the reconstruction of nahr al-bared camp is running out of funds. thousands of refugees have been waiting for 7 years to return to the camp – and will have to wait for even a few more years, until their homes are rebuilt. (...) [read more]
[de] a campaign launched in early february criticizes switzerland's emergency aid regime for rejected asylum-seekers as inhuman and violating the basic rights of those concerned. the constitutional right to assistance in emergency situations has become an instrument of migration policy. (...) [read more]
[de][it][fr] since january 2008, all rejected asylum-seekers in switzerland are only entitled to receive emergency aid ('nothilfe'). it is provided by the cantons in different ways. emergency aid however shouldn't be considered as an assistance, but as an instrument of a policy of deterrence within the framework of 'fighting migration'. the underlying idea is: the more the marginalisation and material deprivation of the illegalised people, the better chance they'll leave switzerland. for different reasons however, many rejected asylum-seekers don't leave the country, but defy state control and go into hiding. others receive emergency aid and live on the fringe of society for years, while being systematically hassled and marginalized by the authorities. the emergency aid barely ensures the survival of the affected people. and most definitely it doesn't guarantee a dignified life. with the help of three undocumented migrants, our 25-minute film documents what it concretely means to live under the emergency aid regime. the question why those people have come to switzerland is intentionally blanked out. in our opinion, the question isn't relevant, neither in general nor regarding the discussion of the emergency aid regime.
more than three years after nahr al-bared refugee camp in the north of lebanon was destroyed, its reconstruction is finally under way. however, the process runs at a slow pace and remains only partially funded as further political obstacles appear on the horizon. meanwhile, the lebanese army continues to maintain a tight grip on the camp's residents and attempts to silence any criticism. (...) [read more]
[de] abu yussif doesn't want to talk about his work any more. "it's not going to help and nothing will change anyway," he says. the tall, white-haired palestinian has just returned from work and relaxes in his little garden in the refugee camp bourj ash-shamali near the southern lebanese city of tyre. abu yussif is a pharmacist. but the massive discrimination against palestinians on the lebanese labour market has forced him to give up his profession and work as a taxi driver. (...) [read more]
[de] last week's decision by the lebanese parliament to improve the employment situation of palestinians has gained wide media attention and praise around the world. in fact, however, the reform hardly changes the refugees' dire conditions in lebanon. (...) [read more]
[de][es][it][fr] on 26 june, about 300 migrants and solidarity activists occupied a park right besides the seat of the swiss government in bern. they've been protesting against switzerland's inhuman asylum and migration policy and demand the collective regularisation of the country's undocumented migrants. unlike other european countries, switzerland has been refusing to regularize the approximately 100.00 to 200.000 undocumented migrants living in the country. through its extremely harsh and restrictive asylum and migration policy, switzerland aims at making itself 'as unattractive as possible' for asylum-seekers in order to 'protect' itself from immigrants.
the 8-minute clip provides a brief insight into the action. migrants and supporters tell about their problems and demands.
the short documentary can be downloaded here and watched here on youtube.
[de][es][it][fr] on 19 april, a barrack on a plot belonging to the freight depot of zurich's railway station was squatted and revived. the barrack has been empty for more than a year. the canton of zurich plans to build a new police and justice center for 570 million swiss francs (US$ 500 million) on the plot.
as a result of a police raid and the destruction of the zurich autonomous school on the city's outskirts in january 2010, the grassroots association "education for all" was forced to relocate again. after several stops the association has now restarted to operate in the squatted barrack at the freight depot. "eduaction for all" is part of zurich's right-to-stay collective. for more than a year it's been offering german courses for hundreds of illegalized refugees and migrants as well as asylum seekers whose applications are being processed. the association advocates the right to education, migration and asylum.
the 10-minute video provides an insight into the autonomous school, while students and teachers depict their points of view. the short documentary can be downloaded here and watched here on youtube.
[de][es] human rights organisations have been demanding an independent inquiry into the death of a nigerian asylum seeker who died while being deported and a stop to all forced repatriations. (...) [read more]
[عر][de][es][it][fr] nahr al-bared refugee camp has still not recovered from the devastating war in 2007 during which it was destroyed. the lebanese army has been keeping a tight grip on the camp and the 20.000 displaced palestinians that have returned so far. the army's siege seriously hampers the camp's economic recovery, as access is restricted and the area was declared a military zone. a recent survey found that the army's presence and measures are considered a difficulty by 98 per cent of nahr al-bared's business owners. the army meanwhile justifies its presence as necessary to the preservation of the safety of the people. this 30-minute film documents various consequences of the siege on nahr al-bared. merchants and artisans explain their specific problems and the UNRWA project manager, a project coordinator of the palestinian-arab women league, the president of nahr al-bared's merchants' committee and a researcher provide their views and thoughts on the issue. the short documentary can be downloaded here and watched here (part 1/2/3) on youtube.
