You sit on a park bench, walk through your neighbourhood, go to the supermarket or to your workplace, you stand at the bus stop or the police suddenly rings at your door – the police can use any reason to control you. Various legal regulations, such as the establishment of so-called ‘dangerous locations’, new police laws and now the Corona regulations allow the police to search people, ID somebody and sanction alleged misconduct.
This may be new for some. For people affected by racism, homeless people or sex workers racial profiling and other discriminatory controls, physical violence and murder by the police are part of their everyday life – even before Corona. With even more powers, the police use even more violence and even more racial profiling, especially because there are fewer people on the streets.
The pandemic is leading to a consolidation and worsening of racist conditions and structural inequalities. This is reflected not only in the increase in racist and otherwise discriminatory police controls, but also in the situation in camps on the EU’s external borders. But also here at local level in migrant and poor neighbourhoods, prisons or camps. Instead of providing health care and physical distance, camps and homes of refugees are placed under “mass quarantine” by the police. The risk of infection and death from the corona virus, and the measures taken to contain it, do not affect all people equally.
We do not need more police, control and punishment!
We need more solidarity! We demand an independent control and complaint centre instead of increasing powers for the police.
We demand equal rights and care for all!
Pandemic protection must be anti-racist and for everybody!
Let us act together in solidarity and defend a diverse society!
Solidarity means listening when people have experienced violence and want to talk about it. Solidarity means taking the experiences of the people who are affected by it every day seriously. Solidarity means taking care of each other, both in case of discriminatory controls and during pandemics. We look out for each other.
If you are controlled by the police or witness action, you can do the following:
You are a victim of discriminatory behaviour by the police. You are not alone. Contact an initiative near you (more on this below). Get support, advice, legal help and let’s fight against it together.
You don’t have to reveal your private life to officials. The right to remain silent to the police still applies, even in times of Corona!
Be solidary towards people who are in a control. Offer the person affected your support. Explain that you can observe and testify on behalf of the person being controlled!
Monitor and document police work! Please contact the initiatives listed below.
Stop Racial Profiling!
Solidarity instead of police!
Black Lives matter!
BERLIN
https://kop-berlin.de
Email: info@kop-berlin.de
HAMBURG
https://copwatchhamburg.blackblogs.org
Email: copwatch-hh@systemli.org
DRESDEN
https://www.kgp-sachsen.org
Email: kgp@systemli.org
LEIPZIG
https://copwatchleipzig.home.blog
Email: copwatchleipzig@riseup.net
FRANK FURT AM MAIN
Phone: 069 – 34 877 315
https://copwatchffm.org
Email: info@copwatchffm.org
BREMEN
https://kopbremen.noblogs.org
Email: kop-bremen@riseup.net
KIEL
http://kop-kiel.de
Email: kop-kiel@riseup.net