Kurdish refugees start hunger strike
01 January 1991
Kurdish refugees start hunger strike
artdoc November=1995
Around 50 Kurdish refugees occupied the Michaeliskirche church
in the town of Zeitz on June 19th and began a hunger strike in
protest at treatment by the local refugee authorities. The
protesters later agreed to leave the church following
negotiations with the parish priest. The action was intended to
draw attention to the ongoing protests by Kurdish refugees
against the issue of state support in the form of food parcels.
The refugees had already been refusing the parcels for 35 days
before the hunger strike started. A statement written by the
"Political Refugees of the Communal Hostel Sportplatz 1" on May
22nd had already declared that "We would prefer money to the food
parcels, so that we could buy our own fresh food", and that "If
we do not reach a satisfactory agreement we will begin a hunger
strike". Local refugee authorities have so far refused to agree
to the refugees' requests.
Berlin Antiracist Initiative, June 1995 Update