no nation truck back in germany
As you know, the truck is now back in Germany. It’s time to say thank you to all of you for working together on the first mission. Thank you for putting so much time and energy into the truck and the project. We hope to reach all those we can’t contact directly this way.
A lot has happened since the beginning of the year:
Due to the Corona pandemic and the related developments, we had to say goodbye to our original idea – a mission in the Balkan region. This was not an easy task at first, as our work approach was mainly based on our personal experience from there.
Then, in January, we finally started with our first scouting crew in Caen in northern France, still without a truck at the border to Great Britain. Over weeks and months, refugees stuck there and try to cross the dangerous route of the English Channel in trucks, sailboats or stand-up paddle boats. Then, we moved the support work with the second crew to Calais and Dunkirk, where refugees are forced by the police into large unofficial open-air camps where they are monitored. There they receive support from a unique and well-developed network of non-governmental groups and organizations.
Still, we began to struggle with our role, which resulted from the complex power and dependence relationships that exist there. We asked ourselves how we could make our work more sustainable and whether our role still matched what we wanted.When we received a call from Italian activists, we packed our truck and drove into the mountains to Claviere on the French-Italian border. Here, the comrades took a different approach. In several attempts, they tried to create housing here where people with and people without refugee experience can live together and where everyone can get the support they want – whether they just want to stay for a tea or for years and make a home in the community. Many of us have never seen so much engagement!
We have always tried to use our public outreach to create awareness about the situation of people on the move in the EU’s racist game with human lives, and not to write „hero stories“ about ourselves. With the parallel pressure to present results to all our numerous donors, we have not always managed to overcome this conflict. We are working on that. We have been able to reach many with these reports. We will continue this work. If you want to stay up to date, follow our Telegram Infochannel.
The truck is now being freshened up. At the same time we are already in exchange with a new group for a possible cooperation on the next mission. In long-term we are still looking for new locations. Keep this in mind, spread the word and let us know if you hear of anything suitable. We also give the truck to other anti-authoritarian projects!
Projects to support, which we met on the way:
https://www.mobilerefugeesupport.org/
