We, the Initiative Nein zur Bezahlkarte Berlin/Brandenburg, cordially invite You to join our upcoming conference, “Nein zur Bezahlkarte!” (No to Bezahlkarte) on 23rd of November 2024, in Berlin. From 11 am to 6 pm at Nachbarschaftshaus Urbanstraße (Urbanstraße 21, 10961 Berlin).
For decades, refugee movements have struggled against being forced to use vouchers instead of cash. First introduced in the early 90s, vouchers were finally abolished in 2014 for being discriminatory and unconstitutional. Yet, ten years later, the German government has decided to (re-)introduce the Bezahlkarte - same system, different name. The Bezahlkarte has far-reaching consequences, such as restricting people’s access to essential services like legal aid - for which they no longer have sufficient cash to pay for. In some areas of Brandenburg, the system has already been introduced, and other parts of Brandenburg and Berlin are preparing to follow suit. We firmly reject this system of discrimination, stigmatisation, exclusion, and dehumanisation. As a collective of individuals and organisations, we invite to this conference with the aim to organise political, social, and legal responses to stop the implementation of the Bezahlkarte in Berlin and Brandenburg and to abolish it, where it has already been introduced. We want to bring together people affected by the Bezahlkarte and people who are part of support structures, in order to create space for self-organisation that determines which practices of solidarity will emerge. We want to link past struggles with the present one, and come together to form a protest network against the Bezahlkarte, that allows for coordinated political, social and possibly legal action. The conference will include discussions on the history of vouchers and the resistance against them, as well as workshops to bring together people interested in different types of actions.
About further details on the conference programme, we will update you soon! We particularly invite people affected by the Bezahlkarte to join this conference.
Please register via this form until 18th of November: https://forms.office.com/r/j8prDUVV8u
If you struggle with accessing the form, you can also register by sending us a message (whatsapp/telegram/signal): 015 75 1111 530
Contact email: bezahlkarte@iwspace.de
On registering please indicate if you need translation, child care or accommodation. We can also cover travel costs, particularly for people affected.
We are searching for volunteers to translate during the conference from english into one of the following languages: farsi, turkish, urdu, french, russian, kurdish, georgian and arabic. If you like to volunteer, please indicate it in the form.
We are looking forward to your participation!
Best Regards, Initiative Nein zur Bezahlkarte Berlin / Brandenburg
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