A few of us are aware of the "refugee camp" that is - or better yet was - established in Berlin Kreuzberg, on the Oranienplatz. Lets dig a little deeper into the subject and find out what it is, and what really is going on here.
As already mentioned, Berlin's most popular district nowadays called Kreuzberg, has been the center of attention for the German left wing parties. A lot of people started to being aware of a camp that, at first, started out just to be a temporary solution for those refugees, but in the meantime, became more and more permanent...until today.
Refugee Camp
In the beginning, a few refugees just started to build a few tents on the Oranienplatz, until a better solution came along. Unfortunately, it took them over 2 years to finally come up with something, which apparently wasn't enough. The first strikes you can actually find about those refugees is the ProtestMarsch - von Wurzburg nach Berlin (Bayerisches Fernsehen, 08.09.2012), which was about Refugees that marched from Wurzburg to Berlin.
From what I know, those refugees were here since the War in Libya in 2011. Most of the refugees at the Oranienplatz are fron Libya, Sudan, but also other countries such as Afghanistan and Iran.
I spoke with one of them, who actually told me about their conditions, where most of the refugees are from, what happened and what is going to happen from now on, moving forward.
He explained how they've started to build their little living spaces with wood, in order to stay warmer as the cold doesn't penetrate as much as tents. That Place became home to some of them, and they all didn't completely understand each other, but they had enough in common. Most of them spoke Arabic or a derivation of the Standart Arabic mostly spoken in the Middle East.
Building houses out of wood
Today, 08.04.2014, was the day where that refugee camp has been demolished and taking off. What happened to the refugees you ask ? They have been put in a Hostel in Friedrichshein for more or less two weeks, and afterwards, they will move into a more permanent place. They received a Visa called "Duldung" - a temporary suspension of deportation, which will be reviewed in 6 months time.
To me it sounds like a pretty fair deal, after 2-3 years of staying out in the cold, living in tents and not having a real home, being able to have a proper job have proper food... But, the left wing parties still want to protest against that, as they think it is not the right way to handle it.
Consequence ? Another pretty wild protest went on today in Kreuzberg, all day, and is still going on as I am writing this (its 11.53). People are fighting for those refugees's rights to remain in the country in good and liveable conditions. The whole area was filled with dozens of police cars and over 1000 protestants. I didn't go check that one out, as my brother who is in the German Military warned me that it might become dangerous, and I have a job to go to in the morning *bad timing for a joke*
Man fighting for his home
Oranienplatz at 6.30 pm
So far, I have kept myself pretty neutral, sticking with the facts, but now here comes my opinion, that is probably not very appreciated by a lot of people...but then again, I am not writing this to please people, but to share my thoughts on different matters.
From my previous post, you can tell a bit about me and how I travelled around a lot, and therefore have a very specific view on subject matters.
I believe that all those protests to keep the camp is way too much... I didn't gather all the facts to the fullest extent though...but from what I know, and what I've seen, I believe that this situation, which was supposed to be temporary to begin with, is not and will never be THE solution for those refugees, as there are a lot of facts that need to be considered.
Firstly, the human rights - It is neither in Germany, or anywhere else in the world, allowed to let people live like this. Berlin and Germany is fighting really hard, especially in winter, to get homeless people off the streets, as records show that the most important cause for them dying, is dying by freezing to death. How would any civilisation agree to let people live on the streets, in improvised homes ? It is not a solution to let those refugees stay here, camping for years, and expect them to be happy - considering that they don't have any Visas, and therefore can't even work and contribute to the society.
Secondly - As usual, the Left Wing Parties want to fight for those refugees's rights, which I do respect a lot. But what really is bugging me here, is that they did NOT consider the political effects that all this might have. Giving all of them a indefinite stay Visa would not only create a huge mess internally, economically but also would generate a huge wave of refugees, which would actually make everything worse. Yes we need to help political refugees, but how about treating the problem at its root, and see how we can ameliorate the situations in their countries, and around the world.
Thirdly - It has all come to an extent where no one is happy about what is going on, and just keeps on fighting for something that hasn't even been considered properly. Whilst I was talking to the refugee earlier today, I was also talking to two other young activist who were enraged by what was going on, and wanted to fight so that those refugees won't be forgotten and they would be able to stay here forever. As good hearted as I thought those two young girls were, their approach still was very immature and not thought through. As I told them, and that young man, there is no way to wanting to move forward looking backwards. What is done is done, the camp is destroyed, there is nothing left of it. They will build an information center, but now it is time to face the reality. Not one single Government would give permeant stays. My argument was in regards to the refugee wave that this would enhance. But the young man I spoke to had a far more interesting point of view - they can't do it, because the risk of refugees going to other european countries, and doing the same in order to get permanent stays there is way to high.
Which is why I believe that a Duldung, a proper roof over their heads, monetary help in order for them to be able to feed themselves is a very good compromise. Yes it will be reviewed in 6 month, yes a few of them might end up being deported... but you can't forget that they all have the capability to play the system and win. Play by the Big Mans rules. Learn German, be pro-active and show that you are looking to being an active part of the society, and they won't have any reasons for deportation. Instead of fighting them head on head, creating big protests (that are keeping me from sleeping...sorry boss, if I'm tired tomorrow at work... I blame the Left wing Party), drawing more attention than needed, they should rather play smart, do what it needed in order for them to at least join a society and not live as outsiders with no home and living in fear of deportation.
I do wish them all the best, and hope that they would be able to live a happy life after this not too bright episode. I am not a politician or ideologist, My Background coming from a military family taught me that it is not always easy to deal with those sorts of things. I have lived in a country with war and I have experienced a lot. I do know that my mom was chased whilst being pregnant by me and praying to God that they won't find her and my older brother, who was 1 year old at this time, doesn't make any noise. (She ended up having soldiers guarding the house after that - good thing about having a renowned and good placed military daddy I guess).
Again - I hope this situation will get sorted out and that those refugees will find happiness after all.
Protest this evening @ Oranienplatz
