18 August 2023 – From Monday 21st to Sunday 27th of August, the No Border Camp will take place in Groningen. Hundreds of international activists come together for a week for actions, meetings, workshops, discussion and culture as part of the struggle for a world without borders and freedom of movement for all. The No Border Camp draws attention to the repressive and militarized border and migration policy of the Netherlands and the EU.
It is no coincidence that this year’s No Border Camp is taking place in the north of the Netherlands, where only a year ago Ter Apel became the face of the failing migration policy. The border policy not only causes tragedy far from the Netherlands, such as the recent shipping disaster off the Greek coast, the consequences are also visible here. Everyone in the Netherlands remembers the images of the hundreds of people who had to spend the night in front of the gate of the registration centre in Ter Apel. Other degrading situations are taking place in the emergency shelters in the area and the rest of the country.
At the No Border Camp different topics will be discussed, such as the inhumane treatment of asylum seekers in Ter Apel, the way the EU uses Balkan countries in their geopolitical game, the history of the no border movement in the Netherlands and the effects of border and asylum policy on the health of pregnant people and those giving birth.
The camp is organized by a coalition of activists from different groups in the Netherlands and follows the previous No Border Camps in Rotterdam (2013 and 2022) and Wassenaar (2019). In 2022, demonstrations were organized during the No Border Camp at Nationale Nederlanden and Detention Centre Rotterdam (DCR).
The exact location of the camp will be announced on Monday. Keep an eye on the website.