2007-05-12

May 12th 2007 Heiligendamm -- Russia

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!! G 8 BREAKING NEWS !! police declares protest march on june 7th illegal

Incredible! As reported today on indymedia Germany http://www.germany.indymedia.org/2007/05/176460.shtml a spokesman of the Einsatzleitung of the police declared the planned international anti-G 8 protest march in Rostock on june the 7th for illegal and forbidden!

The protest march was planned that way: many marches from Bad Doberan, Kühlungsborn, Nienhagen, Kröpelin unite in Heiligendamm to one march.

Police yesterday said these marches have to be cancelled completely because they could make it impossible for police and for first aid to act freely.

Organisations and members of the german anti-G 8 movement will go to court to fight for their right to protest.

German conservative press, like Focus and Die Welt came up with all sort of lies: a journalist with the pseudonym hal wrote that left-winged terrorists would threaten to execute G 8 members: http://www.welt.de/politik/article864740/G-8-Gegner_sollen_Exekutionen_erwogen_haben.html

And more repression: minister Schäuble plans, with the help of old 3rd Reich laws, pre-emtive arrests: http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/0,1518,482291,00.html
no G 8 !

[http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/05/370354.html]

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Call of La Via Campesina, 11th of May 2007

G8 feeds the corporations, Join us in Rostock to feed alternatives!
The heads of state and government of the world's eight wealthiest and most powerful countries will meet from June 6-8 in Heiligendamm on the Baltic Sea in Northeastern Germany. These eight governments decide and implement neo-liberal policies that increase the number of hungry people in the world, that bring war in most of the regions, that deepen the environmental crisis and that create social unrest worldwide. Small-scale farmers, peasant and landless workers worldwide are among the first victims of these policies. The trade liberalization and privatisation policies they impose steal our resources and our knowledges and make it increasingly difficult for us to make a living from agriculture. Their environmental irresponsibility destroys the biodiversity and the natural wealth we depend on for our livelihoods. Among the 854 millions of hungry people in the world, three-quarters are rural people. The millions of migrants who are denied their basic rights and of unemployed urban poor living in shanty towns are our brothers and sisters who have been chased away from their land. We believe that the current agricultural crisis, that goes along with a huge environmental, social and cultural crisis, is not a fatality. Food sovereignty, agrarian reform, re-localization of the food production and sustainable peasant-based agriculture are genuine alternatives to the neo-liberal impasse.
We will come to Rostock to demand the right for the new generation to become farmers! We will come to Rostock to say that farmers worldwide, not transnational companies, are able to feed the world! We will come to Rostock to demand Food sovereignty and Agrarian reform now!
We call farmers in Europe and worldwide, young people and all citizens, to join the mobilisations in Rostock to protest against the G8 and call for alternatives.
June 2: International protest rally June 3: Action day on agriculture
* 10:00 Demonstration against GMOs, supermarkets and corporate-controlled agriculture
* 18:30 Youth Assembly for the Right to land and to farming, Mau Club, Rostock June 5-7: Alternative Summit June 6: Blockades
End Corporate control over our food! Access to land and agriculture for the Youth !

For more information: Morgan Ody, +32 22 17 31 12; morganody@yahoo.fr

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"Speak with them": Spaces for Voices from the South in Heiligendamm

Planned by: John Holloway (Mexico), Dorothea Haerlin and Oliver Pye (attac Germany), and Jai Sen (CACIM, India)

Bringing voices from the South to Heiligendamm - not to speak as much about them but with them - is the aim of an intercontinental exchange of experiences on the occasion of the G8 Summit. The main focus of the project is on the direct encounter between people from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe in a full-day workshop with John Holloway (see aim 1) and appointments for possible media networking across continents for long-term co-operation (2). The meeting of theorists (Ana Esther Cecena, Chico Whitaker, John Holloway, Jai Sen, etc.) with activists from all continents enables a debate on "Open Space" as a new approach to enhance theory. (3). Furthermore, there is the idea of a Speakers Tour to include people in the discussion process who were not able to travel to Heiligendamm (4).

A. Planned Events (large public event, workshops, speakers tour, etc.)

Berlin:
30th May:
Large inaugural event in the Grips Theatre Berlin with Chico Whitaker (WSF), Wangui Mbatia (People's Parliament), etc.

31st May:
Discussion event in Berlin (Haus der Demokratie):
"You are 8 - We are everywhere" (preliminary title suggestion) John Holloway discusses with friends from Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia.

Rostock
June 3rd:
Full-day workshop with John Holloway at the Camp:
"Another World Is Possible - yes - but it exists already despite- against-and beyond capitalism". A global exchange of experiences between people from Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia.

June 4th:
Morning at the camp: Debate about "Open Space as an open theory approach"

June 6th:
Afternoon at the Alternative Summit: "Open Space - New Ways in Theory and Practice"

Before and after the Summit: Speakers' Tour through several cities

People interested can contact:
Dorothea Haerlin: dorotheahaerlin@gmx.de
Oliver Pye: oliver.pye@web.de
B. Aim:

1. Direct Exchange of Experiences:
At the big camp near Heiligendamm a space shall be created for a direct exchange of experiences between people from different continents that have already started to realise a life in dignity despite-against-and beyond capitalism.

