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some aspects about the relationship between refugees and non-refugees the following text is written for the discussions in the planned "extrameeting" at 12th of april in jena: from a point of view of a nonrefugee and more individually, because lack of time to have sufficient discussions and to reach a more collective result in the right time. but the estimations and considerations are coming from experiences from many years in antiracist initiatives, in a refugee-counselling-cafe (office) and in a small caravan group. a more pragmatic approach was intended, to consider the relationship beteween refugees and nonrefugees on the background of direct experiences (and in addition to more theoretical approaches as it was made in the text "colonial images"). the text is about questions of "equality and difference". (Hopefully soon a second part will follow about the sexism-debate...) greetings, h., AG3F equality and difference, us and them when i had escorted a woman to the foreign office, the authorities asked her (as a proving question against "sham-marriage") about common holidays with her husband. they have lived together for five years, but never found time and money to go into holidays. i am not a travelling-freak, but i have spend a lot of nice days in holidays in the last five years ... our antiracist group carries on a refugee-counselling-cafe for many years now, we support refugees on a social level against the authorities and we are involved in a lot of antiracist initiatives on a more political level. but - theoretically - we can stop tomorrow, we can change the topic of our activities or we can work only for our own interest or to get educated for a better job (as it was explained selfrighteous many times by people, who needs a justification to finish their antiracist "work"). refugees and migrants in precarious residence-conditions cannot do the same, perhaps never, because they are confronted with racist discrimination again and again in various forms. "we" are definitely priviliged, we have a choice, if and how far we want to oppose against racist powerrelations. the mistrust of refugees concerning the seriousness of nonrefugees is understandable on this background and in many cases well substantiated. in any case the starting-conditions are entirely different. vice versa we have the periodical and often disappointing experience, that refugees, who are living in precarious conditions or who are threatened by deportation, fight against this unjust situation, but mostly not longer as they can reach a better residence-permission. then they try to climb the leather of "career", try to estabish with better jobs or education, the political work looses its importance and often these people disappear completely from all activities. how many refugees finally are interested for the "dream of an own mercedes"? to participate in the consum on a higher level? not to forget: mostly the refugees/migrants (with status) send money to their relatives in the country of origin. doubtless it is a contribution to distribute income and reach more just conditions. but mostly it is motivated by familiar responsibilities and does not more include any political approach. they manage their own situation of exploitation individually, on a lower level comparable with the normal german population, established as well as possible. all refugees are affected by racist discrimination and the protest mostly appears as a strong fight and sometimes really radical. but a longterm perspective is not given in many times, a mistrust from "nonrefugees" is founded in these experiences... but it seems to be forgotten, that similar processes happen in the left-autonomous movement: political struggles in shortterm acitivities, where people feel affected, perhaps some more years in different initiatives and sooner or later the move back into private life. migration is (as one aspect) a social movement of reapprobiation, more existential but finally comparable with demands of trade unions or squatting as reapprobiations in other social terrains. refugee-protests include potentially the option of a longterm, comprehensive and firstly international struggle, but it is never an automatic process. mutual expectations will lead to mutual dissappointments, if refugees cannot find permanent support or at least on a (sometimes overloading) level, which they hope to get; or if nonrefugees cannot find a revolutionary subject within the refugees. on a political level both sides feel utilized. nonrefugees as obliged supporters, who has to fulfil something, because refugees seems to be the victims. and refugees feel utilized as an substitute of autonomous movement, which is not able to root in society. i have not yet touched "colonial relationships" (as the other text about colonial images), but the daily political gaps can already illustrate, that a simple equalization will never catch the real conditions. "fighting together" is the right aim but not a simple starting-point. perhaps some parallel experiences of oppression can diminish some differences: women are confronted with sexist discrimination, political activists face repressions, which can lead to observations, to arrest or even imprisonment. such experiences can be seen as "bridges" but not really as compensations. i am not interested to keep segregations and i insist to the need of interconnections between antiracist struggles and other social fights. but i mistrust, if "common interests" will be emphasized too fast. the situation is much more complex, the discussions should be too. the statement, "we are not fighting for refugees, but we are fighting together with them" is right, but often it seems to me too simple and motivated by the interest to strengthen the own "independend" identity. i accept my "supporters-work" too. i see myself, and i am aware of it, in a double role: as supporter and as activist. as an antiracist activist, who assigns a special importance to the situation and the demands of refugees and who accepts finally (if i want to polarize it...) a dependence of the antiracist movement from the selforganisations of migrants and refugees. but in the same time i carry out independent campaigns, antiracist but also beyond it. so i am struggling both "for" refugees and "together with" them. a balance is necessary between support or empowerment against the different and unjust starting-points on one hand and demands of equalization against segregation on the other hand. the debate about differences is still and again a difficult discussion, a challenge to move: for nonrefugees between support, "acceptance of utilization" and "positive racism" on one hand, to develop "an own politic" and "a refusal of differences" on the other hand.
`05.05.2002`

