[Belgrad/Serbien] Räumung der besetzen Lagerhallen

Rückblick Eindrücke aus dem Winter 2016/17 aus Belgrad, SRF

Evictions of the squatted warehouses in Belgrade
11.05.2017, Bordermonitoring Serbia
On the 5th of May the Ministry of Labor, Social and Veteran Affairs announced to relocate migrants who are staying in Belgrade to the reception centres all over Serbia. According to Nenad Ivansevic, State Secretary of this Ministry, the plan was to complete this mission within 20 days. As for now, on the 10th of May 2017, the information at hands intensify towards a quicker eviction than primarily announced. Also, although it was announced that „force will not be used to transfer migrants – instead they will be offered, ‚in a humane manner“ to move to a reception center“² the Commissariat for refugees already announced to start the eviction and demolishment of the Baracks already by tomorrow 7am. Furthermore, several kitchen collectives were told that they have to stop providing food by the end of this weekend.
As the eviction is expected to start today morning, 7am, a twitter account was just launched where updates about the process of eviction will be posted. You can follow it on twitter https://twitter.com/bm_serbia.
The baracks behind the Busstations were squatted in August 2016 after the Commissariat and Police evicted the Parks around the bus station. Since then they were used, in a selforganized way by people to live there, because they are stuck in Serbia and also by people in solidarity. In winter time they’ve attracted a lot of media attention due to the bad weather conditions in Belgrade, but although people have been mainly victimized and presented as suffering individuals, the baracks also have been a place where collective organizing, different forms of solidarity and exchange as well as communication and learning have become possible. Few people know about the level of autonomous organizing that was happening there – also before the appearance of volonteers and media – : collective cooking, a selforganized language school, sports, discussions and exchange of knowledge, simply everyday life in unusual circumstances. The squatted warehouses, together with the resistance of the Timotijević-family on that same area, where also the place that became the frontline in the struggle against the Belgrade Waterfront gentrification project.

The plan of the government, to evict the squats and move people to poorly conditioned, overcrowded and remote areas is happening in line with overall EU practices. Pushing people out of sight, detaining them in isolation and with no possibility to organize, protest, visibilize their demands and collectively exchange with other people is something that likewisely happened all over the so called „Balkanroute“ and other european countries, too.
This eviction is not conducted peacefully, no matter what words the authorities use to describe their action. Therefor it may not be feased without resistance. The baracks are on the venue of the high investment project Belgrade Waterfront, so maybe there’s enough political and financial pressure to actually succeed in evicting the squat, but people will never stop fighting against these dehumanizing and cruel policies.
They may succeed in evicting baracks, but they will never succeed in evicting the freedom of movement. A concrete analysis, a political statement and many other forms of protest, monitoring, reports and actions will be done online and offline in the upcoming days. Keep yourself updated, show solidarity and take action.
The land is for all of us!
Speculators and Investors: get out
Solidarity and Community: stay!
Nowadays we are showing our resistance against the eviction of the squatted warehouses behind the train station in Belgrad. Our resistance: this is a common one, because all of us – locals from this city, inhabitants of the squats, passengers, students and people passing by or working in this area – we are longing for the end of a world in which our lives are opressed by capital.
Most of the people squatting these buildings for months moved away from their living spaces because of war . There is another war here in Serbia: the war against the poor that results in hunderets of evictions every year. And the war on the borders, the war that is creating those of us without papers (or not the right papers) as second class humans, as enemies.
Yes we are enemies, enemies of a system of borders that takes away peoples freedom to move, and enemies of those who want to turn the cities into places that are only for the rich.
But we are here today. And we are everywhere.
You cannot evict all autonomous and selforganized spaces. Even if these squats are demolished and Belgrade waterfront construction is progressing – other selforganized spaces of resistance will occur.
The camp system in Serbia which is being extended by the state (and its buisness friends) in a fast way, is copy-pasted from other EU countries. Huge profits are being made from the fact that people are put in a place surrounded by walls and fences . The industries around those „humanitarian“ prisons are mostly run by organizations that try to make the life in the cage „a bit nicer“ by providing food or hygiene material. This is only necessary if people are being put in the position when they are treated as objects which can not decide for themselves.
No more displacement! Social Spaces and Autonomy is what we need! Freedom to move! Freedom to stay! Freedom not to be moved!