NO BORDERS! NO NATIONS! NO DEPORTATIONS!

Just in case you wonder why I used these words as the title of my article; they are the mottoes coined by organizers of No Border Camp, a rotating anti-deportation activists' event held in different towns of Europe. Here's excerpt from the No Border Camp's website ''No Border is no organization but a concept, an idea. It is about fighting for a world without borders, where everyone has the possibility and no one is restricted from moving freely across the globe without ever being called illegal”. I was able to have a first hand information about this week-long ( June 17^th - 24^th 2012) event which is going on at a suburb of Stockholm called Akalla. When one of the organizers invited me to have a look at the camp, I didn't take it seriously and was skeptical after what happened to me a few months ago with the I Accuse Europe (Tribunal 12) organizers, nonetheless I went there. Interestingly, on my first visit I went back home after spending over an hour to find the camp in vain. When I went back for the second time,
it was almost empty except for not more than ten tents scattered and few hippies who were serving dinner to fellow others on the open field. They welcomed me with open arms, big smiles and invited me to help myself to the food if I was hungry. Even though, I was still uncomfortable with these group of people as many of my readers you could be; I helped myself to the risotto and vegetable soup as main course and herbal tea and chocolate cookies as desert. You know what, to my surprise it was tasty and I went for the second round. I was told by the cooks that they only serve vegan foods for ideological and health reasons.

Wow, these guys never cease to amaze me. What comes to your mind whenever you see skinny punks/hippies/weirdos with dreadlocks, unkempt hairs, over grown beards, shabby and unwashed clothes, two different socks, worn out shoes, big tattoos, piercings all over their faces, muddy bare foot, torn out jeans, oversize overalls? A homeless/junkie/alcoholic/drug-addict/thief/shop-lifter/street gangster whatever the society labels people like these. Well, never judge a book by its cover, as the saying goes. You wouldn't believe me if I tell you that these guys are with big heart, strong conviction and dedication fighting to create a future Utopian world From each according to his ability, to each according to his need. Gucci, Armani, G-Star String, Yves Saint Laurent, smart phones, iPads and other materials which are valued by many of us; are rare to see at this camp.

Facts

Borders kill Borders are big business Borders are in Stockholm 12 million refugees are in the world today. 235 900 people applied for asylum in EU in 2010 but only few were permissible to stay. 2000 people died in the Mediterranean sea in 2011 when they tried to reach EU from Libya and Tunisia. Source: http://www.noborderstockholm.org/

One of the cooks joked about the cleanliness of my 3years old pair of sneakers which I wish he knew that are getting always a frowning stare in many posh areas of Stockholm.

When I say The camp , it's not the ordinary camp where everything is provided to you including toilets, shower, kitchen, security gates, state of the art caravans etc. Just to give you a bit of the highlights about it, the camp is being held at horse farm which avails only cold water and electricity; so it was/is still under construction to furnish with basic amenities. Everything is being done from the scratch by the campers; makeshift toilets, kitchens, showers, info points, medical and trauma centers, benches, sinks were/are being built by volunteers who came from all around Europe including Kaliningrad-Russia and the U.S.A. When you hear different languages and various English accents, you can't help but feel like you are at the United Nations assembly.

This group of activists who are mainly in their 20s and 30s come here for one purpose; to be a voice to those voiceless/defenseless rejected asylum seekers/refugees at various detention centers of Europe who are to be deported to their homelands where their lives would be endangered. They are/were also discussing about individuals, companies and others who are making profits with border control and deportations. One of the important issues which are going to be discussed during this week long event include among others are: the fight against racism, sexism, segregation, homophobia, transphobia and other forms of discrimination which are affecting almost everybody, everywhere on the daily basis. The camp holds meetings twice a day to discuss about issues like security night shifts, the “to be done lists”, daily activities, etc in one of the three tents while organizing workshops/discussion forums in the other one and film screening on the remaining tent. There's action all day long until mid-night and the food is being served almost 24 hours a day. So far, the campers held two demonstrations (one down town at Kungtraädsgården and the other at the Märsta detention Center) to show their solidarity to the asylum seekers at the risk of being deported. Nevertheless, the demonstrations didn't end without a situation; for a example over a dozen peaceful activists who went to protest in front of the Solna Police Station, were arrested for more than six hours and released later on. On Monday, the sub-way station was closed down by the police between Hallonbergen and Akalla, after it followed the demonstrators from Märsta detention center. Regardless of these incidents the camp has so far is hosting over 300 activists and others are still coming with their few months old babies. Some came by public transports, others hitchhiked for weeks, others biked for days, some drove their old cars to be part of this activism. They are not paid and they do it out of love, care, compassion and empathy to show their solidarity to the sufferings of fellow human-beings in various detention centers of Europe.

I'm honored and privileged to see this camp where a worthy cause is being discussed everyday. These young men and women could have spend their holiday somewhere in Thailand, India, Cyprus, New York, Mombassa, Addis Abeba or spend their money on some expensive designer-made outfits, electronic gadgets etc. Instead, they are soaking themselves in rain and walking bare-feet to fight the imaginary man-made borders and nations which divide us from each other. There's only one nation, that's earth, and there's only one race, that's human-being. These courageous people are even willing to risk the privileges every European citizens entitles to so that me, you, her and him can live in a better world. Thanks my new friends for being an inspiration and change my distorted perceptions towards people like you. Fellow readers please if you care about human/humanity but you are not a walking human mannequin, visit the camp or their website and donate your one day's café-latte or stor stark Öl (alcholic beer) or Korv (hot-dogs ) expense to these noble purposes, because I overheard them saying that they are already financially struggling to cover all their expenses. I promise, you will be showered with nothing but pure love, affection and will have a different perspectives that really matter about life. No one chooses to be a refugee leaving behind his/her family, friends, carriers, past, future, identity, personality etc. On top of that we, refugees, are here because you were/are there. I hope one day the world would be only ONE nation so that people can live wherever they want to, Amen!

Peace and Love