On March 8, International Women’s Day, Women in Exile & Friends will demonstrate with many other feminists in Potsdam from 11:00-14:00 against the shift to the right in migration policy. We will start at the Ministry of the Interior, Henning-von-Tresckow-str. 9-13, 14467 Potsdam and walk to the state parliament, Alter Markt 1.
We condemn the racist laws that have been passed to deport us en masse and which aim to disenfranchise and marginalize refugees. “It seems as if there is a competition in the political parties to see who can carry out deportations more smoothly and quickly and who can minimize the already violated rights of refugees even more. We condemn this Deportation Improvement Act!”, says Madelaine Mawamba from the activists of Women in Exile.
We condemn the growing popularity of the AfD and the growth of extreme right-wing groups and their attacks against us. But we also see that the racist refugee policies of the current and last governments created the basis on which far-right parties and groups flourish. Instead of the mass deportation of people who are considered ineligible for asylum, the extreme right here in Potsdam went one step further. Everyone who is not German enough should be deported. In other words: a complete abolition of the right to asylum and an attack on us all.
“The concrete situation of the refugees living here is becoming increasingly precarious, especially that of the women, queers and children who have fled. We are not only suffering from patriarchy in the camp or on the street. The outdated and racist voucher system that we fought so hard against is being reintroduced. Now it is euphemistically called a payment card. Instead of strengthening social infrastructure such as schools, kindergartens, mobility and reproductive justice – which benefits everyone – the Brandenburg state government is planning to invest 1.9 (!) million euros in our exclusion and the fomenting of racism. Visa alone earns millions from this! This clearly shows that feminist struggles and anti-racist struggles belong together,” says Elizabeth Ngari, activist and co-founder of Women in Exile.
We also denounce the politicians who are conducting a populist forced labor debate! “Refugees work for 80 cents an hour in the initial reception centers. We paint the rooms, work in childcare, cook in the canteen, in security, translate and plant gardens – for 8 hours a day. Instead of giving us the right to work, we are exploited or hear hateful forced labor calls. We don’t want jobs that are discriminatory and exploitative! We demand to be allowed to work, earn decent wages and pay taxes,” Elizabeth Ngari.
The word “refugee” combined with the word “protection” sounds strange now. We are the scapegoats who can most easily be blamed for all the problems in society. In the CEAS reform, for example, the EU decided to attack people on the run and lock them up in reception camps at Europe’s external borders. Since we don’t have the right to vote, no party fights for us. The trend of winning votes by blaming those who are least able to fight back must stop. The ruling parties should go back to the drawing board and find out what is wrong with their policies.
Women in Exile & Friends invites everyone to show solidarity on Friday and join us in demanding:
– No violence against women and queers! No camps for women and children! Abolish all camps!
– Abolish the payment card! Equal pay for equal work!
– No deportations!
– Right to come, right to go and right to stay!!!
Contact: Women in Exile, Tel: 0152 1287 4966
