From: hrcoord@igc.apc.org (Human Rights Coordinator)
Newsgroups: soc.rights.human
Subject: HELP:stop pogrom in Rostock
Date: 26 Aug 92 16:25:00 GMT
Nf-ID: #N:cdp:1476700414:000:5215
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!hrcoord    Aug 26 09:25:00 1992


From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord>
Subject: HELP:stop pogrom in Rostock

/* Written  5:41 pm  Aug 25, 1992 by xmr%rz.uni-jena.@MIZZOU1.missouri.edu in cdp:misc.activism. */
POGROM IN ROSTOCK
Refugee home attacked and burned by 1000 strong mob

Tues, Aug. 25  For the third night in a row, radical right youth
and other racist Germans attacked the refugee home in Rostock,
a city on the Baltic See coast in the former East Germany.  While
police and fire fighters looked on, a few hundred meters away, the
racist mob managed to set fire to the home, burning several rooms
on the first floor.  There have been no reports of injuries among
the refugees.
The refugee home, which is the Central Reception Camp for asylum
seekers in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern had been overcrowded,
at times by as much as 300 people.  On Saturday night about 500
youth attacked the 'home' with stones, bottles, molotov-cocktails,
and fire works, but were prevented from storming it by the massive
police presence.  As this was happening, one thousand local residents
looked on, mostly supportive of the racist mob.  The mob fought the
police until morning.  This was then repeated on Sunday night, but
with 150 people trying to storm the home.  In the 13 hour battle with
the police that followed there were over 150 arrests and at least
13 police injured, some critically.  On Monday night, the attacks
continued, stronger than before.  The crowd of 900, mostly youth,
including skin-heads, but also older people 30-40 years old, attacked
the home, where there were still 150 refugees and journalists, burning
the first floor.
After the first night police said this was the biggest attack since
Hoyerswerda in the fall of 1991.  But since then it has gotten much bigger.
The politician's first response after condemning the violence was to pledge
to close the refugee home and decrease the number of refugees in Mecklen-
burg-Vorpommern.

This information has been taken from German radio and 'die tageszeitung'.

_______________________________________________________________________


Please, the situation is desperate.  This is only the latest and most
extreme attack in an increasing wave of racist and fascist violence
in Germany.  The situation has no doubt been instigated by neo-nazi
groups, but it feeds off a large bed of racism and zenophobia in the
German population as evidenced by the large crowd of onlookers made
up of 'normal Germans'.  The state and mass media play a large part
as well.  Blame for the worsening social conditions in Germany, especially
in the east, has been placed on the refugees, chanelling the rage away
from the state.  Also the political debate around the asylum laws
worsen the situation.  The right wants to change the constitutional
guarantee to political asylum, and the liberal Social Democrats are
slowly coming to this position too.  Instead of confronting the rising
fascism in Germany, the parties placate them and use them for their
own goals.  In the last years it has again become legal for asylum seekers
to be put in assembly camps until their applications are processed.
In these camps, they can't work, and must get permission to leave or
to receive visitors.  The asylum procedure is also being shortened.


For more backround read the excellent 'essay on immigration politics,
by Arm the Spirit' posted to Activ-l on August 18.  In June there was
also a similer, if smaller, attack on a refugee home in Mannheim, for
a chronology of what happened then and in the repression of the anti-
fascists who protested, read 'INFO: Pogrom in Mannheim/ECN' also
posted to Activ-l on August 18th.  Or write to me and I'll forward
you these two articles.

I'm asking all anti-racist/ anti-fascist groups and individuals to
organize solidarity actions if they can.  Like I said, the situation in
Germany is such that the political parties move to the right in their
refugee policies in response to the fascist violence.  I think one of
the best hopes is outside pressure, to which Germany should be very
sensitive.  Organize protests at German embassies, consulates, and
corporations.  Demand an end to the racist violence in Rostock and
elsewhere, demand that the refugee policy not be tightened in germany,
demand free and open boarders for all, not only in germany, but everywhere,
especially the U.S. whose policy of deporting Haitians is more barbaric
than anything the german state does.  If you need more info, contact me
and I will do my best to translate all I can.  Remember that the press
is very biased against the anti-fascists, so doubt anything you hear.
They also tend to depict neo-nazis as harmless wayward youth.  I'll send
over any movement reporting when I get it.  Last night 150 Autonomists
protested in Bonn, where they clashed with police and broke windows,
according to the radio.  There will be more anti-fascist protests
tonight, but most likely any big protests will have to wait til the
weekend.  Send any news of protest to my email address or to:

Antirassistische Initiative
Yorckstr. 59
D-1000 Berlin 59
Germany
Tel: +49-30-785-7281
Fax: +49-30-786-9984
or         -852-0815

In Rage,
Mckay
Jena Germany

xmr@rz.uni-jena.de
mckay@igc.org