[de] after the palestinian refugee camp nahr al-bared was totally destroyed in a war in 2007, the lebanese government promised the 30.000 refugees a quick reconstruction and the return to the camp. however, the government's words haven't materialized yet, while the camp remains under the tight grip of the lebanese army. (...) [read more]
[de][fr] more than two years after the end of the fighting, the war-torn palestinian refugee camp of nahr al-bared, located in northern lebanon, is far from the model the lebanese government has promised the camp would become. instead, reconstruction of the camp is delayed, the area is a military zone with restricted access, and the camp's economy is stalled and residents are largely unemployed. (...) [read more]
[de][fr] recent inter-factional clashes in lebanon's ain al-hilweh refugee camp once more illustrated the fragile security situation in some of its palestinian camps. lebanese plans to take over security within the camps are rejected by the palestinians. (...) [read more]
[de] the zurich police have raided and demolished an autonomously run school where undocumented migrants held language classes. the raid came as the swiss government admitted that its harsh treatment of undocumented asylum-seekers has partly failed, and following an announcement that it is again planning a revision of federal asylum law. (...) [read more]
[de][es][fr] the hip-hop beats ringing through the muddy, unlit streets of the burnt-out palestinian refugee camp nahr al-bared seem incongruous. but the rhymes are camp-grown - and courageous. (...) [read more]
[عر][de][it][fr][tr] mc tamarrod is the first and only rapper in nahr al-bared refugee camp in lebanon. since the destruction of the camp in a war in 2007, mc tamarrod is among 30.000 displaced palestinians. almost 20.000 refugees have returned to the outskirts of the destroyed camp, awaiting its reconstruction and suffering from the lebanese army's siege of the camp. displacement, temporary housing, checkpoints, humiliation, discrimination... these are the topics that mc tamarrod angrily raps about. inspired by the hip-hop crews katibe 5 and i-voice in beirut's bourj al-barajneh refugee camp and rap groups in palestine such as ramallah underground or DAM, he decided to take up the microphone and let the world beyond the checkpoints know about the situation in nahr al-bared.
this 5 minutes clip features mc tamarrod's latest song and a short interview with the rapper. it can be downloaded here and watched here on youtube or below.
[de][fr][tr] more than two years after their refugee camp was destroyed in a war between the lebanese army and the islamist militant group fatah al-islam, nahr al-bared refugees wednesday witnessed the start of the camp’s reconstruction. their relief is mixed with scepticism, however. (...) [read more]
[عر][de][es][it] a few days ago, two displaced residents of the destroyed nahr al-bared refugee camp in north lebanon expressed their perception of the reconstruction process on a local wall...
switzerland is a tough place for asylum-seekers and undocumented migrants. in zurich, they have been running a remarkable campaign for the past year, challenging the canton's asylum policy. now, they have opened their own school. (...) [read more]
since the end of august, construction equipment in the palestinian refugee camp of nahr al-bared, near the northern lebanese city of tripoli, has stood unused after the lebanese state council granted a two month moratorium for the reconstruction of the camp. nahr al-bared, home to approximately 30,000 refugees, was destroyed during a three-month-long battle between the lebanese army and the militant group fatah al-islam in the summer of 2007. (...) [read more]
[de][es][it][fr] [tr] a-films is an autonomous anarchist media collective. its activists do video workshops in the middle east & europe and publish articles, short films and audio reports.
friends across the globe help us with the translations of our films and our blog. we are extremely grateful for their support. however, additional translators are welcome. please contact us if you feel like contributing.
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for different reasons however, many rejected asylum-seekers don't leave the country, but defy state control and go into hiding. others receive emergency aid and live on the fringe of society for years, while being systematically hassled and marginalized by the authorities. the emergency aid barely ensures the survival of the affected people. and most definitely it doesn't guarantee a dignified life.
with the help of three undocumented migrants, our 25-minute film documents what it concretely means to live under the emergency aid regime. the question why those people have come to switzerland is intentionally blanked out. in our opinion, the question isn't relevant, neither in general nor regarding the discussion of the emergency aid regime.
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