ICYMI | #122

Our weekly roundup of stories you may have missed.

Greece boat tragedy

Last Wednesday a crowded boat carrying people across the Mediterranean from Libya capsized off the Greek coast, killing hundreds. Of the up to 750 people on board, only 104 were rescued, making it one of the deadliest disasters in the Mediterranean in years.

Shockingly, despite being alerted to the situation by activists up to 15 hours before it sank, Greek authorities did not launch a rescue operation. The tragedy underlines the horrific cost of an EU border policy that prioritises deterrence over human lives.

75 years since Windrush

Thursday is the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush ship in England, an event that marks the start of the mass migration of African-Caribbean people to the UK. The ‘Windrush Generation’ were vital to the UK’s post-war workforce, and had a transformative impact on British society and culture. Yet, in recent years, during the ‘Windrush Scandal’, many were detained, stripped of legal rights and wrongly deported by the British Home Office. 

Special Olympics

The Special Olympics World Games 2023 opened in Berlin’s Olympiastadion on Saturday and will be taking place at venues across Berlin until the end of the week. We were honoured to be appointed Music Director of this years games, the world’s largest inclusive sporting event featuring 8191 athletes from 184 countries. Head to their website to find out more about the event and buy tickets.

CDU in Berlin reverse green policies

In a blow to Berlin’s transition to climate neutrality, Senator Manja Schreiner of the CDU-led administration has suspended all plans for new cycle lanes in the city, in order to save car parking spaces. Earlier this year, Schreiner also announced that Berlin will lose one of its car-free streets – Friedrichstraße in Mitte – from 1 July. The pedestrianised street was originally intended to serve as a pilot project for mobility transition in the city.

Summer Hangout

The annual Oona Bar hangout weekend returns this weekend! As is now customary on '48 Stunden Neukölln' gallery weekend, we host our summer hangout this Friday and Saturday, with a bumper offering of DJs, radio shows, food, art installations and more surprises. See you on Weserstraße!

World Refugee Day

This Tuesday is World Refugee Day. If you’re in Berlin, Impact Hub is hosting an event at Rollbergstrasse 20, including workshops, sessions with refugee-led organisations and more activities. From 18:00 head to Oranienplatz, the symbolic centre for Berlin’s refugee and migrant movements, for music, talks and a demonstration in the name of freedom of movement.

Re:SEÆ Fundraiser

On Sunday 25 June, head to Funkhaus Berlin for Re:SEÆ, a fundraising party in solidarity with refugees and people on the move worldwide. There will be DJ sets from moe., No Plastic, Olenka and many more, plus speeches from Sea-Watch, Solidarity with Refugees in Libya, Reclaim The Sea, and members of the Sudanese and Eritrean diaspora. 

New Chatroom

Refuge Worldwide's brand new chatroom is now live! Grab a direct line to our residents and dial in those requests or track IDs you always wanted. We’ve migrated our chat to Discord to create a place to meet and connect with other listeners, radio hosts and the station's staff. Join the conversation on our website or login via Discord.

This week on Weserstraße:

Tuesday: ICKPA Festival w/ Nastya Vogan, Christian AB & Koloah b2b Udda

Wednesday: Doc Sleep, Abibi, CCL Nalamazon

Thursday: Golden Medusa, Kemback, VK, Gabriel Gifford

Friday & Saturday: Summer Hangout! Elise, Dangermami, Lawrence Lee, ophélie, Mandel, Nat Wendell.

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Header image licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0