The
law is the law but, sometimes, when bad, it needs changing,
otherwise we would still have slavery
Daniel
Alliët, priest at the Béguinage church
It all
started on 26 September...
That day,
shocked by the story of the violently repressed demonstration of the
previous day, I went to 127 rue du Trône, for news of the 400
Afghans who have been occupying the building for the last 3 weeks...
As I got there, their eviction was underway. On the street, Afghans,
supporters, journalists and passers-by were witnessing the spectacle,
amazed and powerless, shocked and sad. Even this policeman seemed to
question his role in this event...
A
few days earlier, Yvan Mayeur, then President of the Samusocial and
CPAS of Brussels, showed his indignation in the media : this
occupation was « an attack against the homeless and those who
care for them », « a disaster for the planned winter
action » : refurbishment of the building was to start on
1st
October. The order to evict the Afghans had therefore been given on
behalf of the Samusocial represented by lawyer Marc Uyttendael.
However,
the order of eviction is maintained. Enough to ask oneself about the
lawfulness of the action... With the Afghans' eviction, why decide
not to use the building? Yvan Mayeur talked about refurbishment,
what of it? What kind of works were to last a month and a half? One
can assume they might have to do with adequate sanitation facilities
in order to convert an office building into a decent shelter for the
winter action. Works that would necessitate official authorisation.
And yet, try as you may, you will find no reference to such a request
on the official Urbanisation
site of Brussels region,
on 127 rue du Trône.
The
law is the law.
No doubt, we
would be told that the nature of the refurbishment was only light,
(provision of beds and furniture)... Yvan Mayeur, who has just been
sworn in as Mayor of Brussels, could also maintain that installing
beds and cupboards would need a month and a half. No, I reckon he
will not tell us anything: the topic of his current interviews is his
new look which will require him from now on to wear a tie. Now,
that is a worthy piece of information!
30th
September, eviction from the Church of Sainte Croix
Driven away from
rue du Trône, the Afghans thought they had found shelter in the
church of Sainte Croix, where 10 years ago, they had led a collective
action. However, the new priest doesn't see things in the same
light.... The Police force, which does not appreciate being
photographed, is nervous. Taking a photograph of a member of the
police force at work would seem to be ' illegal' and 'Disperse'
gets translated into 'Raus'!
The Afghans will have to leave by the
back door in search of a new shelter...
Following a few nights spent in the
Sports Hall of the ULB, they settle in an ex Onem building, Chaussée
de Charleroi.
Daddy,
look, I am in jail...
One of my first Afghan
friends is that little boy's dad. He left the following comment on my
Facebook page: This is my son, and when he saw the picture he
said: look, I am in jail...
That day, the
police sent in by Charles Picqué, mayor of Saint-Gilles, attempted
once more to drive away (=evict) the Afghans, but supporters present
at the location thwarted the action. However, no-one could enter or
leave the building. Bread, water and fruit had to be passed on
through the building site fences - fences through which the story of
Snow White and the seven dwarves was read to this child... And
against all odds, the Afghans keep smiling at the signs of support.
That
day too, the police refused to be photographed and were particularly
nervous. One asks me for identification; no problem, I have done
nothing I can be blamed for. He threatens me with legal action if I
publish the picture I have just taken of his colleague “and
superior” (this might earn him a promotion). I maintain that it is
not illegal, the exchange reaches a dead end, I walk away and carry
on taking pictures.
The
law is the law
A few days
later, the Afghans go back to the building rue du Trône,
demonstrations continue.
22nd
October, the police charge brutally
The
expression of this driver, stopped at a red light witnessing the
scene, says it all… and yet, she doesn't know that earlier, the
police made indiscriminate use of tear gas against the demonstrators
sitting peacefully, women, children and men, the young and the less
young. She doesn't know that a chief of police squeezed the neck of
an Afghan man and that when challenged to at least let the women and
children leave, this same chief of police replied: I
see no women and children here, I see only animals...
« All
animals are equal, but some are more equal than others »
(George Orwell, Animal Farm)
The law is
the law
When called to
explain police violence which took place a month earlier at the same
location, the then Mayor of Brussels, Freddy Thielemans, justified
the actions of the police, mentioning that « he could not
accept that adults use children as human shields in demonstrations,
the reason for which they could not understand »
And the debate rages on: children in
demonstrations, for or against? How could we not have thought of
this, but of course, one must be reckless to demonstrate with
children!