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some aspects about the relationship between refugees and non-refugees

the following text is written for the discussions in the planned "extrameeting" at 12th of april in jena: from a point of view of a nonrefugee and more individually, because lack of time to have sufficient discussions and to reach a more collective result in the right time. but the estimations and considerations are coming from experiences from many years in antiracist initiatives, in a refugee-counselling-cafe (office) and in a small caravan group.
a more pragmatic approach was intended, to consider the relationship beteween refugees and nonrefugees on the background of direct experiences (and in addition to more theoretical approaches as it was made in the text "colonial images").
the text is about questions of "equality and difference". (Hopefully soon a second part will follow about the sexism-debate...)
greetings,
h., AG3F

equality and difference, us and them

when i had escorted a woman to the foreign office, the authorities asked her (as a proving question against "sham-marriage") about common holidays with her husband. they have lived together for five years, but never found time and money to go into holidays.
i am not a travelling-freak, but i have spend a lot of nice days in holidays in the last five years ...

our antiracist group carries on a refugee-counselling-cafe for many years now, we support refugees on a social level against the authorities and we are involved in a lot of antiracist initiatives on a more political level. but - theoretically - we can stop tomorrow, we can change the topic of our activities or we can work only for our own interest or to get educated for a better job (as it was explained selfrighteous many times by people, who needs a justification to finish their antiracist "work").

refugees and migrants in precarious residence-conditions cannot do the same, perhaps never, because they are confronted with racist discrimination again and again in various forms.

"we" are definitely priviliged, we have a choice, if and how far we want to oppose against racist powerrelations.
the mistrust of refugees concerning the seriousness of nonrefugees is understandable on this background and in many cases well substantiated. in any case the starting-conditions are entirely different.

vice versa we have the periodical and often disappointing experience, that refugees, who are living in precarious conditions or who are threatened by deportation, fight against this unjust situation, but mostly not longer as they can reach a better residence-permission. then they try to climb the leather of "career", try to estabish with better jobs or education, the political work looses its importance and often these people disappear completely from all activities.
how many refugees finally are interested for the "dream of an own mercedes"? to participate in the consum on a higher level?

not to forget: mostly the refugees/migrants (with status) send money to their relatives in the country of origin. doubtless it is a contribution to distribute income and reach more just conditions. but mostly it is motivated by familiar responsibilities and does not more include any political approach. they manage their own situation of exploitation individually, on a lower level comparable with the normal german population, established as well as possible.
all refugees are affected by racist discrimination and the protest mostly appears as a strong fight and sometimes really radical. but a longterm perspective is not given in many times, a mistrust from "nonrefugees" is founded in these experiences...

but it seems to be forgotten, that similar processes happen in the left-autonomous movement: political struggles in shortterm acitivities, where people feel affected, perhaps some more years in different initiatives and sooner or later the move back into private life.

migration is (as one aspect) a social movement of reapprobiation, more existential but finally comparable with demands of trade unions or squatting as reapprobiations in other social terrains.
refugee-protests include potentially the option of a longterm, comprehensive and firstly international struggle, but it is never an automatic process.

mutual expectations will lead to mutual dissappointments, if refugees cannot find permanent support or at least on a (sometimes overloading) level, which they hope to get; or if nonrefugees cannot find a revolutionary subject within the refugees. on a political level both sides feel utilized. nonrefugees as obliged supporters, who has to fulfil something, because refugees seems to be the victims.
and refugees feel utilized as an substitute of autonomous movement, which is not able to root in society.

i have not yet touched "colonial relationships" (as the other text about colonial images), but the daily political gaps can already illustrate, that a simple equalization will never catch the real conditions. "fighting together" is the right aim but not a simple starting-point.

perhaps some parallel experiences of oppression can diminish some differences: women are confronted with sexist discrimination, political activists face repressions, which can lead to observations, to arrest or even imprisonment. such experiences can be seen as "bridges" but not really as compensations.

i am not interested to keep segregations and i insist to the need of interconnections between antiracist struggles and other social fights. but i mistrust, if "common interests" will be emphasized too fast. the situation is much more complex, the discussions should be too. the statement, "we are not fighting for refugees, but we are fighting together with them" is right, but often it seems to me too simple and motivated by the interest to strengthen the own "independend" identity. i accept my "supporters-work" too. i see myself, and i am aware of it, in a double role: as supporter and as activist.
as an antiracist activist, who assigns a special importance to the situation and the demands of refugees and who accepts finally (if i want to polarize it...) a dependence of the antiracist movement from the selforganisations of migrants and refugees. but in the same time i carry out independent campaigns, antiracist but also beyond it. so i am struggling both "for" refugees and "together with" them.

a balance is necessary between support or empowerment against the different and unjust starting-points on one hand and demands of equalization against segregation on the other hand.

the debate about differences is still and again a difficult discussion, a challenge to move: for nonrefugees between support, "acceptance of utilization" and "positive racism" on one hand, to develop "an own politic" and "a refusal of differences" on the other hand.

05.05.2002