2007-05-30

May 30th 2007, Heiligendamm

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Indymedia G8 Timeline online!

From now on, you can find verified, up-to-date news also via the new Timeline webpage: http://de.indymedia.org/ticker/en for English and http://de.indymedia.org/ticker for German.

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Indymedia G8 Dispatch team

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In memory of the victims of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land since the War of 5 June 1967

Vigil, 5 June 2007, 11 A.M. to 13 P.M. at the Security Fence, Vorder Bollhagen, Germany

We are gathered together on the 40th anniversary of the war between Israel and its Arab neighbours to commemorate the Palestinians and Israelis, who have died as a result of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights.
We are gathered together on the 40th anniversary of the Israeli occupation at the Security Fence protecting the G8 Summit in Vorder Bollhagen, Germany, to call to mind the Wall of Injustice constructed by Israel and tolerated by the G8 States, the Wall which runs through the Occupied Palestinian Territories and separates Palestinians from Palestinians, as well as from their places of work and from their property.
We are gathered together on the 40th anniversary of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and, in the memory of the victims of the occupation, accuse the Israeli Governments and the G8 States, to have thwarted the establishment of a viable and sovereign State of Palestine and a just peace between Israel and its neighbour States.

A just peace in the Middle East is possible!

Israelis against G8 c/o Jewish Voice for a Just Peace in the Middle East

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Partial success at the Administrative Court Schwerin

Law Offices Schultz & Förster
www.menschenrechtsanwalt.de www.racf.de
Berlin, 26 May 2007

Partial success at the Administrative Court Schwerin: Vigil of the "Jewish Voice" can be held near the Fence at Heiligendamm

The Administrative Court, with its decision today (1 B 255/07) has granted partial approval of our express application against the meeting ban on the basis of the General Decree of the Police. The Jewish Voice for a Just Peace in the Middle East would like to hold a vigil on 5 June 2007, the 40th anniversary of the Six Day War, at the Security Fence at Heiligendamm, to remind those attending of the Wall enclosing the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The Jewish Voice was founded on 9 November 2003 in Berlin as the German Section of the International Federation "European Jews for a Just Peace" (EJJP - European Jews for a Just Peace). The aim of the Jewish Voice in Germany is to inform about the necessity of a just peace between Israel and Palestine. In the interests of a just peace between Israel and Palestine, the Jewish Voice appeals people to protest emphatically against any further construction of the Separation Wall.

The vigil, now permitted by the Administrative Court in or near Vorder Bollhagen, is not allowed to be closer than 200 metres in front of the technical blockade around Heiligendamm - the ruling is similar to the decision on the express application made by the initiators of the protest march.

The Security Fence is of central importance to the Jewish Voice as the place for the vigil to remind people symbolically of the Wall in Palestine. The anniversary of the beginning of the Six Day War was selected as the date because this date represents a historical point of the Middle East conflict and the deprivation of the rights of the Palestinian population.

The applicants are satisfied with this partial success.

We assume, moreover, that the General Decree over and above that will not continue and expect a positive decision on our application for rallies in the area of the Rostock-Laage Airport in the coming week (see our Press Release of 22 May 2005).
Jewish Voice for a just Peace in Middle East
European Jews for a Just Peace (EJJP - Germany)

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African Day against G-8

Friday, 1st June 2007 ALTE FEUERWACHE Axel-Springer Str. 40/41, 10969 Berlin

12 - noon
Anti Black Racism and its consequences on Africans. Presented by: Yonas Endrias from Eritrea, Germany N.N: Platform for Reflection and Action against Anti- Black Racism, Switzerland

2.15 - 4 p.m
Continues exploitation and Plundering of Africa by G8 Countries. Presented by: Barounga Abdel Kader, Cameroon, Germany; Carole Crawford, Paris

4.15 - 6 p.m
Apologies and Reparation for the Enslavement of Africans and colonial Crimes. - Dispropptional sufferings of Africans. Presented by: Mawete Yo Teka Sala, Angola, Britain; Njeri Yebiemen, Jamaica , Britain

6.15 - 8 p.m
African Migration to the G8 countries and its deadly Consequences. Presented by: Theophilus Osezua Emiowele, Nigeria, Germany; Secretary of European Refugee Advocacy Organisation, Wayne Farah, London
For over 500 years the relationship between the western powers and Africa has been the continues plundering and denigration of the African continent and its people by the westerners. A crucial aspect of labour, made the Europeans to storm Africa in search for labour force for the production of products like tobacco, sugar, cotton, coffee and gold. This was realised through the inhuman enslavement of Africans, the very first and indelible inhuman crime committed against the African people by the Europeans and Americans.
During this era, Africans were brutally caught, abducted and transported by Europeans under critical conditions that let to the lost of lives of millions. Those who successfully arrived Europe and America were forced to work in plantations and other life destroying sectors of the economy for very long hours without rest. This unforgettable human brutality led to the production of the above mentioned goods that were sold in Europe and America and the profits enormously contributed to the riches of these continents.
Another crime against the African people and their continent took place in 1884, in this event, the Europeans made the second strong waves of movement into Africa. These strong waves was branded colonisation. Europeans like priests, traders, farmers and administrators saw Africa as a spring board of charge to escape from the abject poverty churning Europe at the time in search of a better life. The decision to make these moves was reached in Germany in a conference known as The Berlin conference 1884.

