17/9/2015, Border crossing Horgosz 2: War against refugees continues at the border. Symbols of “fortress Europe” – wire, iron, men in uniforms on Hungarian side aren’t looming out. There are too many symbols of their violence anyhow – rubble, ruckus everywhere around… For them, but also for all other guardians of nation states, refugees and all others, all of us who are supporting them are sub - humans – untermenschen (redundant, who were, during the Nazi period, burned in crematoriums or by thousands murdered in Srebrenica, today exploited to death in endless chains of corporative power). It has various faces: yesterday, both refugees and we were, for them, completely, nonexistent, invisible, overlooking of our presence and mutual act of solidarity. Militaristic strategy of exhaustion “the border will be closed until the last refugee goes away…” one of the policemen from Serbian side of the border told us.
On the iron fence Mirko and Aleksandra are putting a doll refugee children threw away while running from tear gas. As our friends from Greenham Common, in nonviolent struggle against military base (during 70s/80s of the 20th century) hanged symbols of life on the fence of military base: sheets, dolls, knit…
Goran’s voice choked with emotions while he was talking about what he witnessed the day before – women giving birth on the road, women writhing in agony, bewildered children… Goran is on the border since Monday. On Goran’s face are engraved traces of the deepest absorption of pain of others. Running from the tear gas through corn field, he lost his passport… He doesn’t even care, like, “what do I need it for?” Syrian refugee found the passport and told us he gave it to the police.
Refugees on Horgosz 2 – bewildered, desperate, uninformed, nobody tells them anything… They are afraid even at the mention of the word state, for them they are the source of insecurity, humiliation… “People’s safety” doesn’t have anything to do with borders and states, they are the main source of insecurity. And with us they are effusive, or what is called “People’s safety” is effusiveness, warmth, compassion… between refugees and us, between internationalist volunteers we met on Horgosz 2: from Hungary, Czech Republic, Spain, Netherlands…
We distributed everything we brought… overwhelmed with despair, and how to transform it into a small gesture of care and warmth? Does our slogan “Instead of despair, creative resistance” have its place here? We took the risk, spread canvases “Solidarity with asylum seekers” in English and Serbian. Not a minute passed, and people started joining from all sides… hundreds of them, men, women, children, only women with little babies stayed in their tents. Our slogans: We want peace! Stop the war in Syria! No illegal! No borders, no nations…Protect people, not borders! We are sisters and brothers in peace… and other, they complemented with “Open the border, Open the door”. Old worker’s/miner’s anthem “Solidarity forever” became the hymn of today’s action, space of strength, humanity, civility… As if all eyes of the shining civilizations from which they originate emerged: Babylon, Niniveh, Palmyra, Aleppo, Damascus…
And then again shouting of righteous and desperate people: “Open the border! Europe help us! Europe, where are you? Hungarian people, where are you?” ... we constantly have the lump in our throat, we can’t choke in tears, and every now and then we sing Solidarity forever… We were afraid that will initiate unrealistic expectations among refugees. „We are not people of power, we are peace activists...“ and they reply „We know. We know…” Face of power is different and easily recognizable…
Goran stayed at the border, on call in solidarity.
On our way back, we made a short brake, on the lake Palic… Jodie and Vedrana, and Ana and Sanja and we all… wished that refugees can be at that moment with us on Palic. We were distressed because we are there and not together with them… Absorbing pain of others, putting ourselves in the place of others, primarily victims of injustice, violence, war… mutual emotional, moral, political decision brings pain and difficulty, but also strength and joy…
We have next action on Monday 21st September – International day of peace… We continue to be on call in solidarity.
Action together organized Autonomous women center and Women in Black.
(Written by: Stasa, catching words, glances, silence… of activists yesterday on the border: Aleksandra, Ana, Goran, Jodie, Mirko, Sanja, Vedrana)
