No one is illegal is a loosely connected international network, which advocates for refugees and migrants present in a country unlawfully. Activists in the network take initiatives in favor of migrants who stay in a country illegally and are at risk of deportation. The network has started a campaign and held rallies to bring wider attention to the situation of

refugees A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

. The campaign initially began in Germany as No Person Is Illegal (German: ''Kein Mensch ist illegal'' or ''kmii'') and has spread to other countries, including Canada and Belgium. No one is illegal questions the idea of citizenship as a legal condition for access to and participation in the socio-political sphere.

Germany

History

No Person Is Illegal was founded in 1997 at the "

documenta X documenta X was the tenth edition of documenta, a quinquennial contemporary art exhibition. It was held between 21 June and 28 September 1997 in Kassel, Germany. The artistic director was Catherine David. This was the first time a woman was ap ...

" art exhibition in

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel and the district of the same name and had 201,048 inhabitants in December 2020 ...

. After a few weeks, thousands of individuals joined as well as the 200 groups and organisations that had joined them in appealing to "help immigrants begin and continue their journeys towards obtaining work and documentation, medical care, education and training, and to assure accommodation and physical survival" regardless of their immigration status. The founding followed the death of deportee

Aamir Ageeb Amir Ageeb or Aamir Ageeb (c. 1968 or 1969 – 28 May 1999) was a Sudanese who was killed while resisting deportation from Germany, leading to a lawsuit against the involved officers. At Frankfurt Airport, Ageeb physically resisted the three Bunde ...

at the hands of the

German Federal Police The Federal Police (''Bundespolizei'' or BPOL) is the national and principal federal law enforcement agency of the German Federal Government, being subordinate to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community (''Bundesministerium ...

. In the wake of Ageeb's death, the "Deportation-

Class Class or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differentl ...

" campaign set its aims towards airlines that took part in deportations. The campaign culminated in a 2001 online demonstration in conjunction with Libertad. ''No Person Is Illegal'' and "Deportation-Class" have drawn the attention of Germany's annual " Constitutional Protection Report" due to purported connections with " left-wing extremism".

Switzerland

Switzerland Bildung für Alle (Education for All) organization has its own specific task which is attempting to achieve permanent legal stay for immigrants. the organization stated School for all like Autonome Schule (Autonomous School)

Autonomous School Zurich

Autonomous School Zurich Autonomous School Zurich (ASZ, Autonome Schule Zürich in German) is a grassroot project in Switzerland. This school is run by immigrants as well as Swiss locals. Since 2009 the association "Bildung für Alle" provides education for all under the ...

is a school for all immigrants.

Canada

A NOII collective of organizations has been established in a number of Canadian cities, including Winnipeg, Vancouver, Toronto, Halifax, Fredericton, Ottawa, Montreal, and London. Activist

Harsha Walia Harsha Walia is a Canadian activist and writer based in Vancouver, British Columbia. She has been involved with No one is illegal, the February 14 Women's Memorial March Committee, the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre, and several Downtown Eas ...

is an organizer for the Vancouver chapter, while Yanisa Wu, Kelly Campbell, Sherry Viloria, Evan Macintosh, Jayelyn Rae, Hazim Ismail, and Mitchell van Ineveld organize for the Winnipeg chapter.Sean Condon, "[megaphonemagazine.com/articles/680/from-global-action-local-motion-harsha-walia-seeks-justice-for-vancouver-newcomers From global action, local motion: Harsha Walia seeks justice for Vancouver newcomers]", ''Megaphone Magazine'', 21 May 2013.

References

*AutorInnenkollektiv (2000): ''Ohne Papiere in Europa. Illegalisierung der Migration. Selbstorganisation und Unterstützungsprojekte in Europa.'' *cross the border (Hg.) (1999): ''kein mensch ist illegal. Ein Handbuch zu einer Kampagne''. * Gerda Heck: ›Illegale Einwanderung‹. Eine umkämpfte Konstruktion in Deutschland und den USA. Edition DISS Band 17. Münster 2008.
Interview heiseonline
10. November 2008)

External links

Homepage von ''kein mensch ist illegal''

NOII Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver
{{Authority control Human rights organizations Migration-related organizations Protests in Germany