The then German chancellor Otto von Bismarck invited his other European and American counterparts on the 15 of November 1884 to this conference where the inhuman, racist and patriarchal decision was taken to partition Africa like a piece of cake. This decision facilitated the scramble for Africa by Europeans. This scramble for Africa and the inhuman enslavement of Africans have destabilised Africa politically, economically, culturally and have instituted endless wars and pains that have taken away lives of millions of Africans. The original African civilisation has lost its course and Africa is torn between two worlds. In the first world, despite all its natural resources, Africa is portrayed as the poorest continent of the world, disease stricken, "underdeveloped" and needs endless help from Europe and America. In the second world, Europe and America are the saviours of Africa in resolving their conflicts, borrowing money to the continent, spreading their "civilisation" and determining how the economy and politics must function. As this destructive and patriarchal dynamics of destruction and denigration continues, Europe and America realised their old strategies were becoming obsolete, they now embarked on a new satanic strategy to plunge the last nail on the head of Africa and its people with a sledge hammer. This is the so called Globalisation. This Globalisation has taken Africa in hostage and reinforced the global control of Africa economy by the Britton Wood Institutions like International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank. These institutions have imposed the so called economic recovery projects (Africans call it Economy Regressive Projects). Example is the so called Economic Structural Adjustment Programme, (Africans call it Economic Suffering Added Project) (ESAP), which do not tandem with the cultural, political and economic realities of the continent.
This project generated political and economic crises and states collapsed.

These exploitative, patriarchal and racist strategies of the western world has largely contributed to the surge in forced movement of the African people en mass in search of protection. A protection they cannot get in these inhuman western countries. On the contrary the African people are greeted with high sentiment of racism and hostilities, seen as second class citizens, killed, burnt and brutalised by western politicians, police officers and the civil society. In recent days, the Europeans have instituted a policy which prevent Africans from entering into Europe but to be held in European sponsored camps bordering Europe found in the North of Africa, Libya, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. Meanwhile, on the contrary, the Europeans can enter and leave Africa as they want. We, that is Africans in Germany, Europe; Africa and America and other parts of the world see this process as a racist, destructive, exploitative and inhuman. That is why we have to come together to protest against and to make our non negotiable demands known to all.

Our Demands

1. Stop Imposing Western Documents/ Ideas on Africa

Many documents for Africans are originating from the west with a western perspective. African academics, politicians and policy makers are completely absent. This strategy portrays the racist and dominant attitude as evident that research is not being carried out in Africa. These documents coming from the west have contributed in facilitating Africa's dependency on the West. This can be seen on two instances. The western educational programme forced by the World Bank on Africa although some African professional institutes like Educational Research Network of Southern and Eastern Africa (ERNESA) which members have already professionally discussed appropriate programmes for Africa. The other Example is the New Partnership for the Development of Africa (NEPAD).
This is known in Africa as New Partnership for the further Destruction of Africa. This is a concept developed by Europeans to work with some of their puppet governments in Africa to continuously under develop and divide and rule Africa.

2. Payment of Reparation

In support of ITRAP, Africans around the world are demanding apology from Europe and America and the payment of reparation for the different crimes like slavery and colonisation perpetrated in Africa. The brutality exercised during the era of slavery where many Africans were made slaves and transferred in critical situation, forced to work under inhuman situation and the dead of millions are considered as crimes against humanity. This was followed by colonial crimes in which the Europeans and America forced Africans in the continent to work like slaves, conducted wars that led to genocide like in Namibia where the Hereros were almost wiped out by the German colonial troops. During the colonial and slavery eras, enormous amount of raw materials were stolen from Africa. Due to these, we are calling on Europe and America to assume their responsibility and ask for pardon from Africans and pay for crimes during slavery and colonisation as reparation. All these crimes are seen as crimes against humanity.

3. Debt Relief

There should be a relief to all the so called debts. A creditor cannot be owing a debtor. Europe and America are owing Africa. We are calling on all the European governments to transfer back to Africa stolen money found in their banks. So many western puppets have stolen money from Africa and hidden in Banks in Europe which does help in boosting the European economy. All this money should be transferred back to Africa.

4. Stop the Sponsorship of Conflicts in Africa

The wars in Africa are still perpetrated by the signatories of the Berlin Conference in order to exploit raw materials. Many European companies are involved in this war business to plunder the African continent. In order to succeed, they export weapons to war lords to set Africa in confusion while the extract these mineral resources without any body realising. This can be seen in the wars of Republic of Congo, Sierra-Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Chad, Angola etc. These wars have destroyed the social life, culture, made many people to migrate to unwelcoming areas. The loss of life is countless and the development of diseases. Stop the initiation and sponsorship of conflicts in Africa! We call for a complete and immediate withdrawal of western troops from Africa. Allow Africa to develop its conflict resolution mechanisms! No exporting of weapons !

5. No to the German Chancellor's Proposal for Africa

The German chancellor Angela Merkel so called vision for Africa in which European states should select African states as partners for development is greatly challenge by Africans. This strategy is leading to the repeat of history of the Mandatory territories. After the second world war, European countries divided African states into territories to assist for independence and "development". It is rather unfortunate that all the European countries implemented hard principles and structures that made Africa to stay permanently dependent on west.
We are calling on Europe to allow Africa to forge its own development in relation to its politics, economy, culture and people. Africa needs real independence to choose its partners and not partners chosen only by Europeans.

Organizer: Flüchtligsinitiative Brandenburg and Africans' Perspective in Cooperation with: Bildungswerk der Heinrich Böll Stiftung