and international conflicts. Important to the AC are concepts such as 'the world belongs to everyone', freedom and individual development, defined by responsibility with regard to the group, both on a small scale (the AC collective) and a large scale (society). The AC values multiformity, differences and confrontations above more of the same.

Migration:

Migration is on the increase in our globalised world. Migrants to the rich Western world 'with no frontiers' find its borders are hermetically shut to them. The divide between 'us' and 'them' is increasingly visible everywhere. The AC boundlessly resists the exclusion, imprisonment and deportation of refugees and people without documents. The AC campaigns against charter and other airlines and services involved in deportations. The AC develops alternative views on migration and, on a small scale, offers assistance to refugees who have dropped out of the system.

International conflicts:

As the AC views the world as an interconnected whole, it does not limit its activities to local initiatives - even though these constitute our basis. We visited East Timor (1999) and Palestine (2002) in the capacity of independent monitors. Together with a number of East Timorese we have founded a human rights centre in East Timor.

Action and graphic design:

Campaigning in the broadest sense of the word takes centre stage at the AC. This may involve developing alternatives or campaigning to express critiques and exert pressure. In this confrontations with opposing parties, engaging in conflicts with the government, corporate industry and the dominant culture take place and laws are broken. These actions may take the shape of demonstrations and occupations and other effective acts. But other means of expression are also important, such as visual imagery, video, literature, music, graffiti and advertising. A critique of society and alternatives for that society also take shape through cultural and graphic forms of expression. The AC works with various artists, designers and other creative people, to try and re-echo this in its actions and campaigns.

Autonoom Centrum
Bilderdijkstraat 165F
1053 KP Amsterdam
telefoon: 020-6126172
fax: 020-6168967
www.autonoomcentrum.nl
info@autonoomcentrum.nl

 

Collectif Anti-Expulsions of Paris-Ile de France (CAE)

The Collectif Anti-Expulsions of Paris-Ile de France was born in April 1998 in the course of a largely successful struggle against the deportation of sans papiers who had been arrested after having occupied two churches.

Our principles are:

- freedom of circulation and settlement for everybody, which we consider as part of our own freedom of the struggle against capitalism
- collective taking of decisions, everyone is a representant of the group
- we are not supporters of the sans papiers, we are part of the same struggle as them
- the collective is autonomous and works with collectives of sans papiers which are autonomous not only on words but in their practice.

Our actions target all parts of the deportation machine be it by trying directly to impede expulsions or by hitting at parts of the machine (detention centres, corporations which take part in the deportations).

We published a brochure "Guide d'Intervention dans les Aeroports" which can be consulted on our webpage: www.bok.net/pajol/ouv/cae/index.html

Collectif Anti-Expulsions of Paris-Ile de France
21 ter rue Voltaire
FR - 75011 Paris
Tel/fax/recorder +33 1 5379 1221
caeparis@free.fr

 

ingen människa är illegal (no one is illegal) göteborg

the network no one is illegal - göteborg (sweden) started in august 2001 to do something about the deteriorating situation for refugees seeking asylum in sweden. since the late nineties the authorities have increasingly limited the possibilities for asylum seekers. the network already existed in other cities and some people took the initiative to start it in göteborg. we are both a group and a network, with only some groups and individuals being formally part of the no one is illegal network, like a group organizing health care for refugees in hiding.

in our local network there are various groups working with different issues:

momo - support activities for hidden refugeees. group working with illegal people, finding places to stay, money, cloths, contact with lawyers and legal advice.

media group - group writing articles and making contacts with journalists and media.

schengengroup - watches the migrant politics in the EU and Sweden, organizing seminars, lectures and spreads information in other ways. festival group- making concerts and festivals to raise funds for refugees in hiding.

beppo - design and creation of posters, and information.

detention centre group - making contact with detained people waiting to be deported.

there is also a group who's beginning to plan actions and campaigns, but it still doesn't work properly.

the nationwide network has a homepage with links and contacts to our part (gtttttteborg) and other no one is illegal-groups/networks in sweden: www.ingenillegal.org

 

London noborder Group

We are a floating entity of activists in London. In the cracks of a privatised urban landscape, a lively DIY scene creates spaces for alternative media, free parties, samba, squats and social centers. Resistance against all those policies set up to control us is part of our daily lives. A focus on noborder issues is a consequence of these activities.

Commodities can float freely across borders, people should be able to do the same, no matter for what reasons. And we all should have access to the basic necessities of live, no matter where we come from.

To bring this message across, we are experimenting with creative forms of action, like colour, rhythms, and direct media. We support actions at detention centers, against the voucher system, and against racist coporate media (Daily Mail) campaigns against asylum seekers.
The most intensive event we got engaged in (in terms of logistic & soul) was the international noborder camp in Strasbourg 2002. Since then we have crossed the channel twice, to join demos against the closure of the refugee camp in Sangatte (pictures | report ).
Within our own networks, we are promoting video screenings and public meetings. With the discussions they generate, we're beginning to bring together some strands of anti-racist activity, to create a world without borders.

