Action against Cameroom Airlines

07.Mar.02 - This Saturday, the 2nd of March 2001 at 1030h members of the 'Collectif de sistance aux Centres s et aux Expulsions', the 'Vluchtelingen Aktie Komitee' and the 'Collectif de sistance Aux Centres trangers' have decided to occupy the offices of Cameroon Airlines located at Mont des Arts 16 in 1000 Bruxelles.

This direct and non-violent action is directed against the Belgian authoritiesPourpolicy of violent deportations of which Cameroon Airlines is one of the most zealous supporters.

During the last weeks we have been able to assemble a number of witness reports concerning violent and illegal deportations to on Cameroon Airlines flights to Douala in Cameroon. Especially, we have precise in formations about a person that was deported on Saturday the 26th of January without the required travel documents having been issued by the Cameroonian authorities, so that the deportation was in fact illegal. This Person has 'disappeared' directly after arriving in Cameroon. We also have witness reports about another person who was handcuffed and had his mouth taped [french original :baillonnée] in order to suppress all efforts of resistance during his deportation on Saturday the 9th of February.
When we confronted a Cameroon Airlines representative with one of these cases, his reaction was: 'If he returns home, he is only costing us money' [french original: Qu'il retourne chez lui, il ne fait que nous coûter de l'argent" ...without comment on the lack of respect of Cameroon Airlines for the citizens of its own country...

By this symbolic occupation we want to pressure Cameroon Airlines to immediately stop its 'collaboration' with the Belgian authorities and we want to inform the Belgian public as well as the customers and commercial partners of Cameroon Airlines about the sort of actions that this company is committing.

Apart from the concrete case of Cameroon Airlines, we hope to send a clear warning to other Airlines that are actively participating in the Belgian governments deportation policy. While today action is specifically directed at Cameroon Airlines, we are ready to come in action again to denounce the 'deportation business'. We are ready to use today and other forms of actions against all other airline companies that are active profiteers of the 'deportation business'.

Today action gives us the opportunity repeat our demands directed at the Belgian authorities and all those defending the fortress Europe and their accomplices:

Stop all deportations
Close all detention Centers
regu;lariszation of all sans-papiers!