But, if children stay away with their
mothers, the police get nervous and suspect trouble... whatever
demonstrators decide to do, they can't win.
And think of
this, no children in demonstration today, then what next? No women
either? And since we're at it, let's not allow the older ones, those
unable to run. And maybe one day, demonstrations would be reserved
for those men fit to fight and we could call it war!
In fact, for some, it is already war,
or why else use the term «human shield»...
It
is true that the (brand new ex-) Mayor of Brussels will not even have
to pretend to be a socialist: his
natural temperament as promoter / entrepreneur / speculator will do
wonders in the NEO project, the mega-mega-mall (what for?) on the
Heysel plateau, linked with the proposed new national football
stadium (what for? Ah yes, to generate economic benefits: for whom?).
Definitely, socialists’ priorities never fail to surprise...
The
church at the Béguinage
« When I
feed the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor,
they call me a communist».
This
sentence of Dom Helder Camara, Brazilian bishop (1909-1999), is often
quoted by Daniel Alliet, the parish priest of the Béguinage where
the Afghans have sought refuge. And this nagging question remains the
same, whether the poor are Belgian, Czech or Chinese. Or whether
Afghan and undocumented.
One
might also ask why the Afghan refugees fled their country. Why does
the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs warn that any trip to
Afghanistan is to be avoided because of the dangers there and why
would it be safe for Afghans that are repatriated. Why is that
country divided into safe and unsafe areas, when we know that the
situation is generally unstable everywhere? Why is Kabul considered a
safe city when a fortnight ago, there was still an attack there, that
killed 13 people? Why is the airport in the hands of the Belgian
army, if Kabul is safe?
Why
was Aref killed, shortly after his return, in a supposedly safe area?
And
by whom?
Freddy
Roosemont, Director of the Foreign Office has addressed this issue in
a subtle way and that says a lot about his state of mind: «That we
cannot say but hey, all Afghans are a bit extreme, I think! »
Beautiful
neutrality and professionalism displayed by this director, who
probably thought he was at the Café du Commerce. It is true that he
came to the church of the Béguinage, not for a discussion, but for
an information session during which he distributed to Afghans
postcards on the «voluntary return».
If it was to be
done again, we’d do exactly the same!
And to think
that Aref, like most undocumented Afghans today, worked, paid taxes,
kept the economy going ... before a bounded administration led by an
uneducated and classless character refuses his refugee status!
And
to think that people are returned to a country at war, while we roll
out the red carpet under the feet of tax exiles, returning actors and
friends of dictators of the former USSR, which they hasten to
appoint honorary citizens, when it is not directly the purest mafia
who come here to launder their dirty money and
even get Belgian nationality, with the help of our politicians...
The
law is the law
What law?
The law of the strongest that crushes the weak? The one where the
rich man has all the rights, and the poor has none? The law of the
jungle, in fact, in addition to speculation ...
And
to think that our political leaders today have for their only compass
(not to talk about their social project!) the opinion surveys on
which they surf between a catch phrase, a 'people' article and a
street party where they will go to shake hands ...
Maggie De Block races ahead in the polls and it is the whole
government who smiles! All ballots that she collects are votes that
will not go to the N-VA and these ladies and gentlemen will keep
their precious position of Minister, so what, these 450 Afghans
without status, what do they matter after all!
The important
thing is to stay in power and not speak "Human Rights"
except when it comes to paying homage to distant causes, in time or
in space, or to those who are missing, like a few days ago when Elio
di Rupo, Rudy Demotte, Kris Peeters and Didier Reynders went to
Nelson Mandela's funeral, on December 10, the International Day of
Human Rights.
That same
day, at 6 am, an Agfhan refugee, who was in a detention center for 4
months, was deported to Kabul. That day, two of the hunger strikers
in solidarity with the Afghans were in their 18th day of strike ...
Everything in
the deafening silence of the media, too busy looking for advertisers
and article topics beside which their advertising will be highlighted
... It seems that they are finally beginning to step out of their
silence: it was time ! Time for journalists to do their job as
journalists! It is time for politicians to do their job serving the
public, and not only to serve the market or gun dealers, those
weapons that Afghan refugees are fleeing.
«If I knew
something useful to my family and not to my country, I should try to
forget it. If I knew something useful to my country and harmful to
Europe, or useful to Europe and harmful to the human race, I should
consider it a crime.»