If you are in London, give us a shout and share what's going on at your end!

nooneisillegal at gmx dot net

www.no-borders.co.uk

Campaign against Racism and Fascism

 

noborder Finland

No Border-network in Finland consists mainly of people working in Helsinki. Our goal is to make political space for demands of free movement, but also to learn from the on-going struggles of migrants in Finland and elsewhere. Starting from the Eu-summit in 1999 with a demonstration in Tampere we are still in a process of creating a wider network and a more active basis for working with several questions that we find important.

An important project for us since spring 2002 has been to fight against a closed detention centre that is currently situated in an ex-prison in Helsinki, Katajanokka. Our aim has been mainly to work against concrete examples of control that are created against migrants. This includes also a fight against IOM because they have their office in Helsinki. Part of our work has been to pressure different ngo's and organizations that have been silent about the closed detention centre to open their eyes to cold facts: all organizations that use in their name word "migration" necessarily are not good news. Polluting the image of IOM is one example of this kind of action.

Finland has a key role in controlling migration flows from Eastern Europe, especially from Russia. The Finnish-Russian border politics is part of the European migration politics of exclusion and financially mainly supported by Finland. Because in Finland there are many organizations that help refugees and asylum seekers juridically, we rarely get the change to work with the migrants directly. We have been putting our effort into making conflicts with the institutions and politics that control people.

Because deportation flights are part of the reality also in Finland we hope to be able to create grassroot resistance against them in the future. Another goal for us is to build better contacts with the already existing networks of refugees and migrants living in Finland.

general information related to noborder, Finland

more information about the campaign against detention

 

temporary association 'everyone is an expert'

refering to the shift in official immigration-policy and an increasing importance of migrant labour forces for the economic development (in germany in march 2000 expressed in the governments slogan: "we need it-experts") our association started in 2001 as "everyone is an expert" with the focus to redefine and to reclaim the social dimensions of migration.
coming from different cities and involved in campaigns from no one is illegal and in nobordercamps during the last years we are convinced, that an contemporary resistance has to be organised as international as possible. we consider communication between multitudinous struggles as a crucial condition and the autonomy of migration as a driving force in a globalisation from below.

borders, migration, work and new medias have been the main cross-over-topics during the make world-festival in october 2001, when a prototype of an expertbase-platform was set up.

in the same time we organised an information-tour through some cities in germany, with two women from usa, engaged in an immigration workers center and in the struggle of the janitors.
in 2002 we have organised a forum about the relationship between migration and work in hamburg, and we have been involved in the preparation of the international nobordercamp in strasbourg.

http://www.expertbase.net/everyoneisanexpert/

 

The no pasaran network

Solidarity, Equality, Anarchy

The No Pasaran network was born from the antifascist radical movement. Its area of action has been widened by its analysis of the growth of the Far Right, of xenophobia, of the ideologies of security and authoritary and by its experience in the antifascist fight.
The No Pasaran network is against any kind of domination : capitalism, racism, patriarchy, alienation, social apartheid, repression and so on∑ Its reflexion (on the dominant system and on the development of alternatives) and its claims are closely connected to the different militant practices it expands. Even if we act here and now with radical ways and contribute towards the elaboration of areas of counter plans, it is also in a revolutionary perspective. The No Pasaran network cannot be compared with a political party or an immutable organization. It is made up of several groups of people working together throughout France in a libertarian way. As it is part of the international fight against capitalism and all forms of authority, it develops exchanges and actions with groups from several countries. It fits in a large movement of political, economical, social and cultural liberation whose motto could be : 'Resisting is creating.

nopasaran.samizdat.net

 

The Vienna noborder-artivists

freedom of movement .::. globalisation now .::. freedom of communication => revolution NOW!

Several people, mainly from Vienna, but also from other cities form a floating merge, working on the questions of migration, rassism, antisemitism and the fields of politics and art.

Refering to our daily live just 60km afar from the schengen border, with border-controls in the city of vienna, the increasing ways and technologies to observate and control and ofcourse not at last the history as a country whose population was disproportionally engaged in the killing of 6000000 people in the 20th century. This is the austria which is surrounding us today and this is the reason for a focus on borderregimes and racist exclusion.

no begging should be required for migration. there is a need for everyone to decide for themself: where, and how you want to live. and for all those people there is the right to have the basic needs to live in the way they want and whereever they want. no matter of religions, origins, sexualy affectation ... freedom of movement for everyone.

Tactical mediawork, counterinformation, streettheatre, demonstrations, the travelings of the publiXtheatre carawan and a lot of other political activism and artivism are parts of our expressions. together with people from sans papier, migrant communities, sientists and legalworkers we form a pool for creative activities and theoretical background.

if you come by in vienna, send us an email to noborder@no-racism.net or fewor@no-racism.net to see what is going on here.

you find us online on www.no-racism.net // www.no-racism.net/noborderlab