Night of the Refugee: A Walk I’ll Remember
Written by: Marinah Rahmat, Programme Officer at Justice & Peace Netherlands
Photo credits: Stichting Vluchteling
On the evening of 20th June, I sat down for a warm meal and turned on my choice of dinner entertainment: football. I had already taken a long, late-afternoon nap and headed to the supermarket to get snacks I intended to pack, where I spent time contemplating whether to buy an energy drink, knowing well in advance that I would be tired and wondering how I would attempt to overcome the exhaustion.
As I packed chocolates and cereal bars and fruit in my backpack over the sound of a football match, I went through a mental list of what I deemed were necessities: torch light, waterproof jacket, spare socks, power bank, cables, earphones, a hat, a sweater, and 750ml of water. I don’t want to overpack, I thought, otherwise my bag will be too heavy. Having checked the time for the tram I planned to take, I took a quick shower, put on one layer of clothing, stepped into my sneakers, and headed for the door. I’m prepared, it’ll be fine, I have everything I need with me. These were some of my last thoughts as I made my way to FENIX in Rotterdam.
There were smiles all around as I greeted the colleagues I’d be walking the full 40km with, excited and nervous for what would be our first time walking through the night, not knowing what to expect. But that’s just it – we walked our way to the finish line in The Hague and were warmly greeted with cheers, food, and celebratory medals. Nothing else happened. Though we were undeniably tired, we were well-hydrated, well-caffeinated (thanks to the involvement of many, many volunteers), and we snacked along the way as our conversations past midnight dragged on, hour after hour, until they stopped entirely.
And unsurprisingly, at no point did we find ourselves in a life-threatening situation.
“I felt so much gratitude in being able to look forward to the next rest stop, knowing that a welcoming group of volunteers were waiting with warm drinks and food.” – Lowis Mayer, Intern
This is precisely why the Night of the Refugee, organized annually since 2010 by Stichting Vluchteling to raise donations and awareness for the plight of refugees, remains important. Those who are forced to leave their homes due to reasons such as genocides, wars, environmental disasters, or persecution are not able to do so under the same calm and calculated circumstances. There is no preparation. There is no time to enjoy personal comforts. There is no time to make a mental list. There isn’t really certainty on where you’ll end up. There is no room to even remotely think of guaranteeing individual safety, let alone the safety of others. The experience as a whole epitomizes the privileges that so many of us have access to yet take for granted and makes one crucial point clear: safer and complementary pathways exist. These should not be exceptional or symbolic experiences like this one, nor should they be limited to the thousands of people who registered for the Night of the Refugee across different cities in the Netherlands. They should be available for every single person, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, nationality; every adult, teenager, child, and baby.
Yet today, the doors to safer pathways remain closed for so many around the world. And in many cases, they remain locked by leaders who threw the keys into the water but pretend that they’re part of the search party; when in reality, they’re using everything in their authoritarian playbook to make sure the keys will never be found. Unfortunately, hate often begets hate, and these closed doors have only fed more anti-refugee and anti-migration voices, from parliaments to the streets; these negative sentiments have led to the introduction of regressive laws and policies worldwide and, inevitably, influenced the increase in vitriol and xenophobia against those who are seeking safety.
Despite this, the Night of the Refugee makes a second point undoubtedly clear: allies exist (and they’re walking among us!) Alliances can be formed through a sense of shared responsibility, and more importantly, an overwhelming need for change. Embracing the need for collaboration and walking alongside allies is integral to moving forward in this human rights landscape, and I’m glad that the walk showcased just that.
“I felt safe knowing that I was surrounded by people who are walking all night for this cause.” – Rita Afsana, Programme Officer
“At the end of the day, it’s all about the collective effort.” – Kika Hoogstra, Intern
With your generous support, Justice & Peace Netherlands raised over EUR 2000 in donations. We thank all those who, figuratively and literally, walked with us and hope to continue showcasing our solidarity beyond the walk: through our work, our actions, and the doors we keep open.
