New Year’s protests against the prison system in solidarity with those imprisoned are becoming an anarchist tradition in Helsinki. Even during celebration we want to tell the oppressed and incarcerated that they have not been forgotten. Join us on Tuesday 31st December on our visit to Metsälä detention centre in Niittylänpolku 10, Helsinki.
We meet on new year’s eve at 11pm on the southern entrance of Käpylä train station. Bring along banners, signs, and lots of light and noise -producing props!
Come along to show your support to those incarcerated because of their descent!
The detention unit is a closed facility for up to 40 immigrants, persons detained by the police or border control under the Aliens Act — not because of any offence.
Typically, the immigrants imprisoned in Metsälä are waiting for the police to deport them in cooperation with immigration authorities and, for example, the airlines companies. Immigrants are detained for various reasons including criminal background and potential crimes, being paperless or suspicion that the person might try to prevent their own deportation.
The imprisonment generally lasts for weeks, at worst up to six months or longer. Metsälä immigrants’ prison is currently the only one in Finland, and it is constantly full of “customers” ageing from from children to adults. When the detainees do not fit in Metsälä, they may be held for weeks in police jail awaiting deportation or transfer of Metsälä.
This protest also criticizes the nation-states and their border policies that generate racism and economic inequality. By destroying the freedom of movement borders allow exploitation of cheap labor and drive people to compete against one another. The borders are a business that kills people just like the Lampedusa “incident” on 3 October showed us, when 363 immigrants drowned on the Italian coast.
This deadly business doesn’t stop at national borders: it is cross-cutting control politics, the aim of which is to monitor, identify and govern everyone in the name of security threats.
Solidarity with the imprisoned migrants!
We will fight
the reasons of our sorrows
there will be
no borders tomorrow!