BILDERSTÖCKCHEN SPRICHT! Speakers Corner: Ausgrenzen oder grenzenlos?

In the organizer's words:

https://bilderstoeckchenspricht.wordpress.com/

Bilderstöckchen speaks again - at the kitchen table

When: Sunday, June 30, 2024, 3 p.m.

Where: Blücherpark, Parkgürtel, Cologne-Bilderstöckchen

It's not just during carnival that many Cologne residents enthusiastically sing the song of the "family tree", celebrate the openness and diversity of the city's society and emphasize how much Cologne has benefited from migration. Many Cologne residents took to the streets to protest against the "master plan for the re-migration" of millions of people from Germany being discussed by right-wing extremists.

However, many also see a "breaking point" as being exceeded, which Cologne's mayor Henriette Reker draws where successful integration is no longer possible.

In the meantime, the topics of migration and refugees are dominating the political debate so intensely that politicians have passed laws that restrict and in some cases even undermine the basic right to asylum at German and European level out of concern for the AfD's electoral gains. For example, when the "Repatriation Improvement Act" comes into force at the end of February 2024, the life of refugees in Germany is to be made more unpleasant and their deportation easier. The recently adopted reform of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) is intended to prevent refugees from arriving in Europe and, in addition to the existing camps and hotspots, detain them at the borders or return them from there to the countries they have passed through during their flight.

German politicians are also discussing the British project "Deportation to Rwanda - asylum procedures under Rwandan law".

The aim is to deter people and close the borders.

How can hostile attitudes, fears and concerns be dispelled at a local level and fair social solutions identified? What is the role of citizens in this situation?

What concrete possibilities are there to tackle these problems constructively?

The following have agreed to participate as keynote speakers and panelists at the five tables in two rounds of discussion with alternating audiences

Klaus Ulrich Prölß (Cologne Refugee Council),

Olaf Oehmichen (SARAH Sea Rescue Mediterranean)

Martin Erkelenz (CDU)

Ayfer Ersöz (SPD)

Dîlan Yazıcıoğlu ( Greens).

The "Bilderstöckchen spricht" kitchen table discussions in Blücherpark are aimed at combating the brutalization of debate culture and creating a place for fair discussion in public spaces. The aim is to exchange different perspectives on problems, discuss them fairly and highlight opportunities for engagement.

Blücherpark is located on the park belt in Bilderstöckchen between Ehrenfeld and Nippes. The best entrance to reach the Speakers' Corner meadow by the fountain is opposite the Rheinenergie building, Parkgürtel 24. Parking is available under the elevated streetcar line. You can reach Blücherpark in a more environmentally friendly way with the KVB lines 5 (stop: Nußbaumer Straße) or 13 (stop: Escher Straße). Seating is available! After the event, we can end the afternoon in the beer garden.
In case of rain, the event will take place in the Evangelical Church Nathanael, Escher Str./Parkgürtel (stop: Escher Straße).