Anti-NATO protest -- Proposal for an action day against the "European security architecture"

In a strategy paper published in April 2007, five former generals stress the need for a more “proactive approach”, in which the preemption and prevention of threats are central. To the NATO strategists an array of threats exist in today’s uncertain world, from terrorism and transnational crime to unrests following food crises, social conflicts as a result of climate change and extensive migration to the countries of the NATO alliance. These are all central security risks that fall within NATO’s remit. The paper maintains that proper “defence” requires the concept of “homeland security”, which entails a “comprehensive approach” of the military, police, politics, research, academics and civil society and the continued blurring of internal and external security to build up a “global security architecture”.

Interior ministers of the European Union have also presented a wish list for changes in Home Affairs in the EU. For this, they formed the “Future Group” initiated by the German interior minister Schäuble and Frattini, the former EU commissioner of “Justice and Home affairs” (JHA), now the foreign minister in Berlusconi’s government. In Autumn 2009, under Swedish presidency, interior ministers will meet in Stockholm to decide the next five year framework on internal security in the EU. In their paper they focus on more surveillance of the internet, common access to European police databases, more cross-border police collaboration to fight “illegal migration” and force countries outside the EU to take back their citizens who enter the EU without a visa, making border crossing for EU citizens easier through biometrics and RFiD, enlarging the competencies of the police agency Europol and the migration police Frontex. Also, interior ministers see a “growing interdependence between internal and external security” and argue for more interventions of the EU in “third countries”.

To draw attention to and campaign against the ongoing melting of Home Affairs, war and defence and the logic of securitisation, we propose an action day arount the NATO summit in April 2009. The action day could take place on the opening day of the camps against the summit, planned for April 1st, two days before the summit.

Possible focuses could be

• the border between Strasbourg and Kehl (to protest against the Schengen Information System (SIS) and Visa Information System (VIS), Frontex, border management, the use of drones and satellites to observe borders, the exchange of data prior to summit protests, the refusal of entry for people participating in protests
• the Schengen Information System that is located in Strasbourg
• the European Commission that is responsible for the creation of a European police agency and a European migration police
• the Eurocorps, a European crisis reaction force that will be able to be deployed under NATO or EU command in future

In Strasbourg there is also a migrant detention centre located on military territory. There are also companies that are involved in biometrics, biotechnology and nanotechnology. The French military is running several bases and the “Legion Etrangére” is based in Strasbourg.

We wish to organize an action day that focusses on the grave changes in the “security architecture” constructed by politicians, police and military. There is a shift towards “risk analyses”, that want to foresee and predict dissent, social conflict and crime. In this logic, everyone is seen as a possible threat.

We would like to get in contact with groups that are working on migration, filesharing networks, alternative providers, terrorism cases, data retention, the Lissabon treaty, antimilitarism, climate and environment and civil liberties to develop both a radical critique and strengthen a broad movement to intervene against the security architecture of globalised war and capitalism."

We will present and discuss this proposal at a preparatory meeting for the anti-NATO protests on January 17th and 18th 2009. There we want to develop a proposal to present at the action conference on February 14th and 15th in Strasbourg.

Gipfelsoli, dissent! France

Related:

• Collapsing the European Security Architecture!
• Social Movements Against the Global Security Architecture.