THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
The Initiative in Memory of Oury Jalloh (Initiative zum Gedenken an Oury Jalloh) and its supporters will demonstrate for the thirteenth time in Dessau on Sunday to commemorate the death of Oury Jalloh, who died in police custody in the eastern German town on 7 January 2005.
The memorial event, which takes place on Sunday, 7 January 2018, will also call for justice for the Sierra Leonean, whose death is widely believed to have directly resulted from police violent abuse.
READ ALSO Oury Jalloh: A mysterious death in German police custody
The far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) has been mobilising the inhabitants of Dessau against the 2018 Oury Jalloh Memorial March, and has called for a public protest against the March on Sunday.
In view of this unsavoury development, the Central Council of the African Community in Germany (Zentralrat der afrikanischen Gemeinde in Deutschland e.V.) is calling on Africans to turn out en masse for the 13th Oury Jalloh Memorial March in Dessau on 7 January.
In a press statement signed by its president, Moctar Kamara, the Council said:
“In our view, the racist and neo-Nazi party AfD is currently mobilising public opinion against this traditional commemorative demonstration and tries to mobilize a few Dessau residents to protest against the demonstration of African/Black people and their supporters.
“To this end, the AfD in Dessau has launched a widespread defamation campaign against the memorial event of 7 January 2018, called by the Initiative in Memory of Oury Jalloh.
READ ALSO New evidence contradicts German police in Oury Jalloh death
“The Central Council of the African Community in Germany calls on all Dessau residents to distance themselves clearly from what we see as the racist views of the AfD Party and from any neo-Nazi tendencies. We call on members of the African/Black Community, all supporters and anti-racist movements to send a clear signal and make a massive appearance in Dessau for the memorial demonstration.
“We will not be intimidated by the AfD’s racist smear campaign in Dessau. We urge the Dessau police to take all measures so that we are not provoked by the AfD and its supporters, who are waging a racist campaign against our demonstration.
READ ALSO African Community in Germany speaks out on Oury Jalloh!
“For us in the African/Black Community, Oury Jalloh was murdered. This indignation of the African/Black Community will also be clearly expressed at this demonstration. We insist that the exercise of our rights to freedom of expression and physical integrity are ensured and protected by the police. We continue to demand a complete investigation of the circumstances of Oury Jalloh’s death.”
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The Oury Jalloh Memorial March 2018 will take place on
Sunday, 7 January 2018 and commence at 2 pm from
the Main Train Station (Hauptbahnhof) in Dessau.
More information about the Oury Jalloh Initiative
Information on community organised travel to Dessau
