Manchester

On Wednesday 8th July, we will be hosting a public feedback and discussion event on the recent No Borders camp in Calais. People who went to the camp will tell their stories and share their experiences and we will reflect on the successes/limitations of the camp.

The situation in Calais continues to be pressing, with plans by the authorities to bulldoze more 'jungle' areas that are home to hundreds of people who are stuck at the British border, and a joint Franco-British project to build a Guantanamo-style detention centre in the port. We will thus also talk about how we can support the campaign in the future.

The meeting will be in the back room of the Jabez Clegg pub (Dover St. by the university), starting at 7.30pm on Wednesday 8th July. All welcome!

The transnational No Borders camp at the British Border in Calais has ended. Everyone who travelled there from Manchester has come back safely.

We have had a lot of fascinating encounters and experiences at the camp in Calais, which was situated very close to some of the ‘Jungle’ areas that are temporary ‘home’ to hundreds of refugees, right next to the E15 motorway which is the main route connecting Calais port to mainland Europe, and on the edge of the housing estates of the Beau-Marais neighbourhood. Just to the east of the city, our camp was inhabited by hundreds of activists from France, the UK and across Europe, and we were joined everyday by many migrants and locals.

We are planning a public event in Manchester very soon, where we will give report-backs from the camp, tell our stories, show our photos and films and discuss with all those who are interested how we can build more long-term strategies towards ‘a world without borders’.



Some 1,500 people took part in a transnational demonstration for freedom of movement on the Saturday.

There are many good reports of the camp and the demonstration on the internet already, so for now we just refer you to the feature article on Indymedia and the blog post by the South Wales No Borders group.

After our info events in Manchester and Hebden Bridge, about 20 people from the Manchester area will travel to the No Borders Camp in Calais next week. A minibus will leave early on Monday 22 June (there are still seats available) and others will make their own way there.

The camp site has now been announced, situated in a public park to the east of Calais. We are intending to have some kind of ‘North West of England’ camping barrio to feed into the logistical and decision-making structures of the camp.

Local newspapers have already given a lot of coverage to the arrival of the No Borders camp, while here the Daily Mail has run one of its usual propaganda stories about violent anarchists invading Calais. It is possible that this could lead to some shops and supermarkets in the area to be shut during our presence there.

The Mayor of Calais and local authorities seem set on making the situation next week tense. Local civil society organisations have been pressured not to support the camp and migrants taking part in protests could be threatened with deportation. And there are indications that the nearby immigration detention centre ‘Coquelles’ could be evacuated for the duration of the camp.

Anti-riot police from all over Northern France are already being stationed in the Calais area. This comes after the recent arrival of organisations such as the IOM, the UNHCR and Medicins du Monde in the town. With all eyes on Calais, we now have a chance to make a real impact.

On Saturday 27 June, the camp participants will be holding a large demonstration for freedom of movement. The call for the demonstration has now also been signed by a wide range of anarchist, anti-fascist and anti-racist groups from the UK, France, Belgium and Germany.

We are hoping for this to be a truly transnational event, which could open spaces for significant political shifts in the public debate on migration to the UK.

More info here:
http://calaisnoborder.eu.org/

The UK No Borders Tour 2009 is visiting the North West of England from 23 May to 5 June and invites you to a series of events that aim to encourage discussion and build awareness of the injustices of the UK and EU Border Regime, as well as to call for action against them. The Tour will terminate in the French border town of Calais on 23-29th of June, an outpost of the UK border system, where it will meet activists and organizations from France and Europe to create a No Borders Camp that aims to highlight the brutal situation for migrants stuck at the UK-French Border. Confirmed events so far include a photo exhibition and workshops and films in Manchester and Hebden Bridge.

EVENTS IN MANCHESTER & HEBDEN

Longsight

NO LANDS MEN: THE STRUGGLE FOR CALAIS (Saturday 23rd to Thursday 28th May)
An exhibition of striking photographs from Calais by French photographer Julie Rebouillat, St. Lukes Art Project, Longsight

LAUNCH NIGHT (Tuesday 26th May, 6pm), with documentaries, tea and cake. To see Julie’s pictures from Calais online check out: contre-faits.org! , St. Lukes, Longsight

Northern Quarter

NO LANDS MEN: THE STRUGGLE FOR CALAIS (Monday 1st to Friday 5th June)
An exhibition of striking photographs from Calais by French photographer Julie Rebouillat, Nexus Art Cafe

WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO BORDERS?! (Monday 1st June, 7pm) workshop and open discussion, Nexus Art Cafe

Hebden Bridge

WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO BORDERS?! (Tuesday 2nd June, 6.30pm) digital exhibition, workshop and open discussion, The Trades Club, food served at 6.30


For opening times, and more info click on the flyer images. Look out for more events announced soon and do get in touch with us if you want to host the UK No Borders Tour in a place near you!

Several hundred people were on the annual Mayday march in Manchester on Monday. The Evening News has an account and pictures of the demonstration under the banner of ‘The Right to Work for ALL’. Called by No Borders and the AF, a group of about 50 anti-authoritarians also joined the march.



The two lead banners of the autonomous bloc read ‘Fight Social Control’ and ‘We won’t pay for your crisis’, echoing our callout in solidarity with workers and communities who engage in direct action (successfully as the case of the Visteon workers shows).




Placards in the shape of speech bubbles also expressed anger at police brutality, not just at the G20, but with reference to the police killings of Carlos Giuliani at the 2001 G8, Charles de Menezes in London, the 15-year old anarchist Alexandros in Athens, and Ian Tomlinson.



For a Manchester demonstration that did not see much mobilisation this was a good turnout, both for the general demo and for the No Borders/AF bloc. [More pictures on indymedia] Thanks to everyone who came.