The power of solidarity in front of the detention centre 127 bis in Brussels

The hungerstrike started when detained migrants heard about the mistreatment of a 18year old egyptian migrant. He was tied up and beaten by the guards of the centre (see below).

When we arrived in front of the detention centre, we held up banners, saying 'human rights in danger', and a banner with a telephone number which the detained migrants could call. There was a lot of interaction with the people inside, they were clearly in a resistant mood. After some time, a fire broke out in a cell of the centre, and people were led into the court of the centre while the fire was raging in the cell. Pretty soon we saw guard pushing migrants, preventing them to go op a stair outside of the detention centre.

Then a miraculous thing happened: a migrant jumped the 6 m high fence, jumped another fence, and dissapeared in mid air....

Activists immediatly showed solidarity and stayed close to the centre in support of those in revolt.

No borders, No nations

Voices from the detention centre

"Last night an accident happened here at the closed center. 4 guards took a prisoner down stairs to single room and they tortured him and made marks on his body. Just to warn him to not come back again to belgium if they deport him.They told him : 'If you refuse the flight we will beat you!' They said: 'You have to stay in Italy!'"

"Today we start an open hunger strike because of the inhuman actions against young prisonner, who is exposed to tortures by the gards. We start with hunger strike but there is possibility to increase the action."

:: bxl.indymedia.org, 16. Feb 2011

Source :: bxl.indymedia.org.