During my visit in Kenya just after the WSF in Nairobi to women's groups, youth support projects in the slums and a water project in the rural area, I kept thinking: A direct contact with people from other continents that I have already met in the slums of Buenos Aires, in Chiapas/Mexico, the "Assembly of the poor" / Thailand or in Venezuela, to enable a space and look for travel funding for people from the South for a direct exchange of experiences could be an important task for people from the North. This is the aim of a full- day workshop on June 3rd at the G8 Camp, organised together with John Holloway.

2. Media Networking:
In all continents projects are being developed with a common aim of visualising people without a voice, "Sin Vox", in a through alternative media. Building a network of these projects is therefore another aim. We would like to invite several people who are active in alternative media. Shannon Walsh, a Canadian filmmaker working in South Africa, has offered to accompany this project and others during the G8, a valuable documentation for further work.

3. Open Space:
Looking for another world, we need another, new theory formation. The participation of people like John Holloway, Ana Esther Cecena, Chico Whitaker, Nicola Bullard and others that have been invited to the Alternative Summit provides a great chance for a debate between theorists and activists.
This exchange of ideas shall occur in two workshops about "Open Space". The debate started in Nairobi already on initiative of CACIM (Critical Action Centre in Movement, India) and CCS (Centre for Civil Society, South Africa) in several workshops. The approach "Open Space" is to be discussed at the camp and then at the Alternative Summit as a new theoretical approach, also in preparation for a planned conference on the same topic in New Delhi (India) next autumn, and also in preparation for the other form of next year's (2008) WSF as global action days.

4. Learning from the South:
Those that cannot travel to Heiligendamm should be enabled to participate in the discussion by a Speakers Tour and meet the guests from the South that have travelled so far. Their reports from every- day life are an important contribution to counter the negative images from these continents existing in the North. They are often portrayed as people without money, food, peace, education, etc. as if they were nothing. Still, they are living their lives, laugh at least as much as people in the North, mostly more and have maintained traditions of solidarity or built them from scratch, from necessity, yes, but can't we also find the beginnings of another world that we are looking for in the "cold North" ?

This project is far from finished - unfortunately, we also do not have the funds yet - and we welcome any kind of support (financing ideas, co-operation on contents for the individual events, looking after guests, help with translations also outside of events, etc.).

Please contact the current organisers:
Dorothea Haerlin, dorotheahaerlin@gmx.de
Oliver Pye, oliver.pye@wed.de

For the Speakers Tour:
Oliver Pye, oliver.pye@web.de

Jai Sen
jai.sen@cacim.net
CACIM, A-3 Defence Colony, New Delhi 110 024, India
www.cacim.net
Ph : +91-11-4155 1521, 2433 2451

Check out the OpenSpaceForum @ www.openspaceforum.net

Subscribe to WSFDiscuss, an open and unmoderated forum on the World Social Forum and on related social and political movements and issues. Simply send an empty email to worldsocialforum-discuss- subscribe@openspaceforum.net

And, NEW ! : Join CEOS@openspaceforum.net, the CEOS (Critical Engagement with Open Space) listserve for exchange and coordination on open space theory and practice and to facilitate a critical discussion of the idea of 'open space'. Just send an empty mail to CEOS-subscribe@openspaceforum.net

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The Summit "Russia-European Union" - repressions against Libertarian Forum

The repressions against "Intergalactic Libertarian Forum" which should take place during the Summit "Russia - the European Union" on 16-18 of May have begun in Samara (Russia). Yesterday May, 10 the police organised a search in the public center. In this center the Coordinating Committee of the libertarian forum was based. Coordinators of the Forum planned to held discussions and working groups in different rooms on that center. Today, May 11, the building of the public center has been closed by the local authorities.
Searches and the prohibition to enter the building blocked up the work of the public center and several human rights and ecological NGOs (i.e. ?ssosiation for the protection of the rights of the voters "VOICE", project "Maintenance of the freedom of speech and freedom of assembly', youth cinemaclub etc.), although the repressions were aimed at the Libertarian Forum but not these groups.

More information:
samaramay07@rambler.ru
http://samara-may.livejournal.com/

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Anti-G8 militants feeling rejuvenated after German police crackdown
Germany-G8-Violence

