Åpent brev til Oslo kommune

20. oktober 2011

Antirasistisk Senter, Kulturkirken Jakob og palestinerne i teltleiren har skrevet et åpent brev til Oslo kommune hvor vi ber kommunen foreta en ny vurdering av beslutningen om å fjerne leiren.

The Planned Removal of the Palestinian Camp at Kulturkirken Jakob

Kulturkirken Jakob, the Norwegian Centre against Racism and the Palestinians residing in the camp kindly ask the City of Oslo to reconsider the decision to have the camp removed. We ask the City to rather go into a dialogue with the Palestinians in order to secure that the interests of the City can be fulfilled, while also respecting the difficult situation of the Palestinians.

The Palestinian asylum seekers have specifically been ordered to vacate the camp no later than midnight Sunday 23 October. If they have not vacated the camp at that time, the police have informed them that they will be removed by force in accordance with a decision from the City of Oslo. We understand that the basis for this decision is the general prohibition against camping in central Oslo, that there is an open fireplace in the camp, and that the camp supposedly limits access to the area for other Oslo inhabitants.

We want to point out that since the camp was established in late May this year there have been no major incidents. The Palestinians have co-operated with the police to the best of their abilities, and the police have given them positive feedback on several occasions in regard to the running of the camp. The Palestinians themselves have implemented several measures to ensure the safety of the camp. Most importantly, there is a guard schedule around the clock and there are fire extinguishers present.

The camp residents have also been careful not to be experienced as a public nuisance. In fact, the Palestinians specifically chose a location where they would not cause more than a minimum of disturbance, placing their camp in an area that is hardly used by anyone. Furthermore, the camp is open to anyone who wants to visit. As a consequence, there are undoubtedly more Norwegians visiting this area now than what is usually the case. Also seen from the perspective of the Church, the Palestinians have not posed any problem to the Church’s activity; they are indeed welcome neighbors.

The camp is not at all a desirable situation, but a last resort. There is no doubt that the humanitarian situation in the camp is hard. This is one of the reasons why many Oslo citizens prioritize supporting the Palestinians in the day to day running of the camp.

Specifically, the camp is a response to the difficult situation the Palestinians find themselves in as rejected asylum seekers. Asylum seekers generally have limited means at their disposal for protesting decisions they find to be unfair. A peaceful camp is a completely harmless way of protesting; it is a protest by presence only, posing a threat to no one. We do of course not expect the City of Oslo to condone the camp. However, it is clearly up to the City whether or not the police should prioritize actively and forcefully removing the camp at this time.

As winter is approaching, we are particularly concerned about where the camp residents would go from here. While the camp provides some basic shelter against cold weather, we are worried about what conditions the residents will face if they are stripped even of this basic shelter.

We strongly hope for a dialogue with the City about other ways of handling the situation.
 

Mohamed Ganam, on behalf of the Palestinians
Kari Helene Partapuoli, Director, the Norwegian Centre against Racism
Erik Hillestad, director, Kirkelig Kulturverksted (Kulturkirken Jakob)