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What's happening on the 20th of June?
Why #OpenTheCamps?
The threat of coronavirus somehow united us as a human family. We all faced enforced detention, restriction of movement, community hygiene issues and the inability to connect with family & friends.
This month, restrictions have slowly eased around Europe and in Greece. Greeks are allowed out again. However, access to freedoms are decided upon by country of origin. Greece will open its borders again whilst, at the same time, hotspot camps will remain locked arbitrarily. Conditions are worsening.
Europeans bask in newly returned freedoms. Camp residents continue to be trapped. As Europe negotiates its way out of lockdown, Greece must not turn its back on its humanitarian principles. It must duly weigh up obligations to both public health and human rights. The EU's silence in the face of deteriorating shelters, double standards, insufficient medicines & hygiene, no possible social distancing, mass asylum rejections & increasing reports of illegal pushbacks is deafening & distressing.
On the 20th June cities around Europe will unite. Join us as we call out our EU leaders who ignore their duty of care. We will show them that these arbitrary measures amount to a violation of European law on detention, particularly the EU Directive on International Protection (2013/33 art. 8). We have events planned and we will Act. Come with us as we bring colour to the streets through chalk figures, raise camp residents’ voices using video projections, pin posters saying #WeHaveSpace.
Let this World Refugee Day be the last one where European citizens are ashamed of our leaders and figureheads. Let’s educate and energise, tell them #EuropeMustAct and #OpenTheCamps!
Offline Actions
Human Chain
Let's build a human chain throughout Europe to show solidarity. Depending on your national situation this could be done in two ways:
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Physically:
Call for people building a human chain through your city / public places. This should be always one person – one banner – one person etc. to ensure the needed distance.
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Paint:
Figure out the best-known public spaces in your city and call for people helping you to draw a human chain all over this place. This could be easily done with chalk or chalk-color. Please find an example beside.
Check out our How-To Human Chain manual for more information.


Video Projections
Videos attract people’s attention, even more if they are screened in public areas. Below you can find a selection of videos from our #raisingvoices-project and Voices of Moria from Sea-Watch. We propose three ways in which you can realize a projection:
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Ask a café you know to organize a small event.
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Look for a window that is well seen by people walking by (ground level, possibly near to public spaces) and project the video on the window.
Check out our How-To Video Projections manual for more information.
Support our creatives by tagging them on social media with @giulia_ciccolella!
Videos to download