Militant opponents of the upcoming G8 summit, due to be held in the Baltic Sea resort of Heiligendamm from June 6-8, feel they have gained the momentum to stage violent protests during the meeting of world's richest nations following the recent police crackdown in several north German cities.
Radical leftist and anti-globalization groups have pointed out that Wednesday's police raids against the leftist militant scene will only increase tensions ahead of the G8 summit which may lead to major violence.
A spokesman for a German radical leftist group lashed out at the de-escalation strategy of the police.
"De-escalation is spelled differently," the weekly Der Spiegel news magazine quoted Benjamin Laumeyer as saying.
Pointing to "different forms of actions", Laumeyer would not rule out the chance of violence during the summit.
Another anti-globalization group 'Dissent Netzwerk' (Dissent Network) also refused to distance itself from violence.
"Every protest has its legitimacy," a spokesperson was cited as saying.
A member of the anti-G8 group 'Block G8' accused police of working on an escalation strategy.
"We want to prevent an escalation but it is not only in our hands", said Christoph Kleine.
The recent police sweeps have led to a renewed solidarity wave in the leftist camp, triggering massive mobilization efforts.
Only hours after the police raid, thousands of people took to the streets of Berlin and Hamburg, leading to brief violent protests.
"We have never had such a mobilization potential," said Carl Kemper of 'Dissent Netzwerk'.
Even more moderate groups of the anti-G8 movement, among them church and youth groups, trade unions and leftist parties, have at least for now displayed solidarity with the more radical elements.

Moderate and radical anti-globalization activists had been involved in heated discussions in recent weeks over how to protest during the G8 meeting.
"There is an ongoing debate among anti-globalization groups as to how to protest during the G8 summit. Some are calling for soft actions but some are calling for more violent measures such as blocking airports and throwing stones," said the spokesman of a Berlin-based VENRO non-government agency, Gerhard Gad.
"Groups like Attac have harsher positions," he added.
The anti-globalization organization Attac had strongly condemned Wednesday's police raids urging massive anti-G8 protests.
"Our slogan is 'More than ever now: Support G8 protests!," Attac was cited saying in a statement.
"We won't let ourselves to be intimidated. We will continue our information and mobilization campaign against the neo-liberal world economic policy and aggressive war policies of G8 members," it added.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to demonstrate against the G8 summit as a record number of 16,000 police will be deployed to contain the protests, making it the largest security operation in the history of Germany.
Protestors will also try to stage a sit-in at the military airport in the northern city of Rostock-Laage where the G8 delegations are due to land, in a bid to block their arrival.
The latest threats by hardline anti-globalization groups have further alarmed German security officials in the wake of a series of fire-bombings on the homes and vehicles on political and industrial leaders in Berlin and Hamburg.
German authorities warned that they will show no mercy on militants seeking to disrupt the G8 summit.
The Interior Minister of Mecklenburg-West Pommerania Lorenz Caffier, whose state will host the summit, announced police had the powers to impose up to 10 days of preventive custody on potential offenders.
"We also have the possibility of speeding up court proceedings. We will do everything to ensure a peaceful summit," added Caffier.
Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has already said that Germany will reinstate border controls in a bid to prevent potential terrorists and anti-globalization militants from entering the country.
There also plans for a suspension of the so-called Schengen accord which allows passport-free travel arrangements for many European Union countries.
Police has established a special nationwide commission, codenamed 'Kavala' whose primary function is to focus on all security issues related to the G8 meeting.
As part of the security measures, police have constructed a 2.5- meter-tall barbed wire security fence around the conference site.
The cost of the 13-kilometer fence, equipped with closed-circuit video cameras, is around 12.5 million euros.
The fence is also aimed at stopping anti-G8 militants from approaching the conference center.
Protestors have already announced that they wanted to get as close to the site of the G8 meeting as possible.

[http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-234/0705122950150821.htm]

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Minister threatens to place G8 opponents in custody

Berlin - Extremists planning to disrupt next month's Group of Eight summit of the world's richest nations could be placed in preventive custody ahead of the meeting, German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said Friday.
Schaueble said in a series of press interviews that potential troublemakers could be detained for up to two weeks if there are firm indications they are planning criminal actions.
The minister has already announced that Germany was reimposing border checks in efforts to quell violent protests at the June 6-8 summit in the Baltic Sea resort of Heiligendamm.
Normally German borders are open and passengers on flights from many European Union countries, the so-called Schengen nations, do not need to show passports. The Interior Ministry said it needed to stop potential offenders, mainly opponents of globalization, from entering Germany to protest at the summit.
Schaeuble said Germany expected an increased security threat during the summit. He said the fact that Germany was not not subject to terrorist attacks during major events such as last year's football World Cup 'does not mean we will be spared this time.'
On Wednesday, police launched a crackdown against left-wing extremists believed intent on disrupting the talks between leaders from Germany, Britain, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, the United States and Russia.
Some 900 officers searched 40 sites in six German states, confiscating computers, data and other documents, but making no arrests.
The raids triggered peaceful protests by anti-globalization activists in several cities, resulting in clashes with police in the northern port of Hamburg.
Prosecutors said militant leftists opposed to globalization had carried out a series of petrol-bomb attacks over the past year on homes and cars of industrialists and officials in Berlin and Hamburg.
German police say they expect 50,000 to 100,000 protesters to gather next month near Heiligendamm. Most of the protesters were expected to peacefully listen to anti-G8 songs at a pop concert.
But police unofficially estimate that 3 to 5 per cent of the protesters do not subscribe to non-violence and might try to evade police roadblocks and fences and invade the summit.

[http://news.monstersandcritics.com/europe/news/article_1303038.php/Minister_threatens_to_place_G8_opponents_in_custody]