Berlin: Refugee hunger strike in front of Brandenburg Gate

On October 24th, 20 participants in the ongoing refugee strike in Germany decided to go on hunger strike and set up a second tent camp in front of Brandenburg Gate, in Berlin, which the police took down that night. The cops forbid any use of sleeping equipment as well. Below is footage from the evacuation.

Slogans chanted: “We are here and we will fight! Freedom of movement is everybody’s right”, “No border, no nation, stop deportation”, “Fire and flames to the deportation authorities! Solidarity must be factual!”

On October 26th, the police harassed the hunger strikers and the solidaritarians once again. The repressive forces violently robbed the strikers of blankets and sleeping bags. Three people, two activists and one refugee, were arrested. The latter suffered a leg injury by the cops and had to be hospitalized.

Brief account from that night: “At about 01.45 (local time), a lot of cops came to Brandenburg Gate. They told the hunger striking refugees to put away their sleeping bags (the refugees have been on hunger strike since October 24th, and they only drink water). At 02.00, the police started to confiscate their sleeping bags and arrested three people: two activists and one refugee. The refugee was brought to hospital because his leg got injured. Nearly 40 people remained at Brandenburg Gate. Even though the police are away right now, there is always the danger of new attacks. Share this and join the struggle.”

The immediate response was a demonstration in solidarity with the three arrestees, which reached the GESA (mass detention centre), located on Perleberger street, where the refugee activists were held. Meanwhile, all three arrestees were released. At that time of the night it was freezing, with temperature at below 5 degrees Celsius, and partly raining during the day, with temperatures barely above zero.

On October 29th, the police escalated the repression. Apart from the earlier disallowed sleeping bags and blankets, the head of the squadrons disallowed the refugee activists to carry backpacks and additional clothing. Thus, the hunger strikers got deprived of any possibility to sit down and remain at the location. There are no updates from counter-informative sources about the final outcome. If you have firsthand information, please submit.

The other refugee tent camp at Oranienplatz in Kreuzberg, Berlin, still exists.

sources: i, ii, iii