Open letter NoBorder
English translation of the open letter from NoBorder on the call for the demonstration No refugee on the streets or in jail!' ('Geen vluchteling op straat of in de cel!') on the 23th of March, and to the request if we want to sign the statement for this demonstration.
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Dear people,
We, the No-Border Network, would like to comment on the call for the demonstration 'No refugee on the streets or in jail!' ('Geen vluchteling op straat of in de cel!') on the 23th of March, and to the request if we want to sign the statement for this demonstration.
We strongly support organising demonstrations as one of the many ways the situation of refugees in the Netherlands (or Europe) can be brought to attention, as well of protesting against it. We consider the fact that his demonstration is co-organised by the refugees themselves, as a positive thing.
You can count on active organisations and people within the No-Border Network to join the demonstration. However, we, as the No-Border Network, will not sign the statement. We made that decision because of these two primary arguments:
– We think it is important to go a step further than the chosen slogan 'No refugee on the streets or in jail!' ('Geen vluchteling op straat of in de cel!'). Although of course we strongly endorse this slogan, we think it is essential that the demands for open boundaries (actually, the demands for no boundaries and no states) and freedom of movement, which, from our anti-capitalist point of view, form the basis of our acting, are carried out in public as well.
– Although we think broadening (Dutch: verbreding) is important, and although we see that we must keep an open attitude towards the outside of the radical spectrum in which we operate, we cannot agree with collaboration with political parties such as the ones who are joining the demonstration. Apart from the fact that we, from our principles, choose an extra-parliamentary resistance movement, we have major objections against the actual standpoints of these political parties. Like Harry Westerink from Doorbraak earlier wrote in the article 'Migratiebeheersing en overlevingsstrijd' (Grenzeloos, no. 121, January 2013): “The SP [Socialist Party] and GroenLinks [the Green party] as well, agree with the fundamentals of the policy of migration control. In fact, within parliamentary politics, the differences between various parties are marginal. All the parliamentarians agree with the illegalisation, social exclusion and deportations of the people who are stigmatised as “unwanted” and “useless”.”
We of course know that the ideas of these parliamentarians do not match your point of view, but we do, because of their opinions, draw a different conclusion about whether or not to collaborate with these parties.
Some of the groups/organisations who are also active in the No-Border Network have indeed signed the statement, and possibly more will do so, but as a Network we won't. What we will do, however, is posting the call for the demonstration on our website, along with this open letter.
This said, we of course wish you all the success with further preparations and we hope for a well attended, good demonstration. We will meet one another there.
With engaged greets,
The No-Border Network