(Montesquieu,
1689-1755).
(photo
Laurence Vray)
Yes I know,
today, it is better to include ephemeral stars of reality TV just for
the “buzz” and / or win voting intentions, collect “likes” on
Facebook or be retweeted in 140 characters maximum, 4 to write «LOL!»
But now, the
goal in life is not to drive the "buzz" ... and if we want
the world still to be something tomorrow, if we want to continue
patronizing others about civilization, someday we will have to stop
wallowing in human stupidity and raise the level of the debate a bit
above cretinism that some feel they must submit to scrounge a few
votes!
This Afghan
girl, who looks at me, smiling, confident, even benevolent, is now
hostage to your electoral calculations and your seduction attempts of
rebate to your electorate. Oh sure, we do not expel families, it's
true. But we remove parents right to work to feed their children,
give them a roof, allow them to go to school to learn, or to hospital
when they are sick ...
It is the height
of cowardice and cynicism of the Belgian state which leaves parents
the responsibility of an unimaginable «voluntary return» to a
country at war.
The
law is the law
What
law? Pontius Pilate’s?
How many
votes are worth the life of this girl and the 450 Afghans who, like
her, have no status?
To what extent
will you raise the unacceptable before you wake up contemplating the
damage?
For the hunger
strikers, supportive, generous, determined, time is running!
For
a society worth living in, it is almost too late: the brown wave is
already here and to counter it with arguments, rather than coax it
with the seduction, the ranks are thinning!
And
it is much more than the fate of the Afghans, which is in question
today, because if we agree with this injustice, with police violence,
the intimidation of citizens showing solidarity, these laws applied
with variable geometry ... it opens the door to any abuse. For all of
us, at different stages.
We
are perhaps not many but still, we are more than a few to say a
resounding and unconditional no to this society on the skids, and
every day we are a few more to support
the Afghans and their demands.
And
while your nose is glued to the handlebar of the elections, we
prepare a feast with the Afghans. On
18 December
in the Béguinage,
there will be music, smiles, meetings, hope…
And
no matter what happens on the evening of the party,
we
will fall asleep with our heart in the stars.
26
December 2013
On
22 December, three days after a march of 70 km between Brussels and
Mons, we went to visit Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo in his land and we
entered the streets of Mons singing Bella Ciao.
20 January
2014
And the
adventure continues! Always on the road, singing and dancing, we
went through towns and villages to Ghent.
In
the end, we wondered if people in opulent homes in some
neighbourhoods, who sometimes
closed their curtains as we passed, even knew their next door
neighbours. No
chance as an Afghan then...
In cities and
smaller areas, there were numerous expressions of support and
sympathy. The welcome in Affligem, Wetteren and Ghent , by the
support committees and authorities, as well as the support of
Archbishop Léonard, calling on politicians for a moratorium on
deportations to Afghanistan, this all warmed our hearts !
27 January 2014
So far, no individual claim submitted after meeting
the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister has received a favourable
response ... Two expulsions to Kabul took place, two others were reported,
including one to be held Tuesday, 28 January.
The group of Afghans requests:
* A
moratorium on expulsions to Afghanistan,
* A
residence permit for all Afghan nationals present on Belgian territory,
* An
independent investigation on the situation in Afghanistan,
* A
review of the Belgian migration policy,
* The
release of Afghan comrades held in detention centers.
* The
return of Afghan deportees to Belgium.
We are all Afghan refugees...
Jawadjanh
left Afghanistan at the age of 6, with his parents. In that country, he just
has distant cousins he has never known so to speak. He suffers from epilepsy and it was for medical reasons that
the flight was canceled (postponed) last week... We must assume that in the meantime, he has healed,
because he was deported on Tuesday morning, 28 January...
As for
the man who prefers not to show his face, he was wounded in the hands during an
attack that killed seven people.
For the CGRA, his testimony is not credible: it has no photograph with those who
planted the bombs...
Links
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This
text was sent to politicians whose addresses follow, with this
preamble:
(Dear
Ministers, MP(s) in the House and Senate, mayors, alder(wo)men,
consultants and municipal councillors.
Perhaps
you will take the time and trouble to read this story as it is about
human dignity and where lives are at stake. If you take this time,
you cannot say:
"We
did not know" ...
