In early 2013, roughly 300 West African refugees reached the German city of Hamburg, following a long and perilous journey from Libya. They had first, like countless other refugees traveling from the African coast, crossed the Mediterranean to the Italian island of Lampedusa — the name that the group of 300 subsequently adopted for themselves.

The Lampedusa refugees hoped to receive refugee status from the German state. But German authorities, deferring to EU guidelines, refused to provide them with any sort of accommodations, instead attempting to expel them from the city. As refugees, of course, they had nowhere else to go. So they decided to organize a solidarity campaign to counter the intimidation and bullying of the authorities.

This decision was by no means unique – there are many refugee activist groups in Germany, often in coalition with parts of the radical left, engaged in squatting, solidarity activism and practical assistance to refugees coming into the country. What no one could have predicted in Hamburg was the immense, spontaneous wave of sympathy and solidarity their campaign generated.