Reclaim your Agenda - Break Racist Isolation: THE DESTINATION - BREITENWORBIS REFUGEES' HEIM
Breitenworbis is a small village northern Thüringen, there where we've
been told this painful story about a group of refugees, the title of
their daily life is ISOLATION with all what this word means.
Breitenworbis is 3500 population town, the refugee heim of about 100
residents, it is far from the village Worbis 6 Km the only close
village, and 10 KM from Leinefelde, this second they must pass by every
time they travel because there, is the only train station (Leinefelde
Bahnhof) around.
There are no busses on weekend, when most of refugees want to visit
friends or family because the train tickets are cheap on weekends, so
the refugees are obliged to take a taxi and pay 15€ for going, it's
even higher by night time.
The lager been designed to isolate the refugees from all the world, and their landratsamt succeeded so far in his mission, the proof is that they even did not put any guards to watch the front door of this heim, the landratsamt them selves know that the place has no value, no one will want to come to that heim even if they'll pay him for that.
The visitor for the first time pays his attention to the terrible smell around the heim, when we asked about the source of this smell, some refugees answered that ''the animals are our only neighbors, how you expect the smell to be when you have such neighbors?!'' , Other stated with angry accent ''they treat us like animals, the Germans here are so bad!', the refugees assured to us that bad smell is around the clock, and some days the smell get so strong, that it's impossible to stand out there.There is cows&pigs farm just 20m from the front door of the heim, Some refugees were happy to see us, and they hurried to take us inside the lager to show us there life in it, some others looked hopeless and said that they tried in the past to do something to protest, but there was nothing new, they said that many times were visited by some deferent organizations, all of them did not show after the first or second visit.
The oldest refugee in this heim is an African man, he spent 13 years there. I tried to ask him some questions, but he did not react at all, at last he said calmly ''Please...leave me in peace '', his answer did not surprise me, for some body living in that very hard conditions for so many years, that would be a natural answer.
An Iraqi family living in Breitenworbis lager more than 1 year now, the father said ''after this time we spent here I had to take some medicaments that keep me asleep for longer time and more calm, because I feel that I'll go mad in this lager!''
The lager looks from the outside very old. Everybody complaining from the toilets and the shower room, one refugees stated that ''for 19 rooms in one floor there are just toilets for 3 people at a time ''. you can't see any neighboring house around this lager even if you tried hard.
The refugees complained from the people in the next village, they said ''that they treat us like animals, they have no respect for us,most of them are racists, and so their behavior...''
Refugees were happy to be told that we are coming back, they all welcomed us, and said that they'll wait for us.
The story edited by Miloud L Chérif
With the Delegation of The VOICE Community Activists visit to Breitenworbis Refugee Heim on 04.06.2011
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Close the Refugee Lagers
Rally on Thursday, 23. June 2011, 4pm in (Am Anger)Erfurt
Flyer: http://thevoiceforum.org/node/2144
Demonstration on Saturday, 22. October 2011.
Regular Meetings in Jena two times a month:
Every second and last Tuesdays of the month, at 6pm.
Place: The VOICE Refugee Forum, Schillergaesschen 5, 07745 Jena
The VOICE Refugee Forum Jena
Adresse: Schillergässchen 5, 07745 Jena
Tel. Handy 0049(0) 17624568988,
Fax: 03641 / 42 02 70,
E-Mail: thevoiceforum@emdash.org
Internet: http://www.thevoiceforum.org
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