Migrants escape during action at detention camp

Migrant citizens detained in the centre of Bari Palese escape from the centre during the initiatives of the activists of the noborder camp.

28.Jul.03 - A delegation of activists who have partecipated to the antiracist camp has entered into the military airport of Bari Palese where there is a detention center for migrant citizens that was born during the Kosovo war. This non place can "host" untill 2500 people: at the moment 70 people, all refugees asking for asylum, are here detained waiting for being transferred in other detention centers or to be deported thorough mass deportations. In this non place, violations of the fundamental rights are daily. Activists have entered into the airport and have recorded the voices and the images of the migrants inside. Outside other activists with banners have blockaded the street outside the airport .

During the initiative a number of migrants have managed to escape form the centre.









Fifteen activists entered into the centre as a delegation have been kept by police, people outside were still demonstrating on the street in the meantime rapresentatives of istitutions and lawyers have been called to ask for the immediate release of the 15 activists. Police asked for the videos made by the activists to be released, saying it's illegal to make videos of military places, the 15 activist refused to give them the videos but they had to erase the images regarding the military structure on them. Finally at about 23.00 the fifteen have been relased without any denounce. Great satisfaction from the activists outiside and inside the centre for the success of the action that have given the migrants the possibility to escape.

Today we managed to free the bodies of the people who are closed in these places. The success of today is also important for the european dimension of the initiative, it's in fact necessary that the closing of the detention centres and struggles for the citizenship rights have a european dimension as a space of construction of the political programme of a Europe built from below.

Comunicato del Tavolo Migranti dei Social Forum Italiani about the action in bari

On the 27th of july more than 100 activists, coming from the noborder camp in Frassanito, have pacifically invaded the "First Hospitality Centre" in Bari Palese. In this jail we found tens of migrants detained only because they asked for asylum. Resisting to the policemen, camerades managed to talk with the migrants, hearing their stories, the desperation, their waiting and their will of freedom.

In those moments some migrants managed to run away. In the jail of Bari palese, that the sad and furious language of burocracy don't want to define it as a detention place, since the last 4th of june 1200 asylum seekers have been detained and in the last two weeks nobody of them could talk with the lawyers.

The invasion in the centre of Bari palese has confirmed what the National Board of Migrants has always declared: these "detention centres" must be closed!

We cannot accept that men and women that cross the borders to build a new life can be closed in jails or caravans.

That's why the struggle against all the detention centres must go on during the next months, such as the one against the Bossi-Fini law must go on since it considers the detention centres a fundamental point for the control of the migrant workers. And this struggle must reach concrete results.

It will remain in our eyes the image of that man that, after he jumped out the centre, stopped his race and took a stone acting like to throw it. Then, he left it down and he kept on running away.

Tavolo Migranti dei Social Forum Italiani