Ich Bien Ein Ausländer (I Am A Foreigner)
An Appreciation of the powerful Pop Will Eat Itself song and Why We Need to Support Asylum Seekers and Refugees
Ich Bien Ein Ausländer (I Am A Foreigner) is a song by the band Pop will eat itself. This phrase is repeated throughout and is and is an essential part of this powerful song. This contains a lot of German phrases but is essentially a review of this powerful song and why it’s words should be listed too.
In 1963 John F Kennedy made hi “Ich Bien Ein Berliner '' speech supporting freedom of movement against the backdrop of the oppressive Communist regime that erected the Berlin Wall. Part of that stated :
“Two thousand years ago, the proudest boast was civis romanus sum ["I am a Roman citizen"]. Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is "Ich bin ein Berliner!"... All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words "Ich bin ein Berliner!" “
Refugees and asylum seekers come to the UK and US often after being bombed out of their own countries by weapons supplied by the governments of these countries.
While most people are sympathetic and want to help these people others see them as a threat. The Trump administration and the Brexit (which is about tax avoidance for the rich) UK Government has justified any violent and oppressive action against non whites and non natives.
I myself have seen black deportation vans in my own Newcastle, which frightened and scared me. Our government is very fond of losing documentation so it can deport someone who is not white, and the government sees this as a joke , with the caveat that “if your documents are in order then you are fine”, but we know that is not true.
We need to support groups like Amnesty International and more to help people who need it and to call out any oppression and rejection of people because of who they are , their race or where they come from. The media fans these flames so that people will blame immigrants for the actual failures of government.
I was originally going to continue in the same sort of area as these two posts “Something To Think About - Xenophobia” and “So You're A Racist Now MikeyDred” but really this is observations on the powerful lyrics of the song and the fact that Britain is still not always a safe place for refugees and asylum seekers. It should be a totally safe place.
Ich Bien Ein Ausländer - Lyrics by Pop Will Eat Itself.
Listen to the victim, abused by the system
The basis is racist, you know that we must face this.
"It can't happen here". Oh yeah?
"Take a look around at the cities and the towns."
See them hunting, creeping, sneaking
Breeding fear and loathing with the lies they're speaking
The knife, the gun, broken bottle, petrol bomb
There is no future when the past soon come.
And when they come to ethnically cleanse me
Will you speak out? Will you defend me?
Or laugh through a glass eye as they rape our lives
Trampled underfoot by the right on the rise
[CHORUS}
"You call us..." ...Ich Bin Ein Auslander
"You call us..." ...Ich Bin Ein Auslander
"You call us..." ...Ich Bin Ein Auslander
"You call us..." ...Ich Bin Ein Auslander
Welcome to a state where the politics of hate
Shout loud in the crowd "Watch them beat us all down"
There's a rising tide in the rivers of blood
But if the answer isn't violence, neither is your silence
If they come to ethnically cleanse me
Will you speak out? Will you defend me?
Freedom of expression doesn't make it alright
Trampled underfoot by the rise of the right
Ich Bin Ein Auslander.
Ich Bin Ein Auslander.
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