On Wednesday, 22.05.2013 about 60 refugees decided to emphasize their demand for serious talks with mayor Olaf Scholz by organizing a protest event at the town hall. On the previous day the police had prevented the construction of a protest camp.
On Wednesday morning a group of about 60 people peacefully entered the public part of the town hall unfolding a banner saying „We did not survive the NATO war in Libya to die on the streets of Hamburg!“ They repeated the demands found in their public declaration asking for talks with the mayor and appealing to all parties and institutions to make an effort to solve their catastrophic situation. The people present were given copies of the declaration and bystanders voiced their solidarity.
The staff in charge cleared all tourists and other uninvolved persons from the building and immediately threatened to have an eviction of the refugees done by the police. According his office manager the mayor was not in his office at that time. The office manager assured to ask for an appointment for talks with the mayor or other persons responsible and to contact the refugees in the evening.
In the following the refugees and the supporters who had arrived at the site left the town hall forming a spontaneous protest march to the central station, emphasizing their will to hold talks. The small protest was accompanied by massive police presence.
In the evening the mayors office manager did in fact call. But only to inform that neither talks with Olaf Scholz nor with the social senator Detlef Scheele were possible. It is getting more and more obvious that the city authorities are not willing solve the situation. The senate wants to sit out the humanitarian disaster happening in the streets of Hamburg, trying to make the refugees invisible to the public and leave them to their agony.
But in their declaration the refugees said:
„It will be understandable for everybody, that we can’t endure this in silence.“
This is just the start of the refugees resistance. Since 6 pm a legalized info tent is located next to the international pharmacy at the central station. / Steindamm.The tent gives the refugees a place to organize but it is far from being a permanent solution. Sleeping and the construction of additional tents is not permitted. Hot tea and coffee is appreciated, show your solidarity!
A camp is needed!