Dresden Internationalist Center’s Events
There is again lots of talk about Greece: As an EU external border Greece confronts fleeing people in a direct way with the “fortress Europe”. The country is a neoliberal experimental laboratory for European and German saving doctrine that deprives many people’s social and financial security. When we want to develop shared strategies against bulkheading and authoritarian austerity policy, we have to try to understand the surroundings of political work in Greece.
Therefore, a delegation traveled to Greece in December 2015. The situation there is highly threatening for fleeing people. Self-organized projects try to counteract this situation and to create spaces, spaces of lived solidarity. For us it was a matter of networking and exchange during that one-month-trip. For this reason we met people in Eidomeni, Thessaloniki, Athens and Lesbos.
The upcoming lectures refer to three main points: The situation at the borders and the condition for refugees, the organisation and perspectives of “self-organized spaces”, and the role of volunteers and NGO’s within the border regime. We want to present our collected experiences, impressions and analyzes. We want to discuss together with you, where and how “political solidarity” can be experienced and supported. Therefore we kindly invite you to three Internationalist Center’s events!
Report “The European Selecting Machine”
Within the last three months a machine was set up in Greece that enables the EU to select vast numbers of people today. From the arrival at Lesbos to the border guard in Eidomeni at the Greek-Macedonian border, fleeing people have to struggle with incomprehensible repression. The militarization of the EU external border is continuously pushed forward. We want to share our insights of this system and listen to people’s reports, who are directly struggling with this selecting machine.
When: 10 March I 8pm
Where: OAT I AZ Conni I Rudolf-Leonhard-Str. 39 I 01097 DD
Lecture, Discussion, Küfa (kitchen for all) and Bar’s night: “Volunteer work in Greece – Between Criticism and Practice”
During our visit in Eidomeni and at Lesbos we were preoccupied with the charitable work of NGO’s, volunteers, and antiracist action groups. The lecture will inform about the role of volunteer’s engagement at the borders: What are the volunteer’s motivations and perspectives? Where are the boundaries of charitable work and which boundaries are set by itself? We want to discuss if some cognitions have to be addressed in Dresden. Does solidarity have to be more political?
When: 17 March I 7pm
Where: Platz da! I Wernerstraße 21 I 01159 DD
Lecture and Discussion: “Social Centers for all – An Internationalist Perspective” + Solidarity Party
In Thessaloniki, we visited the Orfantrofio. A house that is squatted and managed both by refugees and activists from Thessaloniki. For a variety of people it serves as a place to live and meet up, and offers an opportunity to organize themselves. We want to discuss with you on which chances and perspectives these are based and which conflicts may occur. Moreover,we want to discuss specific possibilities of support. Therefore the action group for an International Solidarity Fund will present themselves followed by a solidarity party for the Orfanotrofio and the Dresden Internationalist Center.
When: 19 March. I 8pm
Where: AZ Conni I Rudolf-Leonhard-Str. 39 I 01097 DD