Purpose

  • Providing critique to policing migrants and refugees and those who solidarize with them
  • Deconstruct the systemic justification of the punitive and repressive actions against the illegals who are construed as a threat and an enemy

Method: Direct action

Organizing direct action is both a common and uncommon way of addressing police violence and coercion many citizens/volunteers are subjected to. There are various examples when people/activists went out in the streets and protested against police and state violence. Lately, many activists, priests, firefighters, doctors and others were criminalized because they helped undocumented migrants or refugees in different ways. Those coercive and often violent actions provoke counter-responses by local or translocal/national groups.

Possible ideas

  • Creating and handing out a booklet intended for citizens, teachers, medical workers focusing on migrant and refugee rights and local systems of solidarity that act in opposition of police and state violence
  • Creating and publicly displaying (i.e. on buildings, on the street, on billboards) a local map and timeline of police activity against solidarity actions
  • Making stickers and placing them in public places such as public transport, hospitals, schools, parks etc.
  • Walking through the town with banners and leaflets
  • Protesting on a larger scale (there are a number of online resources on how to organize a protest)

Time: 2 days and more…

Guiding questions

  • What/Whom do we need to address?
  • How will we address it? What is the way we want to deliver our message?
  • Whom do we collaborate with?
  • How will we prepare the scenario/choreography?
  • What do we need?
  • What are the repercussions for those who we solidarize with? What are the repercussions for us and myself?
  • How will we cope with repercussions and provide an on-going critique?

Resources